Old-school chef Antonio Carluccio is an undisputed king of Italian cuisine.

As well as being a master in the kitchen, he's a rather clued-up businessman, with many books and cookery programmes to his name, as well as a popular chain of Italian eateries.

Carluccio's Caffe combines a contemporary Italian cafe, with a food shop and deli.

It will be open throughout the day for breakfast, morning coffee, lunch, and dinner, serving up dishes such as antipasti, salads, pastas, as well as desserts, using many ingredients sourced direct from Italy.

The deli shelves will be lined with such goodies as pastas, sauces, salamis, cheese, breads, handmade sweets, chocolates and cakes.

Prices vary - some dishes won't be the cheapest you'll find in Brighton but the aim is to provide food and service that's top quality.

Antonio and his partner Priscilla opened their first Italian food shop in 1991 in Neal Street, Covent Garden, London. In those days, only a few products were sold and all the labels were hand-written. It was a hit and became the flagship branch of Carluccio's.

The first cafe with its own shop then opened in Market Place in central London. Antonio's aim was to provide a relaxed venue, with a full larder of Italian specialities.

It grew into an established chain and the Brighton branch will be number 25.

Antonio started cooking at the age of 18, when he left Italy and found himself alone in Vienna. Desperate for a taste of home, he started cooking traditional Italian dishes for himself and became passionate about food from his home country.

He sums up Italian cookery as involving the minimum of fuss and the maximum of flavour.

"Italian food is very simple and the simplicity is obtained through the sheer quality of ingredients."

The chef has often criticised the way we British cook Italian food and has said we use too many ingredients.

"Very basic flavouring should underline the goodness of the piece of meat or fish. In fact, nothing is more difficult than to cook simply."

Most of Carluccio's products are brought over from Italy, including pasta from Puglia, capers from Calabria, olive oil from Sicily and fat risotto rice from the Veneto and Piedmont areas.

Here are some of the choices on the menu: Focaccia (freshly-baked Ligurian bread made with olive oil, £1.20), antipasto di salami (cured meats, including fennel salami and Milano salami, £5.95), tortino di tonno (tuna fishcakes, £3.95), gnocchi al gorgonzola (potato gnocchi with gorgonzola and spinach, £6.25), pasta con funghi (egg pappardelle, with fresh, wild mushrooms, £5.95) and penne giardiniera (pugliese penne with courgette, chilli and deep-fried spinach balls with parmesan and garlic, £6.50).

Desserts (from £3.25) include sweet pastry with lemon filling, Galat ice cream and, of course, tiramisu. There is also a children's menu. Buon Appetito!

Carluccio's is the latest chain restaurant to open in the Jubilee Street development. What will come next? We await with interest...

Review by Leilah Nicola