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Monday 11 March 2013

Lunch at Carluccios in Nottingham

Today I had the wonderful experience of being treated to lunch at Carluccios on Low Pavement in Nottingham, and the equally wonderful experience of meeting Jean a fellow blogger from 'A Very Grand Pressigny' for the very first time.

Carluccios in Nottingham

Meeting someone for the first time can potentially be an awkward experience but not with Jean. She turned out to be a lovely lady, amusing, interesting and great company and the three hours we spent together chatting and eating flew by. Outside the weather was blustery, chilly and snowy, inside all was conviviality and warmth.


The service at Carluccios was excellent and unobtrusive. Just the right amount of attention from the knowledgeable staff. We decided it wasn't a day to sit outside though.



We decided to forgo a starter and have a main and a pudding instead. Jean went  for the  tortelloni di cervo and I chose the linguine al frutti di mare and we shared some focaccia bread and a salad.

 
 
linguine al frutti di mare
During the meal we chatted about France, French culture, the Loire Valley and the magnificent thunderstorms there, lulu the poodle, the history of my life in theatre, Jean's friends who live next door to a vineyard, my experiences in France and the fun of meeting people from other cultures and sharing aspects of their lives.

 
 
I did my usual trick of taking photos of the menus and food as aide memoires and illustrations for this blog post and we both enjoyed a nice glass of wine each and our desserts of lemon tart (sweet pastry with a rich lemon filling) and tiramisu (Savoiardi biscuits soaked in strong espresso coffee and coffee liqueur, mascarpone and chocolate) chosen from the dolci, gelati e sorbetti menu.

 
 
The yummy desserts were followed by a coffee.
 
 

 

Thank you again, Jean for a super time and for treating me to lunch at this venue and I was most  touched by the unexpected gift of the French food and wine and the home-made goodies. Until next time. I will check out the blogs that you recommended. x

8 comments:

Jean said...

It was lovely to meet you Phil, you are very good company for a few hours in a nice restaurant....a very Frenchy thing to do !!
We mustn't leave it too long before we meet up again. I'm glad the redcurrant sauce stayed inside the jar though.....on the way home I was wondering if I had screwed it on tightly enough and if the trip on the tram might have caused it to become unscrewed.....in which case you would have ended up with a "sac en plastique" full of goo !!

Phil Lowe said...

Thanks again for the gifts and yes they stayed intact! What was the blog run by the two gents who live next to the Albert Deuis vineyards?

NickL said...

Hi Phil glad at least you two got a decent lunch! The blogs are was and Living the life in St Aignan... Jean has. Links to them on her LGP blog....

Look forward to meeting u next time....and maybe seeing one of your plays!!!

Nick.

Unknown said...

Pleased that you had a lovely day with your new friend. Glad that your lunch was lovely too.

Karenjane said...

What a lovely treat. And an excellent review (you really do write great restaurant reviews). We've eaten at Carluccios in Stratford-upon-Avon, but never at the Nottingham branch - somehow we never get round to going, & when we've called in to look at the food deli section, there's always a queue for the restaurant. The food looks so yummy.

Judith said...

That was a treat, what a nice lady Jean must be. I'm off to check out her blog immediately!

Phil Lowe said...

NickL: Yes the lunch was lovely thanks. I found the blogs and it would be good to see you too Nick. All the best, Phil x

Phil Lowe said...

Judith: yes I am very fortunate to have such a nice friend. Do check out her blog. You'll love it.