Palazzo Versace Dubai’s Vanitas has introduced a new scope to Italian cuisine – an inventive menu providing a variety of traditional dishes with a contemporary twist. Sicilian chef Gianfranco Pirrone has just been appointed the new Chef de Cuisine, inspired by his roots in Southern Italy to push the envelope of Italian cuisine even further.
Born in Calatafimi, a small town in the province of Trapani, Sicily, Gianfranco Pirrone started his culinary career in early 2000 as a pizza chef at Gallini’s restaurant in Wales. He worked his way up and joined Harrods in London as chef de partie, before returning home after a couple of years to cook at Club Med in Cefalu, Sicily.
Throughout the next decade, Gianfranco travelled the world in order to expand his multiculturalism and sharpen his culinary skills, working as Chef de cuisine and Executive Chef in prestigious hotels such as Sedona Hotel in Burma, The Rania Experience in the Maldives, Grand Mercure Park Avenue in Bangkok, Thailand, followed by La Buvette in Rome and Shangri-La group, where he perfectionned his cooking and techniques between Cebu (Philippines) and Jakarta (Indonesia) for over 8 years.
In 2020, Pirrone made the decision to move back to his home country, where he joined Dilla Italian restaurant in the heart of Rome. Chef Gianfranco stayed only a few months before joining Palazzo Versace Dubai’s signature Italian restaurant – Vanitas, where he is bringing his unmatched taste of Sicilian heritage with a refined twist.
At Vanitas, Chef Gianfranco will be curating a menu inspired by the flavours, smells and senses of his childhood, mastering the subtle art of seasoning and heritage recipes.
Among the new dishes, find everything from black truffle pizza and grilled octopus, to pastas like the Linguine ai Ricci di Mare e Bottarga –linguine pasta, sea urchins, and mullet bottarga inspired by the Italian coast.Pasta lovers should also try the Tagliolini al Parmigiano, Uovo e Tartufo –a creation of homemade spinach taglioni,parmigiano cream, pasteurized egg, and freshly shaved truffle.
Chef Gianfranco’s new and revamped menu coupled with Vanita’s charming and elegant interiors create the perfect harmony at Vanitas. Head to Vanitas for lunch and dinner to experience refined and authentic Italian Flavors. For an extra special dining experience, book the “Fly me to Sicily” dinner, happening every Tuesday from 7 pm to 11 PM.
Timings:
Open seven days a week
Lunch from 12.30pm – 3pm
Dinner from 7pm – 11pm
To book: Email vanitas@palazzoversace.ae or call +97145568805
For media requests, please contact Mohammed Zahid, Z7 Communications:
mohammed@z7communications.com
