The latest edition of Jun’s compact seven-course tasting menu brings together new creations and signature dishes inspired by family, travel and personal memories
Jun’s continues its culinary storytelling with the launch of The Short Story: Volume 4, the latest edition of Chef Kelvin Cheung’s compact seven-course tasting menu. Priced at AED 295 per person, the menu offers a more accessible introduction to the restaurant’s Third Culture Cooking, bringing together selected dishes from Chef Kelvin’s larger tasting experience in a shorter format and allowing guests to discover the stories, cultures and memories behind his cooking.
Each edition of The Short Story presents a new chapter in the evolving story of Jun’s. Volume 4 explores the moments that have shaped Chef Kelvin’s culinary identity, finding inspiration in childhood memories, family meals, his years in Chicago and the ingredients and producers he has encountered since making Dubai his home. Alongside the standard menu, Jun’s offers a fully considered vegetarian version, with each course created while retaining the original story and character.
The experience begins with one of Jun’s most recognisable dishes, Pani Puri. Lobster is paired with tamarind, Macanese sauce and agua, creating an opening bite that reflects the restaurant’s approach to bringing together flavours from different cultures. The vegetarian interpretation replaces the lobster with mushroom, offering an earthier expression of the same dish.
The next course, Sea Bream, pairs dry-aged sea bream with whipped bone broth butter, pickled grapes and gamtae seaweed. Delicate acidity from the grapes cuts through the richness of the butter, while the seaweed brings a subtle depth and salinity. On the vegetarian menu, Melon, where compressed canary melon takes the place of the fish and is served with whipped kombu butter, pickled grapes and gamtae seaweed.
Pequod’s Deep Dish Pizza revisits Chef Kelvin’s childhood in Chicago and his memories of eating at one of his favourite deep-dish pizza spots in the city. While most diners focused on the centre, he was always drawn to the dark, crisp edges, where cheese, tomato and drippings caramelised against the pan. At Jun’s, that overlooked part becomes the heart of the dish, with sourdough focaccia, fresh mozzarella, cheese foam and lacto-fermented tomatoes served over a concentrated pizza fond. Guests are encouraged to tear the focaccia by hand and sweep it through every element, recreating the pleasure of eating the caramelised remnants from the bottom of the pan.
Mama’s Dolma Elotes fulfils Chef Kelvin’s long-standing promise to make his wife the Christmas tamales she grew up eating in Las Vegas. Inspired by Chef Salam Daqqaq’s dolmas, the dish wraps Chinese-style glutinous rice and house-made Wagyu longanisa in a grape leaf, pairing it with Hokkaido scallop, elote purée and a tortilla soup-inspired braising liquid. Bringing together Middle Eastern, Mexican, Chinese and Filipino influences, it remains a deeply personal tribute to his wife and her family traditions.
For the main course, guests can choose between two interpretations of handmade noodles. Wagyu Steak and Handmade Noodles pairs Australian MB7 wagyu with hand-cut rice noodles, broccolini and roasted garlic sauce. Alternatively, Lobster and Handmade Noodles combines lobster and hand-cut rice noodles with black bean sauce. The vegetarian menu features Jun’s signature Dan Dan Spaghettini, prepared with mushroom broth, mustard greens, peanuts and scallions.
Then comes Keri Chaat which connects Chef Kelvin’s memories of eating raw mango chaat on the streets of Bombay with his childhood summers in Chicago where neighbourhood fruit vendors served fresh fruit with Tajín, chilli, lime, and Mexican spices. His version brings the two experiences together through raw mango sorbet coated in Jun’s house chaat masala, served with ghee-tossed puffed rice for texture and crunch. It is a meeting of two cultures through a shared love of sour fruit, spice and acidity.
The experience concludes with Palestinian Olive Oil, a dessert created around an ingredient that connects Chef Kelvin’s home in Dubai with a Palestinian producer. Olive oil ice cream is paired with olive caramel and dark chocolate, with a churro completing the vegetarian presentation. The final course reflects Jun’s belief that an ingredient can carry the story of the person and place behind it. A selection of Petit Fours brings Volume 4 to a close.
With The Short Story: Volume 4, Jun’s continues to make its tasting menu experience more approachable without losing the detail, creativity and personal storytelling that define Chef Kelvin’s cooking. Its shorter format offers first-time diners an introduction to Third Culture Cooking, while giving returning guests a new collection of dishes and memories to discover.
The Short Story: Volume 4 is available daily at Jun’s for AED 295 per person, with no prior booking required. A fully considered vegetarian tasting menu is also available.
