Cuisine Focus: French Fancies

Caterer explores the growing popularity of French cuisine in the region

Meet the Experts

• Olivier Biles, Head chef, Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire, InterContinental DFC
• Thomas Rebler, Director of culinary, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai
• Farah George Farah, General manager, Fournil de Pierre, Dubai
• Olivier Cator, a Chef de cuisine La Mer, Ritz-Carlton Doha, Qatar
• Siegfried Neurhaus, Managing director, Pascal Tepper French Bakery, Dubai

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How popular is French Cuisine in this region?
Olivier Biles, head chef, Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire, InterContinental Dubai Festival City: From upscale French brasserie-style establishments to fine dining restaurants like Reflets, I believe people like the French style of cooking because they know that they are paying for a quality, well-prepared dish.

Thomas Rebler, director of culinary, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, on La Farine: With the days of French fine dining dominance long gone, there are still quite a few French restaurants around, but nowadays there are more casual and approachable ones, more brasseries and bistros.

What are the most popular French dishes?
Farah George Farah, general manager, Fournil de Pierre: The first thing that a local consumer would think about when talking about French dishes is a Quiche Lorraine or a Gratin, a pot stew or hearty salad.

Olivier Catora Chef de Cuisine, La Mer, Ritz-Carlton Doha: Soup, bisque, bouillabaise and several dessert like millefeuille are all popular choices among our guests.

TR: French bakery products, hands down. The French oysters are very much appreciated. Some of our best sellers are the classics, Steak Frites, Croque Monsieur and Salade Nicoise.

OB: I guess we are well-known for our love of cheese, foie gras, snails and frog’s legs — the last two always intrigue the more curious people!

Is French cuisine here as authentic as it gets?
FGF: There is always a need to adapt to suit the local taste and culture by either replacing some unavailable ingredients with similar ones or cutting out ingredients that could be considered prohibited.

Siegfried Neurhaus, managing director, Pascal Tepper French Bakery: The famous butter croissant was adapted to suit the local audience as chefs created a zataar croissant. The authenticity of the butter croissant is still there but has been adapted to suit the needs of the local market.

OB: In the last six years, Dubai has become a real international gastronomic destination, I would even say competing with the likes of New York, London and Hong Kong. Guests here have acquired a real knowledge of the ever more competitive dining scene and they have huge expectations, so maintaining high standards and authenticity has never been more important.

TR: I think the restaurants that are true to authenticity are successful in the long run. The “fit the market palate” approach does not work in Dubai, as the market is very transient and you have a lot of travellers from all over the world.

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What is the supply stream like?
OB: Our menus are always based on the French seasonal menu, so it is important that we are able to receive the right produce on time. It’s more convenient than some might think and through our contacts with suppliers, we can have access to all the desired fresh ingredients.

TR: We get great products out of France. The unfortunate thing in the region is that we import most of our products, but on the flipside it means we get real and authentic goods.

FGF: Finding the ingredients is not an obstacle compared to finding the right and desired quality. In our case we have chosen to import several ingredients from France in order to match the exact same taste.

What are the biggest challenges you come across?
OC: To get the right product at the right time and the right price. With proper planning, we can make orders at the right season for efficiency and get the product on time.  

Renaud Marchand, Middle East Zone director for Evian, Volvic Export of Danone: It is a competitive region, particularly in the UAE, which has an economically dynamic market. For a water brand, the market can seem crowded but there is a clear difference between Evian and Badoit and other bottled brands. What is key to the industry and us, is to provide a fresh and continuous supply of products that have the same quality as when bottled from the source.

FGF: As a new restaurant our biggest challenge would simply be awareness. We need to let consumers know about our originality and what we serve in our restaurant.

OB: Price can be challenging due to transportation of produce from Europe, however the market price is well-balanced.

What’s the competition like among French restaurants?
OB: The competition is quite big, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It is in my opinion good for guests to have choice so they can acquire a varied palette for comparison. It is only by having something to compare yourself against that you can really grow and maintain high standards and that is important for French cuisine to evolve in Dubai.

SN: The secret behind being at the top of your competitive set is a combination of food authenticity, staff training, consistency, quality of service and marketing efforts.

What's the competition like among suppliers?
RM: There are many types of ingredients originating from France available here, all offering something unique to the Middle Eastern customer. Although our products may differ, in my opinion we all share a common approach encouraging French gastronomy to flourish in the region, promoting French savoir faire and excellence.

Does the future look French?
RM: I feel optimistic about the future for French suppliers in the Middle East. The UAE in particular boasts a dynamic hospitality industry, which is greatly appreciated by residents and tourists alike who have an interest in high quality ingredients and fine dining.

SN: The future of French cuisine within this region can look bright if dishes are authentic and not too expensive. A French restaurant should have its own story to tell and a bit of French moral.

TR: I think we will definitely see the continued expansion of casual French dining restaurants, within the region with the occasional high-end-fine dining restaurant here and there. I predict bakeries will continue to pop-up, but it’s very likely there will be larger chains and corporation driving the expansions.

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Fine French
La Mer at The Ritz-Carlton Doha’s chef Olivier Catora shares his favourite recipe for Pan Seared Scallops. Lobster Veloute and Truffle Cream.

Ingredients:

• 4 scallops
• 1 lobster
• 2 sprinkle Cayenne chili powder
• olive oil
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery
• 25cl cooking cream
• 2cl white vinegar
• 1 leek
• 2g Diced Truffle
• 2 cl Truffle oil

Method for Lobster Veloute:

• Cut the lobster into small pieces, saute in olive oil, add in small cubes carrot, onion, celery, leek and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add white vinegar, reduce, put water and cover the ingredients. Cook for one hour.
• Strain, add 10cl cooking cream. Reduce and blend.

Method for Truffle cream:

• Make a chantilly, add truffles diced and truffle oil.
• Pan sear the scallops and serve with the lobster veloute and truffle cream.