Head to Head: Bazxar
Bazxar’s Owner, Kunal Lahori, and head chef, Gavin Baker, discuss how the new outlet stands out.
What makes Bazxar special in comparison to its competitors in the market?
Kunal Lahori: The defining feature of Bazxar in this highly competitive F&B market is the venue’s social dining experience that eclectically combines a variety of concepts under one roof, taking guests on an food journey to all corners of the globe. It draws culinary inspiration from South East Asia, Europe and the Americas, and is fired by passion, authenticity and above all, intense flavour.
Gavin Baker: It is the first ‘food-market-restaurant-wine-bar’ concept of its kind in Dubai. In a city famed for novel dining experiences, what would somewhere fresh, vibrant and exciting look like? A place where every sip and bite takes you on a new culinary adventure of intense tastes and global influences, and adapts and changes with you, to the time you have available and to the people you are sharing it with.
How do the front-of-house and back-of-house teams support each other?
Lahori: There can be no separation between front and back-of-house when it comes to operations. One cannot exist without the other, so we have a vested interest in each other’s success and day-to-day tasks. It’s essential to ensure everyone is aligned and that we understand each other’s work .
Baker: We share common goals and passions as a team, we strive for perfection and we are inspired by creativity, which defines how we work as a team and means we respect and support each other through each process and daily challenges we face in our separate departments.
How do you ensure the outlet is busy and profitable?
Lahori: Since opening, the popularity and feedback we have had has been overwhelming. The venue is buzzing morning to night. As well as new faces, we have noticed our regular customer base growing rapidly. It has been an amazing experience to be part of such a successful launch.
Baker: The success is down to the venue’s offering of both casual and high-end dining available at any point in the day, as well as a competitive price point and an unwavering commitment to using the best ingredients, providing great service, and executing creative recipes with interesting flavours.
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What is the biggest business challenge you face?
Lahori: The challenge is to get the right staff that matches our working culture. We want to have like-minded people as part of our team, who are passionate about what they do. We live by the motto ‘do what you love, love what you do’.
Baker: The biggest challenge we have set ourselves is to become entirely sustainable. We are sustainable where possible; we are one of a handful of restaurants that serves Glacier 51 Chilean seabass, for instance. We are working hard to become sustainable in every possible aspect.
What does the future hold for Bazxar?
Lahori: The new Dining Room offers more of a fine dining feel than other parts of the venue, but it is more of a relaxed, unconventional version of ‘fine dining’; it is our interpretation of the direction in which the industry is heading.
Baker: We are in the soft launch stage, however we certainly have more tricks up our sleeve: putting together wine nights, launching the Bazxar brunch, hosting master classes with celebrity chefs and launching our al fresco terrace.