Paparazzi Tuscan Restaurant Unveils New À La Carte Menu

Paparazzi Tuscan Restaurant at Paramount Hotel Midtown, Dubai has introduced a new à la carte menu inspired by the generous cooking of Tuscany.

Fresh pasta made by the kitchen team, ripe tomatoes, Tuscan olive oil and slow-cooked dishes are at the heart of a menu designed to let each ingredient speak for itself.

Even the bread follows Tuscan custom, with traditional pane sciocco, Tuscany's unsalted loaf, served alongside warm schiacciata. 

The kitchen's fresh pasta comes to the table in five dishes: Pappardelle al Ragù Toscano, Fettuccine Cacio e Pomodoro, Ravioli di Parmigiano Reggiano, Tortelli Mugellani and Tagliolini alle Vongole Veraci.

As much care goes into the shape as into the sauce it will carry, and the pairing is never incidental. A wide ribbon holds a sauce differently to a fine strand. Texture decides how a sauce clings, and thickness decides the bite.

Expect the kind of flavour Tuscany is known for: the sharp sweetness of a ripe tomato, the peppery finish of good olive oil, rosemary and garlic softened slowly rather than rushed, the earthy comfort of cannellini beans, and the simple pleasure of bread used to chase every last trace from the plate.

The Pappardelle al Ragù Toscano folds wide ribbons of homemade pasta through a rich beef ragù. The Tagliolini alle Vongole Veraci pairs fine homemade tagliolini with fresh clams, garlic, parsley and Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, a nod to the seafood cooking of the Tuscan coast.

The broad pappardelle holds the slow-cooked ragù, while the finer tagliolini keeps the clams and their sauce at the centre of the dish.

Ravioli di Parmigiano Reggiano, served in truffle cream with fresh truffle, and Fettuccine Cacio e Pomodoro, coated in Pecorino Toscano and San Marzano tomato sauce, complete the fresh pasta line-up alongside the Tortelli Mugellani. Around the pasta, the rest of the menu unfolds like a meal told in scenes.

Carpaccio di Manzo opens it: hand-sliced raw beef tenderloin laid across the plate, cool and delicate, with the soft warmth of light mustard and the savoury depth of Parmigiano Reggiano. Wild rocket adds a peppery edge, lifted by a thread of Tuscan extra virgin olive oil. Pane sciocco sits alongside to gather whatever is left on the plate. 

Then the aroma takes over. Pizza Bianca al Tartufo leaves the tomato behind and hands the lead to truffle: a white base layered with melting fior di latte and aromatic truffle cream, finished with Pecorino Toscano for a salty, nutty bite. The scent tends to reach the table a moment before the plate does.

The secondi bring Tuscany's regional cooking into close-up. From the coast, Triglie alla Livornese sees red mullet pan-roasted and finished in the Livorno tradition. Garlic and parsley lift the bright, sweet tomato around the fish, while a touch of chilli lingers just long enough to be noticed.

Inland, Peposo alla Fornacina tells a slower story. Inspired by the rustic dish of Impruneta's furnace workers, beef cheek is braised gently with garlic and a generous hand of cracked black pepper until it gives way to the fork, then set over silky Parmigiano Reggiano polenta. The pepper builds with every mouthful, warming rather than sharp.

Pollo al Mattone follows the old brick-pressed method: a whole baby chicken marinated in rosemary, garlic and lemon, pressed and roasted, then served with sweet green peas and rosemary potatoes.

The steak that carries the restaurant's name is the Bistecca del Paparazzi. A Black Angus MB2 bone-in striploin meets the grill at high heat, building a deep, savoury crust, and arrives with smashed rosemary potatoes and a generous pour of Tuscan extra virgin olive oil.

The final scene is a sweet one, led by the signature Affogato: gelato drowned in a shot of espresso. Torta Squisita, a warm Tuscan-style ricotta tart in crisp, buttery pastry with dark chocolate, comes with vanilla gelato and a 70% cacao chocolate sauce, so warm tart and cold gelato meet on the same spoon.

Cannoli di Ricotta pair crisp shells with sweet ricotta cream, finished with a choice of pistachio, dark chocolate shavings or hazelnuts, while tiramisù layers espresso-soaked savoiardi with mascarpone cream beneath a dusting of cocoa.

The kitchen team behind Paparazzi is central to that story. The team prepares and shapes its fresh pasta in-house, and ingredients are treated with restraint rather than buried beneath unnecessary technique.