Hyatt Capital Gate's restaurants make their mark

The restaurants at the new tilting Hyatt Capital Gate are set to make their mark on Abu Dhabi’s culinary scene, reveals assistant F&B manager Jacob De Boer Dorrego

Housed inside Abu Dhabi’s newest landmark building, tilting a record-breaking 18°, is Hyatt Capital Gate, which brings four new outlets to the capital’s growing F&B scene.

How they got there is a story of patience and persistence, and one assistant F&B manager Jacob De Boer Dorrego tells with a sense of accomplishment.

“It’s been a challenge to get everything into the building due to the architectural design of it. A lot of things had to be tailor-built in the outlets.”

The design of the Capital Gate tower meant that the first component to be constructed was the glass shell structure, comprising hundreds of unique panels of glass. So there was no option to crane heavy items into the hotel restaurants as would usually be the case.

The shape of the building also pushed up the cost of the restaurant projects as very few fittings and furnishings could be pre-ordered or bought in bulk due to the irregular shapes and sizes required in the non-rectangular fit-outs.

But it is the successful handling of every fit-out headache and a pursuit for perfection that resulted in the establishment of several restaurant concepts expected to rival others on the Abu Dhabi food and beverage scene.

Catering to all tastes
Profiterole is a novel venue that serves sweet and savoury versions of the puff-pastry favourites, and the hotel’s signature restaurant 18° on the 18th floor offers diners panoramic views of the city as they dine on speciality sharing dishes originating from the Eastern Mediterranean.

“All main courses are made à la minute from the menu to preserve the quality of produce. This is going to be an interesting new concept in Abu Dhabi where there are no venues that offer this option.”

Dorrego admits the concept creates unique service challenges, but is confident in the team of 60 “talented and flexible” F&B staff, comprising 45 nationalities and each cross-trained to work in any of the hotel’s four outlets, including Privé bar and the Lounge.

Another on-trend offering from 18° is brunch, an extremely popular and potentially profitable concept in the neighbouring emirate of Dubai, but still developing in the capital’s F&B scene.

“The Friday brunch has a big tradition in the UAE and is a popular option for local guests and residents. We think we’ll attract people looking for quality and relaxation – we’ve promoted it as an urban exclusive where the chefs act as hosts,” says Dorrego.

He recognises the growing competition in this sector from the influx of hotels which opened in the capital at the end of 2011, including brands such as Westin, St.Regis and Rocco Forte, but remains unfazed.

Standing out
Dorrego asserts that it’s not the tilt of the Capital Gate building that will make Hyatt’s restaurants stand out on the Abu Dhabi F&B scene, but the delivery of “quality service and ingredients” with an emphasis on local produce.

“We have partnered with Abu Dhabi Organic Farm because we believe sustainability is key to any restaurant. There are challenges to receiving a constant supply of local products due to the seasonality of this country, but we are trying our best to locally source as many products and ingredients used in our outlets,” he says.