59th Carluccio's opens in Liverpool

IT took 58 restaurants in every major city and town in the UK before the door finally opened on Liverpool. 

Now we have a Carluccio's because the city “deserves something different” according to its eponymous founder. 

Antonio Carluccio promised fantastic service and food cooked on the premises. “Have you tried a pancetta wrapped prawn,” he asked Confidential. “Several,” we muttered. 

The answer would have been the same if he had asked if we had tried a glass of prosecco yet, a babbling brook of which ran unabated at Tuesday night's launch. 

Prawns

As the sun set on the handsome Metquarter restaurant and deli, where a jar of their toothsome truffles will set you back £15 – but what an Easter present – Antonio surveyed the latest addition to his empire from a table outside to “get away from the noise of that bloody accordian” and to light the occasional fag.

“I can't even smoke in my own restaurant,” he told our operative with a saucy wink.

As a child, Antonio would hunt through the forest for different mushrooms with his father, but seems like he's a fungi now. 

Antonio and FrankThe 75-year-old quipped: “An elephant looked at a naked man and asked 'How can you drink with that?'”

Perhaps, it's the way he tells 'em.

The usual crowd from Hollyoaks, Atomic Kitten and WAG land were among the city's restauaraters, hoteliers and the like who all cheered when Antonio declared: “Liverpool has the Beatles, the football clubs and now it has a Carlucccio's.” 

Here are some snaps we took. Richard Williams took the good ones.