TV chef Atul Kochhar to open restaurant in Dubai

TV personality and twice Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar will open a fine-dining Indian restaurant in the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai hotel, which is due to open on Sheikh Zayed Road in Q4 2012.

The restaurant will be called Rang Mahal, meaning palace full of colours, and will be based on a similar concept to his London restaurant, Benares, with innovative recipes and the freshest of ingredients.

Kochhar is famed in the UK for his sustainable approach to cooking, working towards a zero-waste policy and sourcing local ingredients where possible. He admits this practice is not easy to achieve in Dubai, but says because of its location only a few hours from India, and its excellent infrastructure, it is an ideal location.

“It’s a challenge in places like Dubai, where you can’t live with that ethos of ‘fresh and local’, but we do use whatever ingredients are local wherever we can.

“The good thing about the UAE though is that it is so close to India and we are able to give the food a real authentic twist. Plus the UAE is known for its quality, especially in the Dubai market. I can get it on the doorstep easily.

Kochhar already is already the face of two Zafran outlets in Dubai, which are owned by Foodmark – one in the Marina and one in Mirdif City Centre . The chain focuses on mid-range Indian food with a fresh twist.

“We have plans to open more outlets in the UAE,” Kochhar revealed. “And I want to develop Zafran in the UK in a year or so.”

Zafran was originally supposed to be a joint UK venture between Kochhar and Foodmark, the food and beverage division of the Landmark group, but plans were postponed in 2008 when the recession hit. The chain was instead launched in Dubai in 2011.