REVIEW: Ca’puccino, Heathrow Terminal 2
The newly reopened terminal at Heathrow, terminal 2, is clean, fresh and quietly efficient. This is great news for travellers and even better, they have some fine new restaurants for you to kick back in. Thanks to a slightly longer journey through airside security than we were expecting (it’s just big, it wasn’t a hassle) we didn’t get to spend as much time at the new Ca’puccino as I would have liked, but we saw enough for me to really, really like it.As you walk up you see the clean lines and understated, but contemporary décor that sets out this company as an Italian start up. We were particularly enamoured by the giant touchscreen menu card that greets you as you wait for a table. This is a clever little idea that allows not only one customer to browse while they wait for a table in this busy, but well run little café but also gives passers by a taste of what is on offer. We saw it encourage more than one group to enter for a morning snack.
The friendly staff really made our visit. Courteous, without being cold, they all greeted us with a genuine smile and you really got the impression that they were all dedicated to making each customers visit as pleasurable as possible. Conscious of both customers tastes and the need for often speedy service in the airport environment, the staff were efficient but also knowledgeable enough about the menu that they would readily offer menu recommendations, their own thoughts on the food and which dishes would suit your tastes and level of hunger.
The menu is compact, but varied, meaning that Ca’puccino can cater to all tastes, at any time of the day. Happily the breakfast menu was particularly tempting, perfect for our 8.30am arrival. The Prosciutto di Parma DOP con uova e pesto Genovese looked particularly tempting, however, as we had a 10 hour flight looming ahead of us, there was really only one choice to go for – the full English breakfast option. There are also a wide range of continental breakfast offerings to choose from if you fancy something lighter – delicious crespelle dolci, yoghurt and fruit selections and amazing looking croissants with a variety of flavours and fillings.
Our food order arrived within about 10 minutes and looked absolutely divine. Well presented, freshly cooked and made with quality ingredients, this was a dream start to our trip. The Focaccia Tostada that accompanied the meal was fresh, crispy, but also soft and pillowy within and well seasoned. The Italian pork sausage was by far the highlight of the dish but the bacon was also thick cut and well cooked. The croquettes had a great texture and our eggs to order were both great – I felt that the scrambled was the better choice, as they were just the right end of soft and deliciously creamy. This was an excellent portion and really helped to start our engines for the day.
The real highlight, as you would perhaps expect, was the coffee. Ca’puccino offers a range of authentic taste experiences from around the different regions of Italy and the speciality coffees are particularly excellent. I would recommend trying the Moka, if you have the time to wait for it to brew to order, this is an intense coffee experience. The cappuccinos are also excellent – both rich and creamy with an absolutely heavenly caffeinated bitterness to them that is usually a rare find in an airport concession!
In fact, the only downside of Ca’puccino for us was the lack of time to sit, enjoy the Italian style and fashion books, or to try the delicious looking pastries that made up a veritable rainbow in the display counters. This place truly has authentic Italian style and taste at the very heart of what it offers and it took me back to lazy mornings wandering through the square in Matera, looking in the windows of small, family run bakeries and cafes, when we visited a couple of years ago to make some giant art.
