Gerbou. Or should I say welcome.
As an Emirati, I cannot count the number of times I've heard the Arabic word that epitomises warm hospitality and gracious reception. Even at home, when lunch or dinner was served, my father or my uncle would beckon us to the table with a “gerbou”.
It's a fitting name, then, for a restaurant that seeks to shine a light on Emirati and Arab cuisines – one that will open at the historic Nad Al Sheba Centre Building in Dubai in April. Until then, chefs Ionel Catau and Sahar Al Awadhi, as well as the team at Atelier Hospitality (of 11 Woodfire fame) are hosting supper clubs every weekend to give discerning diners a taste of what's to come.
Here, The National takes a seat for a sample.
The story behind Gerbou
Gerbou aims to infuse international and regional dishes with an Emirati touch. The kitchen is led by chef Catau, who says he fell in love with Emirati cuisine during a previous visit to the UAE and returned to apply his own touch to it. Pastry chef Al Awadhi, meanwhile, adds a twist to traditional desserts.
The supper club unfolds every Saturday and Sunday in a private villa in Meydan, with an intimate party of 10 making their way through an eight-course dinner.
Gerbou is a collaboration between Atelier and Tashkeel, with the latter bringing its Emirati-designed furniture and art to the villa, and eventually the restaurant – lending an atmosphere that reminds me of the homes I've lived in and those of my Emirati family and friends.
“This supper club serves as an intimate preview of our vision, where we celebrate the rich mosaic of Arabic culture and the diverse flavours and textures of the UAE,” says Catau, who reveals his top four dishes.
Cabbage mille-feuille
“The dish was inspired both by the bounty of produce now grown here in the UAE, as well as my desire to elevate this humblest of all ingredients,” says Catau
“The cabbage first gets treated in a dill brine, then we slow-poach it with aromats to enhance its flavour Then the cabbage is caramelised in a pan and layered like a mille-feuille, with feta cheese added in between the layers.”
Taste test: I am taken aback by how un-cabbage-like this dish looks, but that is no bad thing – and the taste does not disappoint, either. The cabbage and feta come together well, swimming in a pool of surprisingly moreish cabbage juice. Made from the vegetable's trimmings that would have otherwise gone to waste, the juice enhances the freshness of the dish.
Lamb badanjan
“This is our own interpretation of imam bayildi [the Ottoman staple with aubergine stuffed with onion, garlic and tomatoes]. Here we use local aubergine, salted then cooked in a slow confit in extra virgin olive oil,” says Catau
“The local lamb is made into a ragu with dates and bzar spice, and the tomato harvested from a garden right outside the window to enliven the dish.”
Taste test: I might be a little biased when I say this dish is both delicious and refreshing, given aubergine is my favourite vegetable. And the combination of meat and yoghurt makes it even more tasty.
Chicken machboos
“We source our chicken locally, which is roasted and tempered in manually ground spices, also sourced from the Dubai spice souq,” says Catau. “These are left to infuse and create a base for the rice to cook in and soak up all those beautiful flavours.
“We also developed a recipe for our own achar after many trials, in which local tomatoes sourced from Pure Harvest Smart Farms are juiced, and we believe it complements the dish perfectly.”
Taste test: Move over aubergine, this is my favourite dish. It is, in a word, fresh – from the tender chicken to the local spices and home-made achar. It might not look, or even necessarily taste like the traditional machboos I grew up eating, but it is a welcome innovation to a beloved dish.
Sago with asario seeds
“The Gerbou sago custard is a reinterpretation of an Emirati drink called habbat hamra, where we serve a baked tapioca pearl custard and creamy biscuit finished with a warm creme anglaise laced with asario or garden cress seeds, which gives it its unique flavour,” explains pastry chef Al Awadhi.
Taste test: I've tried sago before as well as asario seeds, but never together. Here, the chef instructs us to make a hole in the middle and pour the asario seeds in, making for a creamy, rich and delightful dessert – a must-have at the end of any meal at Gerbou the restaurant or the supper club.
Gerbou supper club runs on Saturdays and Sundays; Meydan, Dubai. Bookings can be made via 050 287 8882
The five pillars of Islam
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
PSL FINAL
Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
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What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
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Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
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Warlight,
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Sharjah Wanderers 20-25 Dubai Tigers (After extra-time)
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Cons Caldwell 2
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck