Day: August 22, 2023

These chefs, who are from Israel, Spain, Italy, France, and Portugal, propose a lot of seafood and salads.
Another favorite is gazpacho, a cold soup often made with tomatoes that is sometimes sipped directly from the glass.
Some days, hotpot or a dish brimming with wok hei are simply too hot. You can’t go wrong by asking a Mediterranean chef for tips on shrewd summer eating.
They know how to keep cool with their food, whether they are from Spain, Italy, Israel, or the South of France. When it’s this hot and muggy, we asked six Hong Kong chefs who were raised in warmer parts of Europe what they like to prepare and eat.

1. Sanuy, Edgard

The northeastern Spanish city of Lleida is home to the culinary director of the eateries Barbar and Pica Pica.
Every summer, our family spent a few weeks in a little apartment close to the ocean. There were two meals that we always ate when it was extremely hot. One is a Rusa salad, which is a Spanish meal but has a Russian salad name. Boiling potatoes and carrots are combined with mayonnaise, tuna in a can, and olives. Some people include mussels or shrimp. I add the anchovy oil from the can. Then it is blended almost to a mush.

Mom always prepared a large tray to store in the refrigerator. It reminds me of the best summers of my life, in my opinion.

Gazpacho is something else I adore. My grandmother made gazpacho because she was tired of me grabbing a Coke or other soft drink. Half a tomato, cucumber, some vinegar, garlic, and occasionally watermelon, strawberries, or raspberries were added to make it kid-friendly.
A small amount of cumin would be added in the south. Because you didn’t want it to oxidize and lose all of its vitamins, you would make it that same day. I always have this in the summer. My gazpacho at Pica Pica is served alongside a dollop of cucumber sorbet to keep it chilled.

2. Toby Goldstein
Israel’s Tel Aviv is home to the executive chef of the Middle Eastern eateries Francis and Francis West, which serve food with influences from the Maghreb region of Africa.
Since my mother was a teacher, she shared our summer vacations. She wouldn’t even try to cook. We simply consumed a lot of falafels when dining out. We consumed a great deal of fruit during the summer. I associate peaches and plums with my early years.
I cook a lot of shakshuka for dinner when it’s hot. Basically, tomato sauce is used to prepare eggs. It’s available all day long, not just for breakfast. You only need one large pan to prepare it, and it’s simple. There is group seating. It’s easy, quick, delicious, and light.

3. Cantalloube, Léa

Toulouse, France, is the hometown of Ami’s chef de cuisine.
My parents would take us to see my grandparents in Le Barcarès, a little village in the South of France, even though they didn’t have the summers off.
We would only serve seasonal veggies as well as appetizers like melon with ham and ratatouille for our main courses. We had a lot of fish from the market, which was barely 100 meters away from our accommodation (330 feet). Sea bream was one of my favorite dishes to eat.

In the summer, my menu varies frequently. I currently enjoy grilling out a lot with pals. Everyone can cook together as long as the end result is nice.

Of course, I just eat a bunch of salads when it’s hot outside. Everyone has a distinct favorite salad, whether it be a Nicoise with tuna, olives, hard-boiled eggs, and green beans or a Greek salad with feta cheese.

4. Palombini, Fabiano
Italian seafood restaurant Perla’s executive chef was raised in Teramo.
My grandfather was a fisherman, and I’m from the Adriatic Sea’s southeast region. Sardines and mackerel, which are plentiful along the Italian coast from the center to the south, are still fished for by the family. We consume a lot of fish and seafood.
While we occasionally fix things, we typically just eat everything raw. Our Mediterranean diet typically consists of 60% raw fish, including mussels. Due of how fresh it is, we don’t need to cook.
Prawns, any kind of prawn, are my favorite. I still eat fish most of the time in Hong Kong. I don’t consume a lot of meat. The days I take off I got to islands with friends and family and have sea food.

I’ll grill or bake the fish that we aren’t able to consume uncooked. We are less steamy. In a tray, I would bake it with potatoes and vegetables. It’s flavorful, delicious, and healthful. Naturally, everything must be seasonal. We consume whatever is in season.

We’ll also serve spaghetti that has been prepared with fish, clams, or mussels. We Italians will perish if you take away our pasta.

Dubai is working to boost its fine-dining scene in an effort to enhance its reputation as a luxury city. It helped that it was the first location in the Middle East to have a Michelin Guide.
Gordon Ramsay and renowned French chefs have been drawn there, and today’s fusion cuisine served by creative home-grown chefs reflects the emirate’s global character.

Renaud Dutel, a French chef, never anticipated that his work would lead him to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, but he has discovered a budding culinary mecca there.
Dutel is happy to have “taken the risk” five years after being offered and accepting a position at a posh restaurant in the Gulf financial and tourism powerhouse better known for its towers than its culinary scene.
At Stay, a Michelin-starred restaurant that specializes in French cuisine on the city’s iconic Palm Jumeirah man-made island, he says, “I think Dubai is at the start of its journey, but is on the way toward becoming one of the top places in the world to come to dine.

There are over 13,000 restaurants and cafes in Dubai, some of which are already well-known internationally.
The first Michelin stars in the Middle East were given to 11 Dubai restaurants in 2022, and this year more establishments will be entering the exclusive club.
Some, including Stay by Yannick Alléno, managed to earn two stars, but none reached Michelin’s top rating of three.
According to Issam Kazim of the local government’s tourism and business department, Dubai’s culinary scene has turned the city into one of the most varied and vibrant food centres in the world.
The UAE, a federation of seven emirates on the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula that has existed for five decades, does not have the same robust gastronomic history as other Arab nations.

Historical trade relations with modern-day Iran and India have a significant influence on the meat-heavy Emirati cuisine.
According to Loc Bienassis of the European Institute for the History and Culture of Food, it did not experience the “gastronomisation” that many Western culinary traditions underwent. But he adds that it “can be done”. “Political will can also be a factor.”
The city has developed a distinctive gastronomic identity due to the huge proportion of expats compared to the native Emirati population.
A good example is Moonrise, a rooftop restaurant with only 12 seats that serves a Middle Eastern-Japanese fusion menu.
The head chef and co-owner of Moonrise, Solemann Haddad, said the meal was “100% Dubai” yet had a third European, a third Japanese, and a third Arabic flavor.

At the age of 27, Haddad—who was born in the city to French and Syrian parents—earned a coveted Michelin star.
According to him, his dishes combine ingredients like date syrup with a chutney made of saffron and pineapple to capture the international character of Dubai.
Dubai, which has made a name for itself as a hub for commerce and luxury, is now luring some of the most renowned chefs in the world, including Alléno and fellow Frenchman Pierre Gagnaire.
Italian Massimo Bottura, British Gordon Ramsay, and Japanese Nobu Matsuhisa have all established restaurants in the city.
Dubai is cultivating local stars in addition to bringing in top talent, according to Emirati lawyer and food blogger Habib Al Mulla.

“A new, younger generation of home-grown chefs are coming up,” he claims. Many of them are gaining notoriety on a global scale.
In addition to chefs, restaurateurs like Omar Shihab, who was born in the UAE to a Jordanian family, are among Dubai’s rising culinary stars.
This year, the Boca restaurant he created received a Michelin Green Star for sustainability.

Shihab obtains the majority of his goods from the UAE, which is impressive considering that the nation imports more than 80% of its food.
Despite the fact that, “Let’s face it, we live in the desert,” he continues, “we prioritize local ingredients through our sourcing policy.”
According to Shihab, up to 80% of the fish served at Boca is derived from the UAE or adjacent coasts, and 30 to 40% of the fruit and vegetables are grown hydroponically by Emirati farmers.
For meat and chicken, he claims, “We do not have any local or regional suppliers,” but no matter where in the globe they are, “we make sure that the farms we depend on, we know their names, and we know a little bit about their practices.”

