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Abu DhAbi EAts This curious, glamorous, sprawling metropolis does nothing by halves – including the food Text Tatyana Leonov Photos Daniel Whitfield
Some of the Marco Pierre White team with the Chateaubriand goingplaces october2013
rchitectural feats, motor races, culinary delights – whatever you think of – someone in Abu Dhabi has probably won an award for it. With a population of over 2.5 million (and increasing by one baby every two minutes and 48 seconds according to recently released official figures), anyone and everyone in the food scene is trying to keep up, catch up, and make a name for themselves within the desert metropolis. According to one survey, expatriates account for around 88.5 per cent of the country’s total population. So what does this actually mean when it comes to food? Chefs, restaurateurs, even street stall vendors, all need to cater to the 200 different nationalities that now call the United Arab Emirates home. And Abu Dhabi? This bustling and glitzy city is at the epicentre of the exploding United Arab Emirates gastronomy scene – booming with sophistication and oozing with style. “More established chefs and restaurateurs are opening up in the UAE,” says Jade George, who oversees the Middle East for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards. “There's certainly a market for it considering the purchasing power of the consumer market in Abu Dhabi, and just how into food – and particularly fine dining – they are," she said. So fine! There’s not just one superstar chef working in one topnotch restaurant leading the culinary wave. In fact, many of Abu Dhabi’s fine-dining restaurants, mostly located inside ostentatious hotels, are fast gaining recognition on the global stage. You could trace the emergence of a fine-dining culture back to 2009, when Marco Pierre White opened Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr. Some say he was one of the first to see the potential in Abu Dhabi – a pioneer, paving the way for the culinary explosion that’s taking place today. In 2010, came Hakkasan, a high-end Chinese restaurant from the well-known Michelin-star stable, which opened at Emirates Palace. Head chef Lee Hua has worked in some of the world’s most famous kitchens, including as executive sous chef at the original Hakkasan Hanway Place in London. On quiet nights you’ll often find him chatting to diners about his latest delectable dish. He believes education equals appreciation. Another recent venture that opened earlier this year is Catalan, located in the new lavish Rosewood Abu Dhabi hotel. Bringing an authentic Barcelona experience straight to the desert, two-Michelin star chef Antonio Saez even flies in the best Catalonian olive oil to make sure the dishes really do taste genuinely Spanish. And it doesn’t stop. Residents and travellers alike can’t get enough when it comes to fine dining. After all, the United Arab Emirates is known for doing things the luxe way. The most recent venture is Michelin-starred celebrity chef Gary Rhodes’ first Abu Dhabi restaurant, Rhodes 44, located at The St Regis Hotel. The à-la-carte menu comprises a beguiling blend of European and British classics (Gary’s signature style) fused with Middle Eastern cuisine. >>
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The Chef de Cuisine, Christian Antoine, at the RitzCarlton restaurant, Giornotte Local art at Cafe Arabia
The open-air Abu Dhabi vegetable and fruit market
goingplaces october2013