Exploring the seasons, selecting the raw material, dosing lightly, savoring...
The a la carte menu of the Shalai restaurant, Etna Michelin star
Behind synthesis and simplicity, it skilfully pursues the nuances of taste
Elegant with a touch of irony, deeply connected to its setting on Mount Etna, looking benevolently out to sea, intuitive and calming, with some contaminations of Japanese cuisine. These are only some of the concepts that describe the menu signed by chef Giovanni Santoro here in the Pennisi Family’s Michelin starred Shalai restaurant in Linguaglossa, near Catania, Sicily. The menu is a crescendo of surprising and captivating sensations, alternating between fish and meat, but also with a range of exclusively vegetarian dishes. The cuisine is linking two worlds that blend in perfection: on one side Mount Etna (or as the locals call it, ‘A Muntagna), on the other the sea. The menu is the result of years of passionate and rigorous research on the natural products made in this area, through a combination of ingredients that combine spectacularly under the aegis of chef Santoro’s creative vein. Some common threads bringing the dishes together are the citrus notes, given by garnishes and jams, which gives a defining character to the dishes, and mark the signature of Giovanni Santoro and the Pennisi family.
The menu
Shalai Etna Michelin star restaurant
The menu is a crescendo of surprising and captivating sensations, alternating between fish and meat, but also with a range of exclusively vegetarian dishes. The cuisine is linking two worlds that blend in perfection: on one side Mount Etna (or as the locals call it, ‘A Muntagna), on the other the sea.
The chef
Giovanni Santoro, Michelin starred chef
“The palate must always be pampered and never upset.”
The philosophy
Every dish comes alive, and mixes harmoniously with the others, especially in the combinations proposed in the special tasting menus, where chef Santoro will guide you step by step through a journey into the flavours, passions and harmonies that are unique to the wonderful island of Sicily!
The dish
Lumie di Sicilia
Citrus fruits in Sicily are among the raw materials that cannot be missing from the table.
Lumìa is a dessert, one of chef Giovanni Santoro's must-haves, that offers fresh aromas, sparkling taste nuances and decidedly unusual textures of the same raw material.
It is a lemon absolute that encapsulates the territory, nature, the brilliant interpretation of the citrus fruit and that ever present and sincere flavour that has been handed down from generation to generation. Elegant in its presentation and bold in its fragrances, Lumìa confirms itself among the most popular desserts at Shalai.
Lumìa is a dessert, one of chef Giovanni Santoro's must-haves, that offers fresh aromas, sparkling taste nuances and decidedly unusual textures of the same raw material.
It is a lemon absolute that encapsulates the territory, nature, the brilliant interpretation of the citrus fruit and that ever present and sincere flavour that has been handed down from generation to generation. Elegant in its presentation and bold in its fragrances, Lumìa confirms itself among the most popular desserts at Shalai.
