Greg Malouf’s next book is due to be released in November 2017. His last book, The New Feast, came out in 2014.
The Lebanese-Australian chef and author reveals what he's working on now he has left Cle Dubai.
Why did you decide to leave Clé Dubai?
The restaurant was moving in a different direction, toward entertainment and cabaret. That’s just not me. I’m here to cook.
Do you plan to open another restaurant in the region?
Location is crucial, ideally a location which is licensed. There are two other crucial things. Produce, and staffing, whether that is in the kitchen or front-of-house.
Would you consider going back to Europe or Australia to open a restaurant?
I wouldn’t go to Europe, and I’ve done all I can in Australia. I think, what I would like to do is maybe have a signature restaurant in London, but still operate out of Dubai.
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How did you find the experience of cooking at Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman in April?
It was extraordinary. I cooked for Bill Gates — he parked his yacht out in the bay and came in for dinner, which was very unexpected. Photos weren’t allowed, but I did get a chance to speak to him and his wife, and I gave him a signed copy of one of my books.
What do you have planned for your iftar pop-up at the W Doha hotel?
I have been lucky enough to secure a part of the Ramadan tent at the W Doha. There are six or seven stations inside the Ramadan tent, and they’ve asked me to operate one of the stations, producing contemporary Middle Eastern food. It’s a small menu. It is designed for the whole family, including kids. There are some dishes on the menu that are old favourites of mine. I have to work within a certain framework, because it is a cooking station, rather than a kitchen with all the equipment. One dish is salmon tarrator; it’s a whole salmon, slowly baked, at a low temperature. The skin is peeled off, and then it is coated with a mixture of yoghurt, tahini, shredded coriander, crushed roasted walnuts, chilli, sumac, and a strong lemon dressing.
You are heading to Beirut in July this year; what are your plans there?
I’ll be there to see family, plus a little bit of work. I might be doing a pop-up dinner or two, and I’m working on a site for this. There is a restaurant that is very interested in hosting us.
You once said you would not open a restaurant in Beirut. Does this opinion still stand?
Well, it’s not that I would never do that, it is just that it is a very volatile city. I mean I love it there, and I love the food in Beirut. But I don’t have anyone on the ground that is going to support that, and I think it is really hard as a foreigner to go in, and try to do something in Beirut. I know the Lebanese are ready for it. It is not about reinventing the wheel, it is about putting new tyres on the wheel.
You are currently writing your eighth book, in collaboration with Lucy Malouf. When can we expect the new book, and what will it focus on?
There are a lot of recipes that I designed at Clé that I’m going to use in the new book. We are still throwing ideas around, but at this stage we are looking at a book about baking, pastry and desserts. We already have November 2017 planned for the launch. It normally takes Lucy and I between one and two years to write a book.
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