Carluccio's

There are chain restaurants and there are chain restaurants. I love expressing things in such a nonsensical way sometimes. It adds a carefree smugness to a discussion, a bit like using one's glasses to make a point whilst arguing. However, throwing in such a non-sequitur such as this should only be done if one has a handy case in point to illustrate what the hell they are on about.

Chain restaurants are a good thing in one sense. I know critics are supposed to turn our noses up at such widespread aberrations, but there is a lot of good to be said for affordable, unfussy and down-to-earth eating at places you're comfortable with. I will quite happily swallow my pride along with a cheap lunch in Byron, Nando's, or even McDonald's.

The fact is, few of us can afford to be snobbish. As long as food is bearable, we'll eat it. And price reflects massively on how we feel about what we're eating. If you've paid a fiver for a meal, the chances are you won't expect much. If you're paying £80 for three courses, naturally you expect a hell of a lot. Chain restaurants manage to help bridge the gap between the UK and the rest of the world in making us eat out a lot more. The quality may not always be as good, but at least we're getting out to restaurants.

The downside with chain restaurants is that you can get landed with some fairly diabolical food. There is nothing worse than sitting down to a meal that you're paying for to realise that you can easily prepare better yourself in the comfort of your own kitchen, and a darn sight cheaper too. Chain restaurants are very often an exercise in cost-cutting production line eating. They can be dismissive, stingy and downright unpleasant.

The most damning feature of chain restaurants is how they can take a potentially excellent product - or even an already excellent product - and ruin it. Popular opinion is that both The Real Greek and Gourmet Burger Kitchen suffered hugely at the hands of corporate mercenaries once they were bought out: an expanding empire often means a compromise on quality. (This is my biggest fear when it comes to Byron's plans for countrywide expansion.)

So, Carluccio's: one of the most instantly recognisable Italian restaurant chains up and down the country. They have branches in just about any major city and their brand of traditional Italian fare, usually fronted with a delicatessen / café is an excellent business model. It manages to straddle the fine line between fashionable and casual: the layout is always simple and welcoming, the brand is dressed up enough to make it seem better than your average. The appeal is widespread and the tables are usually full.

There are parts of Carluccio's that make you want to celebrate Italian food in all its simple excellence. Pasta specifically is the essence of what they are about. It's never pretentious or patronising, merely a little homely bowl of loveliness. Their pappardelle of wild mushrooms remains a gloriously basic delight. Similarly, their penne luganica (spiced sausage in tomato sauce) is something that, whilst uncomplicated, is not a dish that can be easily improved upon.

The downside with Carluccio's is the bill. The place is not cheap. That, to me, is the issue one must take with any chain restaurant. If the price point is too high then you're instantly in trouble. With Carluccio's, I believe there are a few instances where the price greatly eclipses the quality on show. Also, I don't think there's much outside of their pasta dishes which justify their price tag. It is a place where you really have to know what to order.

That said, I'll keep going back there every once in a while because in terms of a bowl of pasta, there isn't much you can't get here which you may otherwise need to pay top-end prices for. It's a well-conceived set of eateries with a formula for guaranteed success (even if their mark-ups seem a little high). And that mushroom pappardelle is probably one of my favourite pasta dishes anywhere. There are chain restaurants and there are chain restaurants. This is one of the latter.

Carluccio's