No, I'm not talking about the Worcestershire Sauce, although according to Lea & Perrins (and common sense), Worcestershire sauce indeed originates in this small English cathedral town that lies about an hour by train from Birmingham. I was in Worcester to give a paper at a conference at the University of Worcester last weekend.
After checking into my hotel on Friday night, I went to look for a place to eat. Just behind my hotel was Friar Street, packed with all kind of lovely small eateries. I finally opted for a very cosy-looking Italian place, Puccini's. The place, run by Arvin & Therese Gautama, looked busy with regulars - always a good sign - and I was given a table on a condition that I vacate it again in an hour. As I was dining solo, I didn't mind that. The menu - divided into starters, pizza, pasta & puddings - looked tempting, and I chose Puccini's Cannelloni from the pasta column. After 15 minutes I had a large plateful of piping hot cannelloni in front of me, filled with spinach, ricotta, mushrooms and tarragon. The latter was quite an unusual herb, I thought, but it definitely made the dish very interesting. I managed to fit a cup of coffee and some tiramisu into my one-hour dining slot as well, and left with a full stomach and a pleased palate. (And just about £15 poorer).
Remember I mentioned a few posts ago that I am a faithful type of customer? Well, I am. After the one-day conference ended on Saturday evening, I teamed up with a fellow presenter Eri from Japan and headed back to the centre of Worcester for dinner. As both our hotels were near Friar Street, we inevitably ended back near Puccini's - and then inside Puccini's. This time we got a table for 1,5 hours - I guess by now you've figured out that if you want to have a leisurely meal at that small Italian place, you'd be wise and book ahead.Eri and I both had salads for starters, followed by fusilli with vegetables and tagliatelle with spinach, mushrooms and Gorgonzola, respectively. For dessert, a very generous portion of Gelato Affogato for Eri and a lovely panna cotta with forest fruits for me. Mmmm. (My bill, incl. a glass of house white - £16).
Puccini's
12 Friar Street
Worchester WR1 2LZ
England
Tel. +44 (0) 1905 27770
3 comments:
i am a real panna cotta fiend; the one you had looks scrumptious...the restaurant sounds lovely...
J - I know you like your jellies and panna cottas:) Making panna cotta is on the cards soon - there was a really delicious-looking recipe using buttermilk on Delicious:Days few months back that I'd like to try. I don't seem to have the time recently though:(
Paz - the presentation went well, thank you, though the conference itself was a bit chaotic. Well, at least I was fed well:)
Have just come across this post regarding 'Puccinis'. I know it was a few years ago now but thankyou for the nice comments!
Kind regards
Arvin & Therese Gautama
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