[Restaurant Review] Luca - Italian Chic

Luca is a fairly new entrant to the Michelin dining scene. Luca obtained their first and only star in 2023, and have maintained it ever since. From the exteriors, you would be hard pressed to know that Luca obtained a Michelin star, especially when they are situated in the quiet and peaceful neighbourhood of Clerkenwell.

If you fancy an excellent Italian meal though, do step in and let yourself be amazed by the food.

The Food

I had the Bar Express Lunch, and at the time of writing, this costs 38 pounds for a three course meal. Despite the modest price, each course has at least two options to choose from, and I appreciate that. However, I have a slight issue with the menu, which I will share later.

I had the parmesan fries to start, as it was recommended by everyone who had it.

These fries are perfect. Crispy on the outside, tender and soft inside, the parmesan fries are absolutely delicious. They are expertly fried, and it was not greasy. You can tell from the photo below that there isn't a single drop of excess oil.

I was worried that the cheesiness, and that the fact that it is fried, would make the whole dish too heavy on the palate. I was wrong. The parmesan fries are a good snack to start the meal, and I finished the fries alone. I highly recommend this dish.

I came into Luca with high expectations, and was immediately blown away by the parmesan fries. I wasn't prepared for the appetiser, where my dining experience reached a crescendo.

This might be the best dish I had in 2025, and we are only in May. The conchiglie was tender, but with a nice bite to it. The mussels were unbelievably fresh. There was just a tinge of smokiness layered on the mussels, without masking their fresheness. The vegetables in the dish; courgettes (known as zucchini in the US), chilies, tomatoes and cedro, come in and awaken the palate with herbaceous notes, and sparks of acidity.

If the parmesan fries were perfect, the conchiglie appetiser was flawless.

I almost always order a seafood dish for my main when dining at a fine dining restaurant. Why? I want to examine the contrasting approaches by top chefs in how they prepare seafood. Seafood is not easy to prepare, and I want to know how do they deal with the natural flavours of seafood. Are the chefs going to allow the natural flavours (or funk) to shine? Or are they going to be bold by completely masking any taste of the sea?

At Veeraswamy, the chef adopted the latter approach. Here in Luca, it seems to be the former, since the halibut looks as though it was just lightly cooked.

While the halibut was fresh, and tender, the garnishes that came with the dish were a bit of a distraction. The grilled vegetables, potato mash, and sauces leaned towards being heavier on the palate, and did not really complement the fish.

Don't get me wrong, this was a good dish. However, this main course just couldn't match up to the highs reached earlier.

The dishes at Luca tend to tread a fine line between tradition and modernity, and the tiramisu wasn't an exception.

Does this look like a tiramisu? Most people would say probably not? Does this taste like a tiramisu? I would say, not really?

This was a good dessert, but I think the chef was too heavy on the mascarpone or perhaps whipped cream.

The Venue

Luca's interiors are nicely designed, and they have a compact but well-stocked bar, where I sat for my meal. The restaurant may look compact from the outside, but it can easily sit more than a hundred. So if you are passing by, and you see that the place looks packed, don't be afraid to step in and check whether there are any available tables; they've got a huge dining room tucked inside.

Conclusion

I enjoyed my meal at Luca, and they are deserving of their Michelin star. The Bar Express Lunch offers great value, and I wouldn't hesitate to dine at Luca again.

I just want to highlight a tiny issue.

The Bar Express menu on their website was different from the menu I had on my day of visit.

It may seem like I'm nitpicking, especially when Luca probably switches up their Bar Express menu because they want to offer great value dishes that are wallet-friendly. I'm not sure if there are discrepancies in the menu of the dining room, however, customers may be visiting the restaurant because they heard good things about a certain dish, and would like to taste it for themselves. Avoiding discrepancies in the menu help to prevent disappointments.

Do visit Luca if you are in London, and be sure to order the parmesan fries.

Disclosure: This post is not sponsored.

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