Top chefs and restaurateurs tell us what’s trending over the festive period
While December is undoubtedly celebrated as a season of festivity in most of the world, here in the UAE it holds a special significance. Beyond Christmas, mega sales in malls, New Year’s Eve and schools being closed, the beautiful weather sees millions of visitors fly in to visit family and friends, shop, party, explore and — of course — eat.
Whether highly frequented family favourites or fine dining destinations, it’s a competitive space for restaurants operating in the UAE. “Around 1,100 new restaurant concepts open in the UAE every year,” Robert Brozin, Co-founder of Nando’s, tells GN Focus at the opening of his newest outlet in Dubai Mall. He references share of stomach, a concept that speaks to the need for eateries to recognise they are competing for precious real estate in customers’ tummies on a daily basis.
For Fernando Duarte, co-founder of Nando’s, the festive season is a time of celebration, happiness, togetherness and family. What role do restaurants play here? “They create the environment, making it conducive to bring happiness to families, friends and occasions,” he says.
Margarita Vaamonde-Beggs, Head Chef at MasterChef, the TV Experience, explains: “Everyone comes together, crossing cultures and boundaries and bonding by celebrating the year gone by and the year ahead. The central part of this experience and celebration comes back to food, which of course only adds to the joy for me as a chef.”
Yuletide influence
Roast turkey, cranberry and bread sauce. These may be viewed as classic Christmas recipes, but how do chefs and restaurants walk the line between staying true to the old school and responding to more contemporary taste trends?
“Incorporating traditionally festive ingredients and flavours into a festive menu is a must,” says Vaamonde-Beggs. “However, how one gets creative is a challenge a chef can embrace and really help a venue stand out.” She cites the example of gingerbread: “Typically considered part of the dessert, not the main course.” The chef’s venison saddle, a main, has a dark Irish hops and gingerbread demi-glace.
“Orange is another flavour I closely associate with the festive season. I’ve utilised it in the turkey breast ballotine with orange-scented mashed potatoes — it might sound unusual, but it is truly an incredible pairing.”
External link: https://gulfnews.com/food/flavours-of-the-festive-season-1.1576137838393
