Carluccios isn't surrounded by lots of other restaurants so it's easy to spot when you're in the North Laines. Although it's a chain it stands out for all the right reasons amongst the typically character bereft Italian offerings you'll find in cities across the UK.

The Venue
If you're meandering around the North Laines you'll no doubt stumble across this glass monolith and rub your eyes with disbelief. Its clean lines, shiny surfaces and downright up-to-datedness makes it stand out in the lovably scruffy Laines.

You can either enter Carluccios through the deli and go down a few steps to the restaurant or go through the disabled access friendly side door which leads straight into the restaurant. Whichever entrance you choose, give yourself a few moments for your eyes to adjust however, as the restaurant's bright interior takes some getting used to. Not only does it have floor to ceiling windows, there's also a giant mirror behind the waiters' station bouncing the light around and the walls are white. It's not too clinical though with splashes of colour courtesy of the bright blue logo and red, yellow and other primary coloured chairs.

A vast selection of cooking utensils hang on one wall and you have to pity the poor bugger who has to clean them, or polish the huge mirror for that matter. Tables for two are either lined up in front of the windows or along the back wall which has one of those inviting squishy leather seats running along the length of the room.

In the middle are large, square tables of eight, perfect for the Italian-sized family. You can imagine Antonio Carluccio, the Italian celebrity chef who founded this chain, herding his grandchildren in here to create their own pasta dish from the dedicated children's menu.

The People
Instead of background music, Carluccios hums along to the buzz of conversation. It's popular with just about everyone - businessmen, families - some with a screaming baby in tow, elderly couples, women dining on their own, mums and daughters.

And it's extremely popular. Whilst other nearby Italian restaurants sit empty, Carluccios is wiping down their bright white tables in readiness for the next cluster of customers huddling near the door.

Part of the appeal is the staff who are polite and personable but don't make a song and dance about serving you. You always have just the right amount of attention and there's never a moment when you think you're not going to get served or when you're wishing they'd just leave you alone.

The Food
If you're wary of Italian chain restaurants and with some you've every right to be, bear in mind that Carluccios is the exception to the rule. Forget slimy pasta slopping around in indistinguishable sauces or pizzas that try to be posh or even just plain awful salads. No, Carluccios serves up food that any Italian would be proud of.

Try the antipasto di verdure (£9.95) for a starter which is a sharing platter (although you can get an individual portion for £6.95). It's a plate of everything you'd expect an Italian family to serve if you turned up unannounced at their olive grove. Roasted pepper halves are smeared with fresh green pesto. They look burnt, but once you've eaten them you'll realise why chargrilling is such a popular style of cooking when it's done well - the caramel sweetness and tender flesh of the peppers contrasts perfectly with the bite of the pesto. Next to these lie a handful of green beans which have been blanched and mixed with mint and garlic. They're fresh with a bit of a crunch and they're the perfect accompaniment to the dish's squishy artichoke which has lots of oily plump layers.

Carrying on the comfort food theme is the caponata, aubergine cooked in a Sicilian style. It's hard to tell what's Sicilian about it as it tastes just like well-seasoned, well-cooked, cold aubergine. Maybe a Sicilian cooks it. However, the aubergine is tasty and a delicious alternative to a hot starter in summer or winter. This dish also has some truly spectacular olives. Not only are they absolute whoppers but they're juicy and have plenty of springiness, the sort that cling to your teeth in a good way whilst caper berries round off the dish, popping in your mouth to release a pleasant vinegary-olivy mix. Mop it all up with the slice of toasted ciabatta provided with that in mind. Other starters include bruschetta (£4.95), calamari (£5.95) and chicken-liver pate with toasted ciabbatta (£4.75). Not a cheesy garlic bread in sight.

If you love pizzas then Carluccios isn't for you. They only serve salads, pasta and straightforward mains. Perhaps they think that some Italian chains have done this dish such a disservice that they want to distance themselves.

As a result, Carluccios mains are refreshingly Italian. Pasta con funghi (£6.95) doesn't sound all that spectacular, but give it a whirl. When it turns up your stomach may jolt in horror when you spot that it appears to be swimming in water. Bad pasta draining? No, rich mushroom broth. The pasta is not your bog-standard spaghetti but ribbons of rich egg pasta with pretty serratted edges dotted with flecks of bright green parsley and jet black mushrooms.

Lasagna tradizionale (£7.95) meanwhile, is exactly what it says it is. It's served as a fairly large slab and it's got just the right amount of give so that it doesn't slop around on the plate but isn't rigid either. They've gone easy on the bechamel sauce so you can actually really taste the tomato and the meat is a mix of ground beef and lamb which adds more interest.

Other mains include tubes of pasta in a spicy sausage sauce (£7.60), handmade fresh tortelloni pasta filled with venison (£8.50) or breadcrumbed breast of chicken that's fried and served with a green salad (£9.25).

Refreshingly, their side dishes actually accompany your meal rather than just help you waste a fiver. The green salad (£3.95) will work well with any dish and is a mix of little gem lettuce and rocket, topped with slithers of parmesan cheese and dressed with a healthy glug of balsmic vinegar (and it's not the cheap stuff).

Unfortunately, at the desserts Carluccios comes a little unstuck. If they just served gelato (Italian ice cream) then all would be fine. But try the homemade pancake with woodland fruits and ice cream (£4.95) and you'll be so disappointed you may forget the treats that you've just eaten. It's served cold and the pancake is flaccid with all the horrible connotations that word has. Inside it there's a perfectly nice scoop of vanilla ice cream. This, unlike the pancake (and why they boast about the pancake being homemade is anyone's guess) isn't homemade but it's nevertheless very nice but the woodland compote that accompanies it is bitter, not tart. Stick to ice cream, which is £3.50 for two scoops.

The Drink
There's a decent wine list with whites, reds and roses plus a sparkling wine and a dessert wine. They're all reasonably priced between £12.45 and £23. Peroni is the only beer available but there are three options available, there are brightly coloured bottles of Campari (£2.50) served with soda or more frequently orange (£4.95). In addition to the usual round of soft drinks there are some mouthwatering alternatives. Try the fresh lemonade (£2.25) or the traditonal iced lemon or coffee granita (£2.50).

Carluccios is well known for its coffee (£1.45 to £2), and they'll ask you if you want it normal or with a bit of oomph. If you go for the oomphy option, and not a wussy latte, they'll bring you a glass of water to dilute all that caffeine which is a nice touch. For some reason they don't put brown sugar on the table, but they do have it, so ask. If you're not a fan of coffee, finish the meal with Cioccolata Fiorentina (£1.60) which is hot chocolate served in an espresso cup and so thick that you could eat it as dessert.

The Last Word
Some Italian chain restaurants would have you believe that the Italians are a carb-crazed nation who can't get through a meal without a slice of cheesy garlic bread or a slab of greasy pepperoni pizza. Carluccios admirably proves that this isn't the case and instead demonstrates why Italian is still such a coveted cuisine.

venue information venue map view brighton review user reviews (2) image gallery (6)