Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire and head chef at his Dubai restaurant, Olivier Biles, discuss the pros and cons of operating fine-dining establishments at five-star hotels

Watching French chefs Pierre Gagnaire and Olivier Biles work together is fascinating. They huddle together in the kitchen of Gagnaire’s Dubai restaurant Reflets — at which Biles is head chef — with just a notepad, pencil and eraser as their tools.

They speak practically in whispers, quietly discussing the detail of the menu for the next service, which has the tendency to change depending on the ingredients fresh that day, or the whim of the chef to add a different element or plate a new design. The quest is for constant perfection, and this comes down to the details.

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“Every morning you must be enthusiastic, you must feel that today you will make the best,” says Gagnaire, revealing the philosophy that has driven his culinary success over the past few decades.

“Talent is not enough, you must work, work, work, work, and dedicate [yourself] to your job. The creativity is magic. You don’t know when it’s coming. The only thing I can say is you must concentrate on that and focus on [your] work.”

Gagnaire’s own dedication has spanned more than 45 years and his achievements have made him one of the culinary world’s most respected gastronomes and restaurateurs, admired for his peaceful nature and cool charm as well as his cooking genius. A proponent of molecular gastronomy, Gagnaire is famous for his fusion of culinary art and scientific knowledge and his work with French physical chemist Herve This.

The 11 Michelin stars the chef has been awarded for his epic restaurants in France (six stars), London, Hong Kong and Tokyo speak for themselves, and he also has a restaurant in Berlin opening this year.

In the UAE, he opened Reflets Par Pierre Gagnaire at InterContinental Hotel Dubai Festival City in May 2008 under head chef Biles, who has grown up working with Gagnaire. Bringing his mentor’s unique French tastes to the Middle East was by no means easy, and Biles admits that it has taken the past four years to get the restaurant where he wants it to be.

“Step by step the restaurant is coming on but it took time — at least four years now. Now it’s time for more maturity for the restaurant, to go into more details, not just to add things, but to make sure what we’ve done is stable. We are looking for long-term,” says Biles.

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