An originally-themed restaurant makes a splash and what do you know? Two months later there are three or four copycat venues looking to cash in on the trend. The trouble is you have to care a little about why you are doing something, lest it end up soulless and flat. That’s the fate that befalls Capri, a perfectly pleasant Italian-focused restaurant in K Village that just ends up tasting more like a higher-end fast food joint than a truly memorable meal. It ticks all the boxes: exposed brick walls, high ceilings, cheap wine (avoid the house red though, even if it’s only B100) and a fairly simple menu of Italian classics covering pizzas and pastas, with an extra emphasis on seafood. Apart from the unnecessary racks of empty (and dirty looking) wine bottles, it’s all very inoffensive and the side room even borders on cozy—too bad about the painfully random pop soundtrack. The food is also lacking that something special. The pizzas are oven-baked and come with the requisite thin crust and crispy edge, but the dough is just too floury. Nor are the toppings, like the pedestrian cheeses in the four cheese pizza, of the finest quality. Consider the affordable prices and keep your expectations lowered, and it’s not all that shocking. Mains are similarly uninspired. The tortellini, pasta stuffed with ham and covered in a gorgonzola sauce, is tasty for the first few bites but gets a little tiring. Equally, the risotto Milanese with Italian sausage just tastes flat and fat despite the pleasant saffron flavor. The seafood fares a little better, with the grilled tuna being well-cooked and the slightly acidic sauce offering a lift to the whole dish, but it’s a rare interlude in the humdrum. Capri is not a disaster; it just relies on the same cheap tricks and products that made Italian popular (can’t go wrong with cheese and tomatoes) yet completely misses the point of light, fresh and seasonal Mediterranean cuisine.
Capri
