DUBAI: At just 27, Conor Dirks is shaping what modern beachside dining looks like in Dubai. As head chef of Bungalo34, he has been central to the restaurant’s Riviera-inspired identity since its 2022 opening — focusing on ingredient-led cooking and consistency that, he says, allows the kitchen to run at a high level even in his absence.
Recognition has followed: Bungalo34 won Best Outdoor Dining at the FACT Dining Awards in both 2024 and 2025, and has picked up three nominations this year across breakfast, European, and outdoor dining.
On the sustainability front, Dirks has embedded low-waste practices into daily operations, as part of a wider initiative through parent company Tashas Group’s partnership with Waste Lab. The program converted more than 3,000 kilos of kitchen waste into compostable soil in under three months.
His guiding question each morning, he says, is simple: “How can I make Bungalo34 better than it was yesterday?”
When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?
Seasoning. I love salt, so I was always over-seasoning my food or, at times, under-seasoning for the fear that I had seasoned it too much. I quickly came to understand the importance of tasting everything you are preparing. Doing so not only helped fix my issues of seasoning but opened my palate to the many flavors that exist and how they work together to make a meal incredible.
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
Try new things! Trial and error — and stepping out of your comfort zone — are your best friends as a home cook. There’s no pressure or judgement. You learn a lot more than you think by failing at something at home than you do succeeding at something in a restaurant and, honestly, it’s much more fun and rewarding when you do get it right eventually.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
Salt! I know it sounds silly and obvious but the difference between a well-seasoned dish compared to an under- or over-seasoned one is drastic. Different salts give different results so don’t be scared to try them all.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
I try not to critique and keep an open mind when I’m dining out but I do find myself doing so subconsciously.
What’s the most common issue you find in other restaurants?
The most common mistakes come down to the basics: Table setup, polished cutlery, server attentiveness, clean plates, not over-complicating dishes — these are some of the things that are the basis of our industry, but if even one of these is lacking, it can change a diner’s whole experience.
What’s your favorite cuisine or dish to order?
As a massive foodie, I don’t particularly have a favorite cuisine or dish but if I had to choose, it would probably be anything Mediterranean. There’s just something about the freshness of the ingredients and the simplicity of how they are prepared that has me absolutely captivated.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
Any type of sandwich. Bread is a vessel for flavors to have a small party in. It’s easy to keep to hand and you can fill it with whatever your heart desires. My favorite is a tuna melt. Good-quality canned tuna, mayo and whatever cheese I have in the fridge toasted together is a meal I would eat any day.
What customer behavior most frustrates you?
When a guest wants to change a dish so much that it’s no longer the dish presented on the menu. As chefs, we put a lot of time and effort into refining the dishes that are presented, and when someone wants to change it completely, it feels like those efforts have fallen by the wayside. As hospitality professionals we do our utmost to cater for our guests’ needs, but we’d rather make you something special, suited to your preferences, than change a dish ad hoc that we aren’t sure will work.
What’s your favorite dish to cook and why?
Pasta alla nerano. Boil your pasta, sauté your courgettes, cheese, and olive oil and — boom! — flavor town. It’s my go-to because it was a staple staff meal we would make when I was a commis chef. It’s so simple that it’s stupid, but so tasty that you’ll find yourself making it over and over and you can change it up as you like.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
On Bungalo34’s current menu, I’d have to say the Octopus Escabeche. I probably cooked over 20 whole octopuses to get the consistency I wanted before eventually nailing it. Each octopus being a different size and having a different texture was mind-wracking, but the process to getting it to where it is now was very satisfying.
As a leader, what are you like?
I like to lead from the front. Getting involved with the team — training, educating and growing them — brings better results and is more rewarding in the end. It also helps develop a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect. There are times that I do find myself having to raise my voice but it’s never from a place of belittlement or disrespect. It’s more from a place of “You know how to do this!” — pushing the team to be better every day instead of being satisfied with mediocrity. Good is fine, but better is where I want to be and it’s where I want my team to be as well. I never want my team to become complacent in their roles. They should always be as hungry to learn and grow as I am, and the only way that I have found that works is being by their sides and journeying with them.
Chef Conor’s pasta al pomodorini
Serves 2
Ingredients:
200g spaghetti
2 tsp fine salt
5 tbsp olive oil (plus extra to finish)
180g cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp red onion, finely diced
2 tbsp garlic, thinly sliced
¼ tsp red chili, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh basil leaves (loosely packed)
Parmesan cheese, grated
Lemon wedges, to serve
Optional:
If you want to level this pasta up, you can add some prawns to the sauce before adding the pasta and finish it off with a dollop of crème fraiche and lots of olive oil.
4 prawns (peeled and deveined)
2 tbsp crème fraîche
Method:
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the fine salt. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente (6-8 minutes).
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a sauté pan. Add the tomatoes and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes begin to blister.
Turn down the heat and add the red onion and garlic. Allow to sweat then add the red chili. Add a bit more olive oil and a splash of pasta water to bring the sauce together.
If you are choosing the version with prawns, add them now and cook for 2-3 minutes until pink. Then stir in the crème fraiche.
Add your basil leaves and the pasta directly to the sauce and toss through before enjoying! If the sauce feels a little dry, add more pasta water — it brings everything together beautifully.
To Serve:
Top with grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.
