Dining off F&B
Already the dining options are stirring excitement among potential guests, particularly given that competition in terms of licensed food and beverage outlets is scarce in the large residential district where the hotel is located. Guests will no doubt be surprised and delighted on discovering the diverse options offered by its 10 restaurants and bars.
Five of these are to be managed by third-party companies and will open in a neighbouring stand-alone restaurant village, housing two concepts by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and two additional venues: Coya, which was founded by restaurateur Arjun Waney, and Nusr-Et Steakhouse, considered one of the best steakhouses in Istanbul. And finally, for Dubai’s elite party-goers, New York nightclub brand Provocateur, a small, exclusive lounge, will feature top international DJs.
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However it’s the five outlets managed in-house, and set to open this month, that are the focus for the culinary team, and in particular director of food & beverage, Florence Zwicky and executive chef Gilles Arzur, who worked together previously at the Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles, where they enjoyed serving up special dishes for President Obama and The Jackson Five, among other VIPs.
The creative concepts begin in the all-day dining restaurant Suq, which has been designed with six live stations in a “traders style market experience”, explains Zwicky.
“The idea is that it’s a market, so with the retail component we can develop different ideas. We’ll start with a bakery and cheese, and beyond that we’ll make our own pasta, we’re roasting our own coffee, and then perhaps comes a sauce, a spice mix. So these are things that will develop as we see what the community is looking for,” she adds.
Zwicky explains that the offering inside Suq may depend on seasonality and the goods on display will rotate depending on this. “We may not do everything all the time. We don’t have to stick to a certain programme because Four Seasons is not mandating what we do. We have a lot of creativity and freedom locally,” she adds.
Executive chef Gilles Arzur agrees he had a fair amount of autonomy when designing the menus and being part of concept creation, along with Zwicky and corporate office.
For example, another differentiator for Suq will be that the brunch is led by live cooking stations rather than a buffet style.
Arzur comments: “I hate chafing dishes. Food stays fresh for 10 to 30 minutes but after that it loses quality. I think with live cooking stations we’re going to be able to do some different offerings. We’ll have holding for a few minutes, but everything is going to be live.”
In terms of brunch, Zwicky claims that buffet options will be available every day at lunch time, with beverages offered on an à la carte basis. With both Zwicky and Arzur arriving earlier this year, adapting to the Middle Eastern concept of a brunch has been interesting, while sourcing ingredients and creating Arabic-inspired cuisine has been nothing short of a challenge.
“In California we grew everything we used basically in our back yard. We’re probably a bit more challenged in terms of what is available to us here,” Zwicky comments.
For Arzur on the other hand, the supply chain is “always difficult to establish at first”, however his main frustration has been creating an Arabic flavour, something he admits he has limited experience with.
“The Arabic touch is my challenge. I have basic knowledge but I’m not an expert and that’s where I have to trust the people I have hired around me. It’s not fusion food, I told the sous chefs I want the Arabic flavours to be authentic,” he confirms.
Despite the variety of cuisine on offer, Zwicky and Arzur are clear about avoiding fusion menus. While Seafu, the hotel’s beachside restaurant has both Asian and Mediterranean dishes, Zwicky explains both flavours will be kept separate.
“A lot of people think, ‘Asian and Meditteranean, ok they’ll offer a fusion menu’ — and we won’t. So it’s the subtle differences that we’re going to underline.”
Aside from the two restaurants, there are three lounge and bar concepts. Shai, which Arzur describes as a “lounge with a feminine approach offering light bites”, and Hendricks bar, which he describes as a “masculine, British” venue, with gin and whisky paired with food. Finally, rooftop bar Mercury, is what Zwicky calls “the jewel in the crown” with 125 open air seats and a 360-degree view of the city.
Coming from the old glamour of Hollywood in Beverly Hills, to the new glamour of Dubai, both Zwicky and Arzur are expecting a high calibre of guest, and are aligning their visions with that of Casson: “That the discerning international luxury traveller will see Four Seasons as the number one high-end option in Dubai”.
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