For Abu Dhabi residents bored with the usual KFC, McDonald’s and Subway lunch takeaways, the bar has just been lifted. Petrossian, a purveyor of fine caviar and other exotic delicacies, has pitched up in town. The venerable Parisian establishment is ready to meet the most outrageous gastronomic fantasies of the well-heeled (and those who have taken advantage of cheap financing to live beyond their means).
It’s surprising that it’s taken Petrossian so long to arrive, but one should never look a gift Beluga in the mouth – especially when it comes at Dh24,000 per 250 grams. Serving chilled caviar in a city where temperatures can reach 55°C in the summer does pose its challenges and so one can only assume the delay in getting here was on account of finding a way to overcome such hurdles (although the brand has been in The Dubai Mall since last year).
The fine chefs at Petrossian have teamed up with the Swiss catering company Executive Gourmet – a unit of Gate Gourmet, the biggest independent airline catering company in the world with a presence in more than 120 countries – at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi. The airport was Abu Dhabi’s only airport until the current location on the outskirts of town was built in the early 1980s. It was then commandeered by the army before being transformed into an executive airport in 2008.
Executive Gourmet and Petrossian, which has been around since 1920, provide VIPs and owners of private jets with something good to eat while travelling but are also offering a takeaway service. As well as caviar, Petrossian sells delicacies such as foie gras, smoked salmon and truffles.
“The caviar served at Al Bateen is for flights but we will also be extending our services to outside catering,” says Joao Menezes de Aguiar, the general manager and project manager for Middle East operations. “If you want caviar, we can send it to you. It’s not only caviar – it’s also a range of products. We will be serving the wider Abu Dhabi community. You go out on your boat or your yacht and you have some friends and you want to serve caviar, salmon, foie gras, you tell us we will take care of it.”
mkassem@thenational.ae
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