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I’ve recently moved to Oxford and I’m gradually working my way around the restaurants. When it came to trying La Cucina in the culinary street of St Clements, I wondered if an Italian restaurant in Oxford would surprise me and offer an Italian experience I would not forget. It certainly did. Even as I’m writing this now, I’m still thinking about the delicious tiramisu that I had for dessert. I realise how greedy it is of me to skip to dessert before I have even told you about anything else, but it just shows you what an effect it had on me!
I had gone past La Cucina before and would not have imagined there was a hidden depth to the rear where you could sit and overlook the smartly uniformed chefs at work. I really enjoyed seeing the fresh herbs and juicy vegetables being used by the chefs - it was as if I was in Italy.
It was clear that the staff had good relationships with the customers and had formed strong bonds with obvious regulars, but this shouldn’t come as a surprise as La Cucina is run by a partnership, Yola and chef Alberto. There is a homely and unique feeling that is hard to fabricate – everything about La Cucina is genuine.
The menu had a good choice of starters and mains and there was also a vast array of specials. For my starter, I had Calamari fritti con limone and for main I had Pappardelle con l’anatra, a type of pasta with duck. David had a crab and avocado salad followed by one of the specials – veal. The presentation of the starters was excellent: the calamari was cooked to perfection in beautifully flavoured batter and the Insalata di granchio e avocado looked and tasted divine, with excellent quality balsamic vinegar dressing the tomatoes.
The mains were also well presented and excellently cooked. The veal didn’t come with potatoes or extra vegetables, so if you were having this special without a starter then I would choose one of the side dishes to accompany the main. I had never had Pappardelle con l’anatra before and I would definitely have it again. The combination of oriental duck against the softness of the pasta worked well and the duck in the pasta was cooked and flavoured to perfection.
Now to the best bit – the dessert! I had the Cucina special tiramisu and David had a Torta di mele - an apple tart. Both desserts were excellent and but the Cucina special tiramisu was the best I have ever had, served in a coffee cup with softly balanced coffee it topped off a fantastic evening. As a coffee connoisseur, I don’t always approve ‘restaurant coffee’, but this coffee lived up to what it had promised….. it was “wonderful Italian coffee.”
La Cucina would be a great place to take children for a family meal, but it is also a nice place to go with friends or a partner – it has a genuine continental atmosphere and the prices are very reasonable. A definite to recommend and re-visit!
Reviewed By Emma Gascoigne |
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