Back of House
The Ten Street kitchen has a young chef at the helm: South African Sake Van der Wal. Speaking about his culinary background, he says: “I started showing some interest in being a chef when I was 16 years old and I learnt in South Korea for five years. I trained for a few months in an Austria deli, and that’s when I really decided that this was the career I wanted. Then we moved back to South Africa and I enrolled in culinary school, did a two-year apprenticeship and practical training in a few different establishments to get some hands-on experience. I got my first job under a chef who was on the South African culinary team, so he was a good mentor.
“I worked my way up through the ranks and became a sous chef at a restaurant in Victoria, South Africa, where we did 250 covers a night. I then decided that I wanted to pursue international experience, hence moving to Dubai in March 2016.”
Revealing details about the menu he helped create, Van der Wal says: “We want to stand out from the crowd, hence our menu is quirky, especially the names for the burgers. We smoke all of our meat in-house, using a smoker from Alto-Shaam, and although it’s a small menu, the flavours really speak for themselves.”
Some dishes have already stood out as popular, he says, stating: “Burger wise, our chicken and waffle burger ‘I’m a Beliebar’ is one of our best sellers, as is ‘Little Swiss Bunshine’. Our apple pie is also getting good feedback.”
Fish and chips is another menu staple and the chef says he is using pale ale for the batter. He comments: “The flavour that the beer batter adds to the cod has made some English people tell us it’s the best fish and chips they’ve had in Dubai.”
The restaurant’s intention to refresh its menu every 10 week poses challenges. although Van der Wal is excited as “chefs are always thinking about new dishes” and for the first menu change, he will add slider-style burgers and more finger foods.
Asked about the supply stream, he says that at first “it was a struggle to source the quality of ingredients” needed, but adds that everything is now at “the standard that we want”.
Khattar agrees, revealing: “We were very choosy; for the ribs we tried out 15 different types.”
He adds that as RMAL Hospitality has been in the market for a long time, Ten Street benefits from established relationships with local suppliers, who look to various countries to meet Ten Street’s needs, including South Africa for its beef and wagyu.
The kitchen is staffed with six people from different backgrounds, and Van der Wal says it didn’t take too long for the team to gel.
“I am really proud of what we have accomplished so far. We have three Sri Lankan guys, a Filipino, a Chinese guy and myself, so it’s diverse.
“It’s important to bond together and be a family, as you spend more time with each other in the kitchen than you do with your own family at home. It’s vital to click and understand the way each other works,” he remarks.
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