Pascal Clair to open first cafe in Dubai this week

Chef Pascal Clair has previously worked in Atlantis and Ritz Carlton Doha.

Chef Pascal Clair is preparing for the launch of his first standalone cafe which will open this week in Dubai.

Renowned for his skills as a master patisserie, Clair has worked at Atlantis, The Palm; The Emirates Palace; Ritz Carlton and the world famous Claridge’s of London.

His first cafe is set to open this week at the Dubai Investment Park.

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“It will be a very soft opening - we’ll just open the door like we did at Ritz Carlton,” Clair told Caterer Middle East. “I don’t want to make it too big, I want to keep it nice and slow and have the people coming in one after the other to discover what we do.”

The cafe and 420m² production kitchen have been developed over a five-month process, with Clair designing the kitchen himself.

Clair said while this is the showcase project, and he is ‘not expecting the cafe to make millions’, he is happy to receive regular local customers and establish his name as a standalone business in the region.

“Having my name on the window of the store is a something I feel thrilled about. I never expected I would have my own shop in Dubai – Dubai, one of the major cities in the world. Even though we are a little bit remote, I believe in the future we will have a chain of cafes in Dubai. This is more of our showcase and production but we are looking to expand into Jumeirah and other areas.”

The cafe will serve favourites including Blueberry Cheescake, Brownies, Black Forest Gateau and traditional French Apple Pie from AED14 (US $4) per slice. Whole cakes will range start at AED110 ($30). It will also serve macaroons, cookies and take orders for event cakes and pastries.

Clair said many of the things on the cafe’s menu have been influenced by his family bakery in France.

“I still carry forward the recipes for my father’s bread and a few of the chocolate cakes we have here though they may be slightly retouched. Also the croissants, brioche – all are based on my father’s recipes,” he said.

The site, whose doors will open this week, carries a team of 13 to14 chefs and is based at the European Investment Centre in Dubai Investment Park.