No chef is more polarising than Gordon Ramsay, who has turned his humble beginnings as a commis chef in Oxfordshire into a multimillion-pound global empire. You either love him and his screaming fits of fury – as featured on his multiple television shows – or you don’t.
Verre at Hilton Dubai Creek, which opened in 2001, was the British chef’s first overseas venture.
“I had a great time in Dubai in the early days,” he says. “We were stuck out at the creek but, back then, everyone thought that was quite a cool area.”
Times changed and Ramsay did not renew when the 10-year lease was up in 2011. Verre was renamed and carried on without his involvement.
But Ramsay couldn’t stay away for long. With so many notable international chefs opening restaurants in the UAE in the past few years – and a handful of notable British chefs who have opened in just the past few weeks – no one is surprised Ramsay has returned, this time at Atlantis, The Palm.
“Dubai has become a little mini epicentre, similar to Vegas or New York or Paris,” he says. “It’s a foodie culture. The whole place has transformed – it’s buzzing. I was looking for a place, secretly, over the last two years; [Atlantis] seemed the perfect location and the perfect time to return.”
The new restaurant, Bread Street Kitchen, will be informal, fun and will cater to everyone, including families.
“I need to come back with something new, fresh, vibrant,” Ramsay says. “I need to reinvent the wheel. I also need to come back with something a little bit more upbeat because Dubai has moved on.
“Bread Street Kitchen is a little bit of East-end London coming to Dubai. I think the buzz and the electricity in terms of the vibe coming out of the restaurant will be second to none.”
Ramsay’s excitement about the concept and the menu is clear as he rattles off a list of inspired dishes we can look forward to on Bread Street Kitchen’s menu.
“It’s going to be a sort of modern-European style, but with great finesse,” he says.
“There’s going to be no overcomplicated dishes. You’ll be able to identify the ingredients in everything.”
Guests will find an English pea soup with curried lobster; Scottish salmon with avocado and watercress; roasted local fish with an artichoke salad; slow-braised short ribs; and starters including tamarind-spiked chicken wings with spring onion and coriander. Those who have dined in a Ramsay restaurant will recognise his culinary style in the dishes he is bringing to Dubai.
“The flavour profile should be something you’ll be able to identify immediately,” he says. “That’s something we pride ourselves on. It’s going to be unfussy food but it’s going to be unique. We’ll put a strong emphasis on the ingredients but, as always, it depends on what you do to them. It will definitely have a Gordon Ramsay stamp. No doubt.”
For now, Ramsay is focused on Bread Street Kitchen, but he says this won’t be his only restaurant in the emirate.
“First of all, I want to get this one right,” he says.
“I want to come back strong. But I have got my eye set on potentially the fall of 2016 with a Restaurant Gordon Ramsay with a little bit more of a fine-dining aspect.”
If that happens, foodies should expect a fine-dining experience like no other. His highly acclaimed Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London has held three Michelin stars since 2001.
• Bread Street Kitchen will open at Atlantis, The Palm on November 1
sjohnson@thenational.ae
