Bucatini! Penne! Tortelloni! Spaghetti! (Caffe Uno in general)

Name: chris105

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Product:	Caffe Uno in general
Date:	02.06.01 (63 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: admirably well-cooked pasta for a non-italian place, consistently good food

Disadvantages: pricey, non-pasta dishes are not given quite the same importance, it is after all a chain eatery!

What am I doing, abandoning my book-ops domain to venture into chain eateries' reviews? Is this the discovery of a new Michelin writer? ... I think not. This is meant as nothing more than a highly personal opinion of a face-stuffing exercise.

Now I know we're all meant to snob chain eateries and anything not purely "independent". Heck, I even penned a "independent bookshop against chain bookstores" op meself, so I'm in a rather precarious position to throw stones, wouldn't ya say guys? Oh well, contradictions are the spice of life... or something of the sort, anyway.

Being in London even if for a short stay means being on a somewhat tight budget, given the exorbitant cost of living there, so a decent chain eatery is the equivalent of a two-star Michelin restaurant for me - the high point of a visit, the ultimate indulgence. And therefore I choose carefully! Ha!

For you must know another thing about me, my dear dooyooers - I'm an incurable glutton. Oh yes I am - as anyone who's been to lunch/dinner with me can attest. Life without food is only marginally better than life without books. There's nothing I won't do, and no-one I won't kill if I have to, to get to an al dente plate of pasta, piping hot and enriched by some knock-out sauce. So don't say you haven't been warned, fellow diners!

As I was saying therefore....... ah yes, the eatery. The eatery in question, to come to the point ["finally" I hear - yes that's right, make fun of me and you won't get any of my freshly-cooked spaghetti, ha!], is Caffe Uno.

This is a chain eatery with branches literally all over London and beyond. A branch even opened recently on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. So what is it all about? Is it a glorified McDonalds experience?

God forbid, no! Basically, and without further ado, keeping in minds the constraints imposed by its being a chain not a personal
chef-customer experience, there's not many places in London you'll get a better-tasting plate of pasta (for that price, that is... there are always the ultra-expensive boutique-restaurants). And take my word for this - I come, after all, from the next door neighbours of the Lords of Pasta (and some talent has rubbed off on us, I hasten to add rather immodestly).

The prices at Caffe Uno are on the steeper side, given its being a chain pizza/pasta place, however the portions are ample (larger and better than chief rival "Bella Pasta") and the presentation by and large genuine. I say "by and large" because, on a few occasions, the food was slightly sub-standard compared to its usual self - but that of course depends on the branch visited and the time of day. I find there's a better chance of getting genuine al dente pasta when the place is medium-to-slow busy rather than when it's jam-packed with customers.

Each dish comes with a multitude of ingredients. None of the cliched "spaghetti napoletana/bolognese", "pasta marinara" - of course those options are available to the unadventurous, but I highly discourage you from pursuing that path. More likely to be enjoyed: penne with a delicious lamb concoction, a heart-rending cottage cheese/sun-dried tomatoes/rucola medley, pasta with chicken slices cooked in the most incredible wine/sauces. And on and on we could go [this is killing me! It's past midnight and I'm before a computer screen with no access to a plate of pasta - of course I could always trot off to the kitchen and prepare myself one - wouldn't be the first time (shhhh)].

For anyone not so hot on pasta (of course this defeats somewhat the purpose of trotting along to Caffe Uno, but anyways....), there are other choices. The pizzas, I'm told, are decent, though nothing to write home (or to dooyoo!) about. A few alternative main courses looked appetising enough on fel
low diners' plates (especially the italian sausage dish). However the best part of the menu, apart from the pasta that is, would be the antipasti. Caffe Uno present a selection (again, quite pricey) of starters to die for: the usual bruschetta/garlic bread/mushrooms in garlic, but also bocconcini of parma ham and goats' cheese. Get my drift?...

All this may be washed down with some decent wines, in an unhurried and comfy atmosphere. The decor, in most if not all branches, is based on the warmer pastel colours engulfing the tables - painted ceilings and all. Beware, though: a few of the branches, namely the High Street Kensington one, verge on "over the top" (frescoes on the ceilings and the like...) - but hey, the food's equally good there, so who's complaining?

Not me! I'd rather be eating.

Summary: