The German Garden at the Doha Marriott Hotel is one of the ways the hotel is increasing awareness among diners about the cuisine. The German Garden at the Doha Marriott Hotel is one of the ways the hotel is increasing awareness among diners about the cuisine.

Meet the Experts

- Surya Joshi, executive chef, Acacia by Bin Majid Hotels & Resorts, Ras Al Khaimah
- Kevin Pohl, speciality outlet chef — Brauhaus, Beach Rotana, Abu Dhabi
- Denis Vecchiato, executive chef, Doha Marriott Hotel
- Steffen Assmann, head chef, Der Keller, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai
- Sunil Nautiyal, executive chef, Beach Hotel by Bin Majid Hotels & Resorts, RAK
- Bhavesh Rawal, director of culinary, JW Marriott Dubai

How popular is German cuisine in this region?
Kevin Pohl, speciality outlet chef – Brauhaus, Beach Rotana, Abu Dhabi: German cuisine is certainly popular and as more and more people travel, they are becoming further exposed to German cuisine and realise that it goes well beyond just the beverages that Germany is known for.

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Denis Vecchiato, executive chef, Doha Marriott Hotel: German cuisine in this region is still up and coming. Currently, there is only one German restaurant in the city despite there being a considerable population of German expats in Doha these days.

Steffen Assmann, head chef, Der Keller, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai: In the last few years German cuisine has become more popular for tourists from all over the world. In Dubai, we have a lot of residents who come from or have visited Germany; they love to recreate the experience of typical German food, drinks and atmosphere they enjoyed when they dined in a German Wirtshaus.

Is German cuisine here as authentic as it gets?
Surya Joshi, executive chef, Acacia by Bin Majid Hotels & Resorts, Ras Al Khaimah: We cook the food with the best handpicked local ingredients without tweaking the cooking methods so the local audience can also get the taste of authentic German food.

Bhavesh Rawal, director of culinary, JW Marriott Dubai: There are not many German restaurants in Dubai or the region. But the ones who specialise in this cuisine have maintained the authentic style. Recipes are not tweaked and ingredients are not substituted. Pork is still the main meat used.

Sunil Nautiyal, executive chef, Beach Hotel by Bin Majid Hotels & Resorts, Ras Al Khaimah: We have a lot of German speciality restaurants in UAE offering the best, fresh and authentic food to the locals, expatriates and German clients. These include traditional favourites like sauerkraut, cabbage rolls, pretzels, and more.

DV: We currently have a German director of F&B who is very keen to preserve as much authenticity in the German cuisine as possible. Our aim is to seamlessly combine the flavour and style of German cuisine, yet make it in such a way that the local Arab community feels comfortable trying these new offerings.

KP: There is always the odd chance that any type of cuisine is tweaked to suit the tastes of the local audience but considering that majority of restaurant patrons are indeed people from all over the world, you find many restaurants retaining the authenticity of the cuisines they serve.

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