MasterChef Australia star George Calombaris talks with The National

George Calombaris at a demo at the 2016 Dubai Food Festival. Courtesy Dubai Food Festival

Australian celebrity chef George Calombaris, best known for his role on MasterChef Australia, is in town for this year’s Dubai Food Festival. We caught up with him to find out what he’s working on now and what he thinks of the UAE’s culinary scene.

What’s happening in your career right now?

I'm in the middle of filming Series 8 of MasterChef. But on the side of that, I've just refurbished my restaurant Hellenic Republic Kew which looks amazing. I'm also working on the new and upcoming Hellenic Hotel, set to be a pub version of the Hellenic brand. Following this, my focus moves to Sydney, which will be our first venture out of Melbourne with a totally new concept.

How do you describe yourself as a chef?

I look at being a chef as my life; I don’t look at it as a job. I want to give people something, an experience beyond what they would get at home. I want them to come in and be drawn into a feeling. And it’s not just about what I put on a plate. It’s about the whole experience.

What do you get out of appearances at festivals like this?

First and foremost, Dubai is like a second home for me. I come here quite often and I’ve been invited plenty of times, and now it’s so nice to be invited back again. It’s a great opportunity to show another audience on the other side of the world what we do in Melbourne. I’m representing not only myself but also all my staff, my restaurants, and the country I live in. On top of that, you get to meet some wonderful people and create another experience — another memory — that I can bring back to Melbourne.

Where do you eat when you’re in Dubai?

I’ve got a couple of favourite places I like to eat. There is this little place called Bu Qtair, near Jumeirah Beach, and it’s so delicious. Last time I went there, they just sold one fish dish, one prawn dish and a salad but it was amazing. I’m really excited to take my fellow chefs there. It’s definitely one of those hidden treasures.

What do you think of the culinary scene in the UAE?

For a very young country, you’ve got to give credit for what this impressive region has done. There are some big name chefs doing incredible things. But for me it’s beyond that. You want to harness locality, the growers and what they can be producing. It’s getting a lot better — just like Bu Qtair — harnessing the cultural values of the locals. I love the big name restaurants and love eating at them but the UAE should be holding onto the original flavours of the land.

Will we ever see a restaurant from you in the UAE?

We have always toyed around with the idea and we have been offered and asked a lot about this. You never know what the future holds. It just has to be the right circumstance. Being an obsessive and compulsive person, I like to have control of what we do and we have to make sure it’s the correct representation of what we do. I never say no.