You can’t help but fall in love with the soft fuchsia décor and to-die-for modern European menu. Dine in stylish comfort at Kicca in Chelsea
Kicca
100 Draycott Avenue
London
SW3 3AD
0207 823 7887
www.kiccalondon.com
reservations@kiccalondon.com
Who: Alessandro Cristiano and Chicca Carbonelli D’Angelo
“Chicca and I met by complete coincidence! I had just left my last job at the Park City Hotel where I had worked as a restaurant consultant. Usually I take the Underground home but that day I caught a taxi. I got chatting with the driver and told him I was looking for a business partner to set up a restaurant with. A couple of days later the same taxi driver went to Gatwick Airport to pick up Chicca, who was moving from Italy to London. She told him she was hoping to open her own restaurant but was looking for the right person to do it with – somebody who knew London and who knew about cooking. So the driver called me and told me about Chicca. Two weeks later we met and decided we could work together – now we’re like brother and sister! We wanted a restaurant where we ourselves would be happy. The fuchsia colour is our favourite colour and the orchid is by one of our favorite Italian artists. Between Chicca’s good taste and my knowledge of building a functional restaurant we’ve reached a good compromise for a 60 foot room. It’s a place where you can come and have scrambled eggs in the morning and good parties in the evening. It’s a good party room – I like to think of it as my living room. It’s a place to come and chill out and mingle. In six months I would like for all my customers to know each other. I’m very keen on sourcing local produce. The only things I’m importing from Italy are the cheeses, salami, and some of the vegetables. But for the rest I’m very keen to help small local producers. The UK beef and lamb is some of the best in the world. That’s why I’m not calling myself an Italian restaurant, but modern European. If I find nice produce from Holland, I want to buy it from there. Quality is a priority.”
What: A very modern and chic Mediterranean restaurant with a strong Italian slant in the heart of Chelsea. The mouthwatering menu combines comfort foods (scrambled eggs, club sandwiches, cheeseburgers and croque monsieurs) on the all day menu and more exquisite dishes on the á la carte lunch menu (homemade pasta, scallops, sea bass and meat dishes accompanied by the likes of mashed potatoes and endives). The evening sees table cloths pulled out and more of a fine dining vibe. Prices range from £3.50 for breakfast tartlets to £10.50 for a main course linguine. Alessandro also offers a personalized chef service where he comes to your house and prepares a week’s worth of meals for two. He’ll prepare the meals in front of you so you can learn basic cooking skills at the same time! He also offers private catering, from 2 to up to 30 people.
Why: The soft fuchsia and sleek, shiny black décor from top to bottom makes you feel wonderfully pampered and chic as you browse the menus under the attentive and friendly care of the Italian waiters. The room is small and intimate enough to be the prefect place for a party and in the summer the front doors will be wide open onto the pavement in that wonderful continental way – Gauloises cigarettes and philosophy books would not be out of place here. If you’re lucky enough to live close by and decide to make this your local, mark our words, you have an enjoyable, sociable and truly delicious summer to look forward to.
Where: Closest tube is South Kensington. Walk down Pelham Street and cross over to Draycott Avenue. Pass a few fabulous looking shoe shops and Kicca’s is just on the left.
When: Monday-Saturday 10am-11.30pm for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Sunday 10am-10pm
