AS MY favourite cuisine (as is the same for the majority of those reading this), in my eyes it is very easy to get it wrong when it comes to Italian. Not tooting my own horn or anything but more times than not I find a home-cooked Italian dish reaches the kind of flavour that will satisfy my cravings more than a trip to a restaurant.
Admittedly, as soon as you are across borders in Italy my home cooking doesn’t have a leg to stand on. But in London especially, there are only a few Italian restaurants that I can honestly recommend – and these all come with a hefty bill.
If you’re on Instagram then you will have probably seen or heard of Chucs by now. In what I can only imagine being a marketing strategy, influencers and reality TV stars alike have been propping up suspiciously frequently with a Sunday brunch or date night picture at one of six of Chuc’s restaurants.
I can’t deny that it is working, however. After seeing Millie Mackintosh’s post with the Chuc’s eponymous Bigoli Cacio E Pepe dish I had already scoured the restaurant’s Instagram page – sharing photos with my boyfriend saying “PLEASE can we go?”
Chuc’s Belgravia
We visited the newly opened Belravia branch, with an interior design that resonates with that of a retro Italian cafe, tones are warm, details are gold and the overall finish is vintage. A vine tree loops around a central post to then crawl across the ceiling – presenting an enveloping comfort and intimacy that may have been lost with the cleaner interior design choices. The use of the vine also serves as a perfect transition from day-to-night with delicately placed fairy lights lit to exert a sense of magic.
The menu is just as comforting, with dinner dishes ranging from gnocchi with walnut pesto and prosciutto to the famous Chucs burger with cheese, bacon and truffle fries. Five unique pizzas, bar the classic Margherita, showcase Chuc’s opulent taste for ingredients, with pickled pear, truffle, fennel sausage alongside cime di rapa, and hearty n’duja sausage featuring across them. Combining traditional Italian ingredients with the British taste for rich substance makes for a wonderful concoction of delights.
For starters, we chose the truffle arancini and the pissaladière – an anchovy lover’s dream – and together they served as a wonderful marriage of peppery and salty flavours with a crisp bite. Likewise, our mains, the Bigoli cacio e pepe – Millie Mackintosh made me do it – and the crab linguine with crab and chilli celebrated salty flavours with a creamy moreish-ness. Admittedly, the pasta was a far too al dente for my liking and the crab linguine even more so, at points even crispy.
Despite the somewhat deflating main, the Chuc’s tiramisu dessert reaffirmed the lure of Chuc’s Belgravia. Hitting just the right note of chocolate, coffee and cream.
Chuc’s Belgravia assorted main dishes
Chuc’s Belgravia Aubergine Parmigiana
Chuc’s Belgravia assorted starters
So, has Chuc’s satisfied my Italian cravings better than home cooking? I am not entirely convinced. It has, however, inspired me with new ingredients and a menu coloured with an array of traditional flavour pairings and seasoning.
The staff were lovely and the interior design cosy and inviting but perhaps the abundance of social media coverage and mouth-watering photos has the danger of encouraging high expectations, which may have been the case in my visit.
Despite this, I am keen to revisit the try the brunch or lunch menu – the chalk farm smoked salmon with avocado and feta on sourdough is calling my name. It’s time to start tempting my boyfriend with their wonderful photos again …
by Lily Rimmer
To browse the restaurants and menus visit this link