The long awaited Doha debut of Japanese chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa’s eponymous restaurant finally happened this spring, with the restaurant occupying an area of off-shore land on the Qatari capital’s coast, with a spectacular building design.

But no matter how gorgeous a restaurant’s interior, the bit a chef cares most about is the kitchen. Caterer caught up with chef de cuisine Andrew Bozoki, who gave us the insider’s view of how a kitchen ensures a world famous chef’s named outlet lives up to its reputation.

Formerly the sous chef at Nobu Dubai, German national Bozoki has plenty of experience with Japanese cuisine and cooking methods.

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Were you involved in the fit-out and/or design and/or layout of the kitchen?

The design and layout was completed prior to my arrival. However, I was involved with the final touches regarding the equipment.

What, in your opinion, are a kitchen’s vital features?

The kitchen at Nobu is split into seven sections (sushi bar, sauté, grill, brick oven, tempura, garde manger and pastry). The style of the kitchen is an American line which is standard for all Nobu outlets globally.

What is your one desert-island product that you can’t live without?

My chef knife is the one item I can’t live without.

What is your (or the restaurant’s) signature dish?

Nobu has many signature dishes, such as the famous black cod.

Currently I am working on a dish which is Master Kobe wagyu beef with foie gras and karashi miso sauce (Japanese mustard miso sauce) served on a smoking cedar wood paper. The dish is very successful and at the moment on our Omakse menu.

Who are some of your kitchen’s notable suppliers?

The company who installed the kitchen is Askar, a local company. The kitchen is mainly outfitted with Garland equipment. We also use Winterhalter, Convotherm, Froster and many other brands.

Big figures?

Nobu Doha has 30 chefs from 10 different nations, including Mauritius, Korea, Japan, Germany, Nepal, Bali, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India and the Philippines.

Our fresh fish arrives three times a week directly from Japan.

And, on a busy night, we serve over 1000 dishes in one service.