Outlet 360: Pierchic, Madinat Jumeirah

Pierchic undergoes a complete overhaul, but stays true to its principles of providing an experience to remember, as Shaheen Nouman discovers

Front of House

Pierchic opened its doors 10 years ago, on the same day as Al Qasr Hotel in Dubai, but underwent a refurbishment in 2014 as part of the Jumeirah Restaurant Group’s mandate of ‘incubating’ its venues.

While the seafood venue has received its fair share of fame due to its scenic location, it is also popular due to its food and attentive service, as Pierchic general manager Andrea Zampolini shares.

“We are very lucky that the location is number one; there is no doubt about it. Now we need to provide service and food complementing the location, which is very difficult,” Zampolini explains.

“It’s the same as other Jumeirah properties in terms of expectations and standards, but very different in terms of experience for our customer.”

Speaking about the need to refurbish the restaurant after 10 years, Zampolini says: “We had two main reasons. The restaurant was very tired looking after 10 years.

We had done a soft refurbishment five years ago, but it was very soft. There were some areas where we could see a potential of a nice seating area. With winters brief, summers hot, and rain unexpected, the restaurant lost a grand part of its covers and it was not a pleasant situation.”

Besides the extension of the seating area, Pierchic also attempted to redefine its customer profile. “We want to attract a different kind of clientele.

Not only couples and people above 40, but also a young, new generation that wants to come and enjoy dinner in a sophisticated and relaxed environment. Earlier Pierchic was known to be a romantic place, so everybody would like to come here to propose,” Zampolini comments.

The makeover has added two pods on the walkway to the restaurant — Chic Pod and Oyster Pod — serving cocktails, and freshly-prepared ceviche and oysters. “You have a 250m pier and it’s a long walk down. So by creating these two new areas, we created life on the pier.”

The four-month-long refurbishment also extended the seating capacity, enclosing two previously open terraces. The restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows, bringing the outdoors inside with a snap of a latch, and diners can see waves crashing beneath them, albeit from a safe distance.

Now Pierchic features a formal dining area, lounge and a bar, usable year-round, with 150 seats and an additional standing capacity of 80.

Pierchic’s new look has underlying Parisian charm, with vintage flair and contemporary bespoke furniture. The interiors are designed by KCS, the same company which worked on the Burj Al Arab. Swarovski has added a heavy dose of glitz, with fishnet chandeliers filled with 25kg Swarovski crystals.

The venue is already quite popular as a romantic culinary destination and the team at Pierchic is set to introduce new concepts and flavours.

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Back of House

Rosalind Parsk has been the head chef at Pierchic since September 2012. When the refurbishment plan was put into place, a menu revamp was also proposed — along with the injection of a new culinary influence. This led to the collaboration with three Michelin-starred chef Laurent Gras.

Parsk says: “Working with such an experienced chef is very special. To have Laurent in the kitchen with us so often is amazing for the team. They learn so much.

“I went to New York and we collaborated on ideas and the seasonal foods we wanted to use. I have worked in Dubai for many years, so I know the food scene here, and Laurent has a vast experience of USA and France. Bringing both of these insights together was hugely beneficial to the final concept.”

While the ambiance and location are quintessentially glamourous, the menu at Pierchic is refreshingly simple and classic.

“When I saw these dishes, I was a little bit concerned, because it’s Pierchic. I was expecting something more extravagant. But then, if you think about 1.5kg of sea bass in a salt crust served on your table, opened and filleted in front of you — the entire scenario makes you go wow. This is real food with great sauces, seasoning and ingredients,” says Zampolini. Moreover, the restaurant will update the menu every season to keep it fresh.

Parsk says she has tried to source the best ingredients available in the market, with a focus on seasonal produce to create fresh, simple, flavourful dishes. From the options available, Wagyu beef tonnato, lobster bisque, and roasted yellow tail are the most popular items.

Pierchic’s culinary brigade also creates some of the ingredients in-house to ensure consistency and quality. For example, the team is working to produce its own coca cola that Zampolini says “is going to be the best in the world”.

During the months when the restaurant was closed for refurbishment, Parsk also strengthened her supplier relationships.

She says: “I spent lots of time with suppliers trying to source the best seafood and ingredients that I thought would work well with the dishes we had created in America [with Gras]. Supplier relationships are of utmost importance to a restaurant, so it was great I had this time to nurture them so well.”

Up to 90% of the staff is new, as the restaurant wants to redefine service norms and expectations. It currently blocks reservations at 150 pax, Zampolini confirms.

“The staff needs to be ready. The kitchen needs to be ready. I felt 150 is what we can do with top service. We did a couple of nights of 220 covers but it was a struggle. For the price you pay for dinner, you don’t want to be rushed or delayed. We cannot afford to have it less than perfect.”

Parsk believes hand-picking the kitchen team and the time invested on training, has the back-of-house delivering service worthy of the venue.

“We did several food tastings with them and we went through exactly how each dish was made and where we get the produce from. This full understanding is imperative to the level of service we expect at Pierchic,” Parsk asserts.