By Mazhar Farooqui, Deputy Editor  www.gulfnews.com
Dubai: At last count – and this was a while back – there were something like 100 Italian eating joints in Dubai. And we are not talking about places where the menu doesn’t go beyond pasta, pizza, or let’s say, meatballs.
It may have slipped your notice, but lately an awful lot of top-notch Italian restaurants have come up in town, including a few real gems that make you feel you’re dining in Milan or Rome. One such relatively undiscovered gem is Al Forno.
Located in the Dubai Mall, the authentic trattoria offers home-style Italian cuisine in typical Tuscan settings complete with terracotta tiles, ceramic pottery, inverted basket lampshades and a large open kitchen.
The service is charming, food achingly good, prices reasonable and portions so big they necessitate more than one dining partner.
There is a cavalcade of items on the menu but placing an order is a challenge as it means getting your tongue around unpronounceable dishes like linguine con conzee gambereeti al cartoccio, fettuccine con funghi porcini and the ultimate tongue twister – suprema di salmon alla griglia con fregola e peperonata. Phew! More info
