May 2016 will see the launch of C’Alice, an authentic Italian restaurant and wine bar ideally located on popular Munster Road, Fulham, SW6.
The husband and wife team behind C’Alice – Alice Ravelli and Giovanni Di Stefano – hail from contrasting culinary regions of Italy (North and South), both steeped in distinctive history and with interesting wine traditions. The couple brings their passion and knowledge of each region’s unique wines together with the opening of C’Alice.
With chef Carla Murgioni at the helm of the kitchen, the carefully selected menu includes Italian specialties such as Capesante al Pompelo (pan-fried scallops in grapefruit juice) and Il Tagliere / I fromaggi di C’Alice (C’Alice’s selection of cold cuts or cheeses) to start; a freshly made Risotto de giorno (Risotto of the day); Tagliolni dello chef, al cartoccio con frutti di mare (Chef’s special ‘al catoccio’ tagliolini with seafood); Salmone special dello chef in crosta di papavero (Chef ‘s special poppy seed roasted salmon served in a sweet beetroot puree with sautéed asparagus), Tonno as pistachio di Bronte (fresh tuna steak in Sicillian Bronte pistachio crust) for mains and a selection of desserts including traditional homemade Tiramisu and Gelati misit (selection of Italian ice creams).
To perfectly complement each dish, the wine list marries a selection of Italian wines across regions, with particular focus on high quality producers (Gaja,Sassicaia, Tignanello), Sicilian excellences (Donnafugata, Tasca d’Almerita, and others) and Sparkling Franciacorta (Ca’ del Bosco). The wines will be served both by the glass and by the bottle.
A selection of wine tasting evenings will be introduced in the coming months to educate customers on some of the lesser-known wines.
The bar will also serve Italian cocktails such as the Prosecco based “Spritz”, and many other spirits, sweet wines and ”aperitivi”.
Alice, who is the creative part of the team, has a professional background in fashion design so it is only to be expected that the restaurant’s interior is as impressive as the wine list. Working closely with architect Maurizio Balistreri, the 40-cover restaurant is completed with bespoke furnishings handcrafted in Italy by Balistreri Experience Srl (Palermo, Italy) giving the space an Italian air of elegance and good taste.
The restaurant’s strap line ‘wine, food, talk’ sums up what the couple envisage C’Alice to become – a hub for friends and families to enjoy relaxed Italian fare with an array of Sicilian wines to while away the evenings.