Luciano - A celebrity chef restaurant that offers an irresistible taste of Italy
Review by Veronica Blake
ITALY is renowned for having one of the world’s best cuisines. We’re fortunate in London to have some wonderful Italian restaurants with a new generation of Italian chefs taking their national cuisine to a new level.
Gone are the calorific-laden creamy lasagnas and waist-expanding mountains of Gnocci and stodgy tiramisu. Today’s young chefs are creating healthy, delicious menus for a more health conscious diner.
Marco Corsica is one such chef. He left his native Napoli 10 years ago to work in Sartoria where his talent soon shone through. Always one to spot talent, Marco Pierre White hired him as chef at Luciano, his glamorous Italian dining room and bar which occupies the original site of Madame Prunier’s fish restaurant, which was one of London’s most fashionable spots during the first half of the 20th century.
Marco has the freedom to create such culinary delights as roasted cod with canneloni beans, or slow cooked pork belly with smoked haddock mash, wild mushroom risotto, sea bass cooked with clams and barolo and tiramisu.
The menu is changed every three months, he tells, so as to guarantee it remains fresh. I like the way they feature classics such as calves liver with mash and crispy bacon and veal cutlet alla Milanese. Modernity or a desire to be fashionable has not overtaken substance or quality here.
Luciano’s sumptuous art deco ambience is aesthetically beautiful, you feel you’re dining on a glamorous ocean liner in the 30’s. But it’s Marco’s delicious culinary creations that keep its discerning clients returning.
The beautiful interiors are also a feature, with mosaic floors, twinkly lighting and leather banquettes in the street-facing casual bar/diner, and crisp linen, well-spaced tables and an outstanding if slightly raunchy collection of photography by Bob Carlos Clark in the dining room.
The service is charming and conscientious. The manager, George, a handsome Andy Garcia lookalike, ensures that everything runs smoothly and customers are made to feel special.
Luciano’s is the perfect location for celebrating a romantic occasion such as a wedding anniversary. A live jazz piano tinkles softly in the bar. I celebrated my birthday there and it was one of the most pleasant birthdays yet.
All of the little extras add to that special ambience. The mouthwatering walnut bread, the peppery olive oil for dipping, the little chef’s specials which arrive unexpectedly to your table out of the blue, like the melt in the mouth risotto in saffron, or the ice cold Limoncella served in a frosted glass, perfecto!
Because of my overindulgence of the walnut bread I was unable to finish my roasted monkfish with zucchini fritti. “No problema,” said my charming waiter Mauritzio. “Take it with you, I’ll wrap it for you.”
George recommended a Siciliano Rosso to drink, which was very smooth with a rich, blackcurranty, full-bodied taste. I feel that Sicilian wines deserve to be promoted more, as they tend to get overlooked in all the fuss made about the more promoted industrialised areas of Italy.
We hear so much about Abruzzo, Tuscany, Friuli or Emilia Romagana these days, when in fact Sicily is producing some of Europe’s finest wines, olives, olive oils, and lemons. And it’s little wonder when you consider its rich, fertile soil, great climate and lack of pollution – it’s the garden of Italy.
Portions are substantial, which is unusual for food of this quality. All too often it’s a case of style over substance with miniscule portions when it comes to celebrity chef restaurants. That’s not the case at Luciano where the food is fresh, seasonal and cooked with care and dedication.
Tempting though the torta di miela with gelato looked, though, we had to decline.
I can highly recommend Luciano but not just for special occasions. A weekend dad at the next table, dining with his six-year-old daughter, told me he’s a regular here. His little girl was doted on by the waiters and seemed to love her pasta.
The manager, George, told us that Luciano’s was like home for him. You get the feeling the staff love their job, and there’s a definite sense of ‘la familia’.
What’s more, the prices are reasonable for food of this quality. There’s a set menu for £45, or you can choose from the a la carte. I will definitely be back, hopefully before my next birthday.
Luciano,
72 St James Street,
London, SW1
Tel. 020 7408 1440