Not every day I buy knives and certainly not Japanese knives as they are not really for Pastry work. Even though they are super sharp and could be used for fruit they are too expansive. While living in Japan I had the opportunity to visit such masters and craftsman producing one of the best knives in the world. I even brought some. I could not hold myself back walking into the Zwilling store at Dubai Mall, gazing at the counter with the whole range of Miyabi Knives. Minutes later I was the proud owner of a Miyabi 7000D Chutoh.

The Miyabi 7000D range is damascus (33 layer) finish with a core of CMV60 stainless steel resulting in a hardness of c. 60 Rockwell. The handle is stainless steel and Micarta (a multi-layer compound bonded by linen and synthetic resin) The Miyabi 5000S range is highly practical and always reliable because of easy-care top quality material. The blades are stainless special steel, FRIODOR and the knives have at traditional D-handle, of synthetic compound. Made in Seki, Japan, the centre of the sword and knife making industry since the 14th Century, by Zwilling JA Henckels.

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Antonio Carluccio, the famous Italian Chef and food expert opened his restaurant on the Boardwalk, Dubai Mall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I love his BBC shows as he cooks from the heart; simple Italian food! S and I went to check out his Cafe slash Food store slash restaurant and I was very much surprised of its fitting design; modern but cosy and inviting. We had a browse through the shop part and discovered some real good imported ingredients from Italy. Rather to take them home we decided to sit near the window where we had a brilliant view on the Burj Dubai and fountain. The Spaghetti with mussels and Penne with beef ragout where both excellent, though the Spaghetti slightly over cooked. Service spot on with the manager from More Cafe across the road no wonder! Even the coffee was perfect; I wonder if Carluccio selected that from his London Supplier or was it from back home in Italy?

Spaghetti & Mussels

Penne Picante

Antonio Carluccio, (born 1937 in Vietri sul Mare, Salerno, Italy) is an Italian chef, restaurateur and food expert, based in London.

Carluccio was born in south Italy, but his father was a stationmaster, and he moved with his father’s job when he was young and grew up in Piedmont. He moved to Vienna at age 21 to study languages. He lived in Germany from 1962 to 1975, working as wine merchant in Hamburg. He came to the United Kingdom in 1975 to work as a wine merchant, importing Italian wines. He became the manager of Terence Conran’s Neal Street Restaurant in Covent Garden in 1981, and became its owner in 1989. He and his wife Priscilla (Conran’s younger sister) opened an Italian food shop, named “Carluccio’s”, in 1991, and a wholesale business in 1994. The first “Carluccio’s Caffè” was opened in 1999 and a chain has expanded, initially across southeast England, and subsequently across the UK. After ten years of developing Carluccio’s Caffés, Antonio has now stepped down from being a consultant to concentrate on new projects and ventures.

He has written several books on Italian cuisine and appeared on television in the BBC’s Food and Drink Programme, and in his own series Antonio Carluccio’s Italian Feasts in 1996. He was given the national honour of Commendatore dell’ Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana by the Italian government in 1998 for his contribution to the Italian food industry and in 2007 he was awarded an OBE.

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver began his professional career at the Neal Street Restaurant which Antonio owned with his wife until the restaurant closed in 2006.

Carluccio’s

Lower Ground Floor, Boardwalk, Dubai Mall

Telephone: 04 434 1320