The Sicilia Italian restaurant in the Mövenpick Hotel Ibn Battuta Gate Dubai has announced the appointment of new chef de cuisine Raffaele Andreozzi.
The 43-year-old Italian national, who hails from the Genoa region of Italy, joins Mövenpick Hotel Ibn Battuta Gate Dubai, following a two-year assignment at the Anantara Desert Island Resort on Sir Bani Yas, in Abu Dhabi.
Chef Raffaele said: “Italians know their food, they’re blessed with some of the world’s best produce and they know how to cook it with respect. My new two-course lunch menu comes packed with flavour, from the freshest ingredients all within one hour such which changes on a daily basis.
“The menu remains authentic, with simple home-style Italian cooking with a Sicilian edge. It is unpretentious embracing the “Grotto” philosophy of “cook what is fresh today”, my cooking complements my roots and I do not substitute any of our products.”
He said that his produce is selectively and carefully sourced and brought in directly from Italy to ensure the authentic flavours are maintained.
“Some of my favourite and most popular menu items are the marinated octopus which comes with salmoriglio and aromatic rosemary oil, baby spinach and sweet potato, garganelli Sicilian style which is a penne pasta from gragnano with Palamita tuna, pine nuts and raisins and the Sicilian baccala which consists of cod, fresh tomatoes, black olives, capers, chili with a dash of extra virgin olive oil,” he said.
“For those with a sweet tooth, you must try Sicilia’s tiramisu, an old Italian classic.”
During his career which spans 28 years, chef Raffaele also has extensive experience of working for five-star restaurants in St. Moritz, Paris and Portofino.
“The theme of our hotel is based on Ibn Battuta’s maritime adventures and Sicilia celebrates his time in the Mediterranean. Chef Raffaele has been raised, surrounded by hearty, nutritious home-cooked food and has spent 18 years at sea, working for Princess Cruise Lines. Given that synergy, it has to be a perfect match,” said Maurice De Rooij, general manager, Mövenpick Hotel Ibn Battuta Gate, Dubai.
