Luce - PERUGIA

Absolute worst meal I've ever had in Italy, and I've eaten in michelin star places in Milan and Venice, spent time all over the country. To start with, the bread was terrible, sour combination of spelt rye, which made it bitter and unenjoyable to eat. Olive oil was pretty special too, and not in a good way. The glazed eggplant starter wasn't tasty, with a weird aftertaste, possibly due to the glaze used. I've had some mind-blowing japanese eggplant dishes in my time, and some transcendental eggplant parmigianos, but this dish was just out there where the buses don't run. The pasta/truffle dish was incredibly bad, paste not aldente, kind of crunchy, and sauce not balanced at all. The risotte was almost like a soup, with the rice almost floating around. ???? Had to eat it with a spoon. We couldn't get out of there fast enough. Now I know why it wasn't full during the Jazz Festival week. Avoid this place like the plague.

One more restaurant right in a historical building in the center of Perugia with romantic vaulted ceilings 1 minute walking distance from Duomo. Quite extensive wine list. This is about all good words I can find for Luce. To start with, we were waiting for 1 hour 10 minutes for our first courses to arrive. My wife ordered Spaghettini with carp and ricotta. The pasta was completely underdone (not to be confused with al dente), sticking to the teeth. The fish was nowhere to be seen, but the ricotta sauce smelled like somebody died couple of days ago. No questions asked when we were returning a plate about completely untouched. Neither about what is wrong, didn’t she like it or – God forbid – suggesting to replace it for something else, like any self respecting restaurant would always do. For the main course she ordered guinea fowl, supposedly boiled breast, which came pink. First time ever I see white poultry meat served not well done. In the end of the “meal” we asked for a list of sweet wines by the glass, which was also quite expensive – just like general wine list but about 60% of the items were not available “at the moment”. All in all, if you consider booking a table in Luce – think again. Quite a few places in Perugia where you can spend your money much much better.

The restaurant is very stylish, but the ambience is very relaxed. And the staff are so welcoming and helpful too when it comes to choosing the really good wine. But the evening was made by the food which is just terrific very much to our taste, consistently imaginative without trying too hard or hiding the flavours of the main ingredients. Just excellent from the appetisers through to the petits fours. Probably the best meal we 've had in Italy for a while. Hugely enjoyed. (And not least, we ate so very well for no more than half what a comparable fine dining evening would cost at home ...

A stylish place that tries to stand a cut above the rest. The room and ambience achieves the desired effect, I like the large well spaced tables and the cavern room. The wooden chairs can get a little hard considering that the dinning experience is designed for a longer stay. Although a very large room it was a tad too warm to be comfortable. However the maini gripe is the food. It's enticing description and presentation gives high hopes for a gastronomic experience that never arrives. I would say the dishes taste a little subdued and although striving to be imaginative are not coherent. Service is pleasant and professional

Continuerò a scrivere recensioni finché non Diventerà il ristorante numero di Perugia. Location stratosferica, personale giovane, capace,gentile. Che dire del cibo e delle sperimentazioni: ogni volta una scoperta più che piacevole! L'ultima volta ci hanno fatto un menù improvvisato,che aggiungere... commovente! Grazie come sempre!