I happened to walk into Carluccio's in Dubai's Marina Mall a few days ago, to pick up a copy of its relatively recently launched pizza menu for a friend - and nibble on a taster of aged Parmesan at the same time - and I was struck by the fact that its deli section really is quite good.
As well as the aforementioned Parmesan, speciality pastas and jars of accompanying sauce, oils, biscotti and crackers, there is always a nice selection of Mediterranean-inspired dishes on display: substantial salads, interesting vegetables and a couple of meat items, which you can purchase and take away in small, medium or large tubs.
If you did happen to be close to the mall and are contemplating ordering a takeaway instead of cooking that evening, or are faced with entertaining guests at the last minute, it strikes me that this provides quite a nice solution. For example, combine a mozzarella and pine nut-stuffed chicken breast with a portion of marinated green beans and you've got yourself a rather nice, pretty healthy supper.
I left with a portion of the squash, rocket and Parmesan salad pictured below, and it was very nice; the fregola sarda with red and yellow peppers looked good too. It's worth noting that it also sells a selection of freshly prepared sauces - pesto, ragu and pimento when I visited - which, if you pick up some pasta at the same time (or have it in the cupboard already), means that you can be sitting down to eat a wholesome meal at home, 10 or 15 minutes after walking through the door - which on a busy weeknight is sometimes exactly what is needed.
