Anthony Ekizian, head chef, Aubaine, says the the trend in French cuisine is going back to something simple and more authentic, while focusing on the quality of the product and its sustainability.
Any challenges associated with French cuisine?
Ekizian: Staying true to ourselves and not giving up on our principles. Some people might feel that French cuisine its old-fashioned, which is a misconception in my view. French cuisine is almost a philosophy; we keep our old values by not denaturalising the product, but one can see that French cuisine has evolved.
Vercoutere: To manage to fit the product to the market and stay true to the essence of the food that you serve. The naming is additionally a difficult task as some of the dishes can’t be translated and can only be understood by French speakers — and when they are translated, they lose meaning.
Duncan: Getting the best, freshest possible product that meets expectations. I aim to work with fresh product only by the end of this year, by removing the freezer from the kitchen.
Simon: My challenge is still the same as in the beginning: keep learning everyday all about French cuisine. We have to respect the base and find our own interpretation.
Kaced: French cuisine is focused on seasonal ingredients. Since they are not available all year long, this can sometimes be challenging. On a positive side, it gives us a great opportunity to keep our menu updated and fresh, and so we can be creative to find new ways to present traditional French foods with a bit of a twist for modern tastes.
Do you import ingredients or use local products?
Ekizian: We use authentic seasonal ingredients from France, such as cheese or seafood. Sometimes it is difficult to get what you need from the particular regions, so our chefs are always on the look for new products local or imported.
Vercoutere: Using local products if they were of a good enough quality would be great. Unfortunately. due to the climate here, it is nearly impossible to find quality all year round. Most of our products come from high-end suppliers that source from high-end producers in France.
Duncan: We focus on non-GMO and organic ingredients. We support local farmers, as long as quality meets expectation, such as Green Heart Farm in Sharjah, which offers great vegetables specifically grown for our consumption.
Degras: Our policy and our priority is always to use fresh, high-quality products. The terrain and climate of the UAE means that while there is a growing market for local food, organic produce, and homegrown fruits and vegetables, we are ruled by seasonality and the temperatures. Therefore, we import a large percentage of our specialist ingredients and produce in order to deliver authentic French cuisine.
Kaced: About 90% of our ingredients are imported from France to recreate all the recipes to perfection, using top quality products. Brasserie Quartier receives two to three deliveries a week from the Rungis Market in Paris to make sure that we are serving authentic French food at the very best quality. This enables us to deliver guests our culinary promise, which is to honour France’s deeply rooted gastronomic traditions. And I feel that the best way to do this is to create food with love using authentic French ingredients. Of course, whenever possible and where we can, we use local suppliers to support local businesses.
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