Korean-born American chef Akira Back took to Instagram on Sunday to announce his second location in Dubai: Paru, located on the rooftop of Caesars Resort on Bluewaters Island.
The restaurant, which will serve modern Japanese food, is dominated by a icy blue ceiling, made up of dozens of origami-style flowers. The award-winning chef opened his first eponymous UAE eatery at the W Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah, a space that specialises in Japanese cuisine with a Korean twist.
While Caesars hasn't released an official statement about Back's involvement yet, we do know that Paru will be the site of the official Maroon 5 after-party, after the American pop-rock band perform at the Coca-Cola Arena on June 14. The restaurant opens soon after Ramadan, in June.
Akira Back grew up in Aspen, Colorado, and was a professional snowboarder for seven years. Alongside the sport, he worked to supplement his income at Kenichi, a Japanese restaurant in Aspen.
“Chef Kenichi [Kanada] was such a cool guy,” he says, “and when I saw the way he interacted with his customers and had fun, it made me want to be like him. So, in a way, I started working with food for the same reason I got into snowboarding: I wanted to be cool."
Cool he certainly is, both for the fusion fare (think scallops with baby aubergine, enoki mushroom, asparagus and truffle soy butter) he serves to the Michelin star he's won (for Dosa in Seoul).
Caesars Resort Bluewaters Dubai is already home to Bacchanal, Cleo's Table, Sandbar Bar & Grill and The Piazza Lobby Lounge, while British chef Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant Hells Kitchen is at Caesars Palace.
