Gourmet dining in Abu Dhabi
As the city hosts the annual Gourmet Abu Dhabi festival, its culinary credentials are set to be further boosted with the launch of restaurants by Gary Rhodes and Juan Amador
Words by Amanda Tomlinson
A mark of a world-class city is its level of culinary offering. London, Paris, Tokyo and New York, to name just a few, have some of the best restaurants on the planet with the biggest culinary stars serving the city’s elite.
For some, the Middle East may not immediately spring to mind as a gourmet destination, but for years Dubai has been attracting the cream of the world’s Michelin-star and celebrity chefs. With Nobu Matsuhisa, Marco Pierre White, Pierre Gagnaire, Jamie Oliver, Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay, Vineet Bhatia and many more making their presence felt in the emirate, it’s little wonder that they are now setting their sights on Abu Dhabi as they expand their empires.
Marco Pierre White was one of the first to see the potential in Abu Dhabi. He opened Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill and Frankie’s – a collaboration with famed jockey Frankie Dettori – at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr in 2009. A year later Hakkasan, a high-end Chinese restaurant from a well-known Michelin-star stable, opened at Emirates Palace, while world-renowned glamour hotspot Cipriani launched at Yas Yacht Club at the end of 2010.
But the stakes are being raised this year with three-star Michelin chef Juan Amador launching his debut Middle East restaurant at the Park Rotana during this month’s Gourmet Abu Dhabi and British celebrity chef Gary Rhodes setting up shop at the soon-to-open St. Regis Abu Dhabi.
Amador Restaurant & Cellar
Master gastronomer
While Amador Restaurant & Cellar is Juan Amador’s first restaurant in the region, it’s not his first foray in Abu Dhabi. He has been a regular guest chef at Gourmet Abu Dhabi, which will be held throughout the city’s top restaurants from February 8 to 23, and his restaurant’s opening on February 9 is sure to be a highlight of the two-week culinary festival.
The son of Spanish parents, Amador was raised in Germany and is famed for his Spanish-influenced molecular gastronomy. His innovative techniques bring unique flavours, aromas and special combinations of temperature and texture to his creations. He was awarded three Michelin stars for his restaurant Amador in Langen, Germany, and was also named ‘best chef’ in 2007 and 2008 by Bertelsmann restaurant guide. He promises that his new restaurant will not disappoint. Instead he believes it will raise the bar among Abu Dhabi’s haute cuisine options.
“The restaurant will serve a combination of European and Arabic cuisine and mix a variety of cultures, flavours and aromas. It will combine characteristics of my existing cuisine and also what I learned about local tastes, products and ingredients when I visited [Abu Dhabi in 2011],” says chef Amador.
“Abu Dhabi is now full of great restaurants, but I think our Spanish-influenced avant-garde cuisine can have a very positive influence on the emirate’s culinary scene,” he adds.
The restaurant will house two sections – one for formal dining, which can accommodate between 54 and 88 covers, and an informal tapas cellar with capacity for 77 guests. The decision to split the restaurant made business sense, he says, particularly with Park Rotana’s location close to government and commercial centres.
“Daytime custom provides any restaurant with substantial revenue, so it was important to find a way of incorporating a casual, relaxed setting within the restaurant and that is why we settled on the tapas cellar concept,” the chef explains.
“The cellar will remain open in the evening, but we expect the main restaurant to come to the fore when the sun goes down.”
Hakkasan
Star attraction
Well-known UK celebrity chef Marco Pierre White – who handed back his three Michelin stars when he retired from the kitchen – may have been one of the first big names to stamp his mark on Abu Dhabi, but following closely behind was internationally famous Hakkasan, which opened in June 2010. The world-class luxury Chinese restaurant launched in London’s West End in 2001 and was later awarded a Michelin star. Owned by Abu Dhabi property investment company Tasameem, the Hakkasan group has expanded to include not just London and Abu Dhabi, but also Miami, New York, Dubai and Mumbai, with London’s Michelin-star dim sum restaurant Yauatcha also in its stable.
While few realise the extent of Hakkasan’s Abu Dhabi connection, the restaurant has become one of the hottest locations in the city, elevating dining to a new level of luxury. The ultra-modern, 165-cover restaurant has a private entrance in the east wing of Emirates Palace and constantly attracts a stream of the city’s most discerning diners.
At the culinary helm is Lee Kok Hua, who previously worked at Hakkasan London under head chef Tong Chee Hwee for five years. Kok Hua’s menu has been designed for the UAE market, while still featuring Hakkasan classics such as Peking duck with Royal Beluga caviar, steamed dim sum platters and grilled wagyu beef with King soya sauce.
Juan Amador
Going gourmet
While this month sees the much-anticipated launch of Amador Restaurant & Cellar, visitors will have the chance to sample creations from some of the best chefs in the world at Gourmet Abu Dhabi from February 8 to 23.
Among the top names is festival regular and three-star Michelin chef Bruno Mènard, a firm believer in ‘neo-classic’ French cuisine. His Tokyo restaurant, L’Osier, is consistently awarded the highest accolades and has been voted one of the 10 best French restaurants outside of France. He will be hosted by Bord Eau at the Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri.
The list of guest chefs is a star-studded affair with 26 Michelin stars between them, but there are also stars of a different kind. Tipped to be one of the biggest draws is Australian chef and judge of the hit TV series Masterchef Australia, George Calombaris, who will host two dinners and a masterclass.
Also enlivening the Gourmet Abu Dhabi experience is Venetian cartoonist Ennio Marchetto. After performing at the Edinburgh Festival he became something of a cult hit, achieving massive critical acclaim. He has since performed in over 70 countries from Singapore to Mexico and will entertain guests at the Comedian Night with international masterchef William Ledeuil on February 9 at the Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi.
And of course, Juan Amador will showcase his delectable cuisine at the Park Rotana hotel from February 14 to 17. He will also host a culinary masterclass on February 15 and a château dinner with Domaine du Pegau on February 18.
Park Rotana’s director of food and beverage Prem Calais is excited by what Amador will bring to Abu Dhabi’s culinary scene. “Abu Dhabi now boasts a number of top-end restaurants providing exceptional innovative concepts and creating a diverse selection for customers compared with two decades ago,” he says.
“Amador Restaurant & Cellar will be the first of its kind in the country. We have a three-star Michelin chef, known to be one of the leaders of avant-garde cuisine, combining culinary influences from different cultures, creating dishes with almost scientific precision.
“Amador Restaurant & Cellar will elevate the culinary scene to a whole new level yet again.”
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