The Aqua Water Bar by Luqel gets its water from a faucet, just like it used to be done.
The smoothies made with bananas, berries, and wheat grass came first. Then there are the cold brew, triple-shot, milk-based lattes, German-named artisan brews, and small-batch, barrel-aged Prohibition cocktails.

The Middle Eastern epicenter of all things cutting edge, Dubai, now has a new bar that serves “gourmet water.”

30 different types of it.

The Aqua Water Bar by Luqel gets its water from a faucet, just like it used to be done. Despite the fact that many Dubai residents prefer bottled water, the government claims that tap water is safe to drink and complies with international standards.

The German water filtration business Luqel’s micro-dosing device is then used to infuse minerals. They cater to all varieties of water fans, whether Alpine or Arctic-sourced, by offering to match the mineralization of high-end water brands.

The managing director, Roia Jabari, explains that “our water sommeliers created the drinks to suit your needs and mood.” “We can provide the ideal mineralized recipe for you.”

“Runners Heaven,” a high-sodium, high-potassium food, is made for runners who need to recover from the sweltering desert heat. “Vegan’s Choice” provides nutrients that may be lacking in a diet that is solely plant-based. Customers can pay roughly 50 cents for 500 milliliters (16 fluid ounces) of any of the mineral blends to fill their bottles, or spend more for mocktails.

It’s not a really original idea.

Water from secluded mountains or natural springs has long been sold in bottles. In order to compete with Evian and Perrier, Coke and Pepsi entered the market years ago, blending the lines between water and soda by adding sweets and fizz.

As people adopt better lifestyles and view tap water with frequently reasonable skepticism, such products have become more and more popular.

According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, a consulting firm, bottled water is the most popular beverage in the United States, with the average person drinking 46.5 gallons annually, compared to 36 gallons of soft drinks. But it’s uncommon to come across a pub that serves only water, as opposed to giving it out for free to customers who drink too much alcohol.

In the city’s East Village, a water bar serving what it claimed to be highly filtered New York City tap water debuted in 2012. This move drew a barrage of criticism. In 2019, a different one opened for a brief period to less than stellar reviews. Both don’t seem to have been open for very long.

However, Dubai, a contemporary metropolis constructed on sand dunes, might provide a favorable environment for the trend.

In the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms that includes Dubai, alcohol is sold in pubs and clubs, although the Muslim nation has a sizable teetotaler population. It attracts the wealthy, health-conscious individuals who support the wellness business since it is a center of international trade. Despite being frequented by businessmen in suits who work in the nearby Dubai Media City, Jabari says that the water bar is not just for wealthy customers and that the water, which costs 2 dirhams or 54 U.S. cents per 500 milliliters (or around 16.9 fl oz), isn’t very expensive.

Customers may either fill their own bottles or buy reusable ones starting at about $2.50 in an effort to promote sustainability.

Seeing people strolling about with plastic bottles, according to Jabari, is one of the things that makes him feel like he is scraping a blackboard.

The bar has a Google rating of 4.6 stars based on about a dozen reviews, so the early response seems favorable.

Bilal Rizvi, who visited this week to give it a try, remarked that “(the water) was actually different.” It is quite good. The water with turmeric was fantastic.

The virgin mojito mocktail, according to Jabari, is also a very popular beverage. It has a tinge of sweetness from the agave and honey, along with a twist of cucumber and lime.

The bar was created with a water theme by an interior designer from San Diego, California who has spent 24 years living in the UAE. The blue and white colors of the decor are illuminated by bubble-shaped lights. The bar also offers Persian food as a tribute to her background.

She sees potential for expansion in Dubai’s arid neighbors, and she wants to enlarge the company.

For us, Saudi Arabia is a sizable market. Abu Dhabi, in my opinion, represents our next move.