Dean and Anna Parker have reopened their highly rated Italian restaurant Celentano’s in Glasgow’s Arthouse Hotel, six months after losing their previous premises in the city’s Cathedral Square.
Celentano’s has won consistent praise in the Harden’s guide in recent years for “getting it just right” with an Italian menu that puts an original twist of the “stereotypical choices” found in a standard trattoria.
South African-born Dean trained under top London chefs including Tom Aikens and Robin Gill, rising to head chef at the latter’s Italian restaurant Sorella as well as at Darby’s. He is also an accomplished baker and expert in fermentation and other Scandinavian-inspired preserving techniques – which helps explain Celentano’s strong drinks list.
There couple headed north to Glasgow-born Anna’s home city when the time was right to open their own place in 2021, but the baronial Cathedral House was sold at the end of last year, leaving Celentano’s temporarily homeless.
The new space almost doubles capacity to 60 covers, which Anna says gives them a better showcase to express themselves.
“This version of Celentano’s will feel more like us – what we would have envisaged our restaurant like, before we ever opened Celentano’s. Cathedral House was such a great opportunity for us, but there was a limit on how much we could do with the space.
“This time we are starting with a blank canvas and building up a brand new restaurant – working with unbelievably creative people who have the same vision as us.”
