British chef Luke Thomas opens first UAE outlet

Retro Feasts, the diner launched by British entrepreneurs Luke Thomas and Mark Fuller, has made its debut in Dubai at The Beach Mall opposite JBR.

The F&B concept has been concept inspired by childhood favourites. The original Retro Feasts gained popularity as a pop-up concept in London’s Mayfair district. The Dubai outlet marks the diner’s first permanent residence.

Britain's youngest head chef Luke Thomas prepared a live cookery demonstration at the launch event.

---VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE RETRO FEASTS LAUNCH HERE---

He said: "We’ve gone back to our roots with this one - whether you grew up in the 90’s as I did or the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s, I hope you will love the spirit of nostalgia we have managed to recreate at Retro Feasts.

"We all have memories of our favorite childhood food. For me, this is simply a medley of all those favorites. We wanted to create a fun, alternative way of eating by the beach and I believe there is a little something to delight everyone at Retro Feasts - whether you are a gourmet foodie or someone that just loves good, simple food, done well."

Located under the arches within the caterpillar pods at The Beach, the décor is quirky with guests entering via a traditional red telephone box. The casual, friendly setting includes white brick-work tiling, bespoke vintage wall coverings and iconic artwork.

A bright colour pallet of rust red, navy blue and sunny yellow all combine with minimalist, mixed furnishings to bring back nostalgic memories from Britain in the 70’s and 80’s.

The menu includes dishes such as king prawn cocktail, popcorn chicken, mac n’cheese, coronation chicken salad, fish finger sandwich & Retro burger. Puddings feature the likes of Eton mess, chocolate brownies and Knickerbocker glory in a pot.

This 60-cover venue provides counter top ordering with takeout facilities while an old-school foosball table and a retro playlist make up the entertainment elements at the diner.

 Thomas added “We’ve come up with a menu full of the guilty pleasures that British people grew up with and still love to eat - even though they may not often admit to it. It’s going to be a lot of fun and very tongue-in-cheek, all of these remain great dishes people remember fondly. Most of them are not even served in restaurants anymore because they fell out of fashion or became clichés, but it’s now time to bring them back.”

Read the full interview with Luke Thomas in the May 2015 issue of Caterer Middle East.