Sea, Nature and Memory
Every season brings a change in the air, and at Belcanto Dubai it brings a change on the plate. The restaurant has launched its new seasonal menu, a collection of dishes shaped by the personal journey of its chef and by the ingredients that inspire him.
For the chef, this season is about transformation: deeper flavours, warmer memories and a closer connection with nature. The new menu is an expression of who he is today, of his respect for the sea, his love for the natural world and the experiences that have shaped his cooking over the years.
A menu built on respect for the ingredient
The guiding idea behind every dish is simple. Each ingredient should be allowed to express its true character, while finding harmony with everything around it. Some pairings will feel familiar, comforting and recognisable. Others are unexpected, designed to surprise the palate. Every one of them, the chef says, is deeply personal.
That philosophy goes beyond creating something new. As the chef puts it, great cooking is about understanding an ingredient, respecting it and finding the best way to make it speak. This menu is his interpretation of that idea: a collection of flavours, memories and emotions, created with curiosity and the desire to keep evolving.
About the chef: Giovanni Papi
Behind the new menu is Chef Giovanni Papi, a Sardinian chef whose career began in 2002 as an intern in his native Sardinia. After working in mainland Italy, France and Luxembourg, he moved to Dubai in 2018 and spent several years at Armani/Ristorante at the Armani Hotel Dubai, where he was promoted to Chef de Cuisine and where the restaurant earned a Michelin star. His cooking is rooted in Italian tradition and shaped by experiences across the world. He believes that through food we discover culture and people, and that belief runs through every dish on this menu.
