Caffe Caldesi

I have been to caldesi over the past 2-3 years some 10-12 times . Never been on my Tier-1 list but yesterday was definetly my last visit.

The wine list is poor, very commercial and definetly overpriced. A decent wine comes for no less £50

We ordered 4 starters and 4 main courses

The caprino starter with bacon (in padella) was fridge cold and hard to chew. Usually this dish is served straight from the pan with the following result: the bacon is crispy and the cheese is rather warm and can be gently cut with a fork ( I hardly managed to cut it with a knife)

The filet steak main course was cold inside, not salted, hardish and tasteless. The mashed potato I ordered as a side was cold, liquid and tasteless. The oven roasted potatos were hard, raw and fried rather than baked

We asked for a second bottle of wine (£45) before the main courses but it never arrived

We asked for some bread with the starters but were told that it was finished (at 9 pm)

The manager is way to confident vis a vis her qualities (being italian is not enough to run a restaurant) and some of the waiters are not trained enough
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Alex
3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Saturday, December 03, 2011

This was the worst italian food I've ever had in my entire life. Poor quality and extremely over priced!!! around 80 pounds per person for bar food.
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Ben - View all reviews by this user
1 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Friday, July 08, 2011

Possibly one of the best Italian Restaurants in London: Cafe Caldesi is an excellent choice for its casual dining downstairs while at the same time offering a proper more formal restaurant upstairs. Not to mention this place also has its own cooking school ( I have never been but always mention it to friends when I go round their).

I just happened to pop by their last weekend and was met with the same polite and cheery Italian staff that have always been very eager to please.

For A Starter I had the: La Parmigiana - (Layered baked aubergine with tomato sauce, Mozzarella, Parmesan and basil) "this dish is heaven on a plate !"

As a Main:La Milanese: Classic bread crumbed veal chop with roast potatoes and salad leaves. Excellent as Always

For Dessert : The Caldesi TIRAMISU, and an Espresso with a shot of Fernet Branca ( a great digestive liqueur).

Notice how I spelled "Tiramisu" in capitals that was by no means a mistake. If their is one thing this place is absolutely god like for its their TIRAMISU. If you are going with a loved one be greedy don't share and just order two because one is genuinely not enough.

Might I also add that they have an excellent Italian wine list by the glass and by the bottle.

For Real People who Enjoy Real Italian food, Caldesi is a Winner.
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dieselthirteen
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, February 24, 2011

Today I attended lunch with a number of friends (11 in total) for what can only be described as an inexcusable display of poor service and discreditable food. The first course was lacking in zeal and taste. The food for different people arrived at different times resulting in one of our party starting their food when the majority had finished theirs - not sure if it was worth the wait to be honest.

The main course was the most disappointing representation of food I have seen since my student days. I felt deflated immediately my plate was pushed in front of me. As if this deflation was not enough to deal with, three members of the lunch crowd and I commented on how cold our food was – two members actually sent theirs back with a request for it to be warmed up.

In summary, this was a poor show on many fronts - not anything close to what one would expect from such a establishment.

Will not be returning and suggest to others that they give this place a very wide birth.
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2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Friday, September 11, 2009