What are some challenges you face when it comes to Spanish cuisine?
Miquel: Although the quality of produce is getting better and better, I would say one of the main challenges we face is sourcing the same produce that we would get back in Spain. There is also still a lack of awareness and understanding towards Spanish cuisine and what kind of dishes to expect, so we need to continue to educate and inform consumers and our guests.
Roldan: I think there is no particular challenge for Spanish cuisine in terms of preparing the food. The real challenge should be in making sure that a restaurant delivers a true Spanish experience to a diverse customer base without compromising on ethnic flavours, character, and techniques.
Shihab: It is hard to maintain a tapas bar highly stocked with fresh ingredients ready to go when you don’t have the steady volumes and the market is generally not ready for that. Finding the right staff of course remains the biggest challenges especially on the more junior and entry level roles. There has always been many Italian and Asian restaurants but finding skill-sets specific to Spanish cuisine on a junior level remains a big challenge.
Hernandez: Showcasing the roots of Spanish culture is tightly bound with showcasing the Spanish cuisine itself. The Spanish culture embraces an all-encompassing, social dining experience like no other. Spanish people are incredibly interactive and open which you can see in a traditional taverna in Barcelona, for example, people eat and drink whilst standing, allowing them to interact with each other whilst enjoying their freshly prepared tapas.
Bigorda: It can be a challenge to get Spanish seasonal produce, with such a range of ingredients from the Mediterranean best used at different times of year, you can’t always get what you want. But Dubai does have very good suppliers which does make my life easier and everything that we receive is top quality.
Is it easy to source the ingredients that you need?
Miquel: With the increase of Spanish cuisine restaurants in this region, there is a higher demand for local Spanish produce and more and more suppliers are visiting to bring the produce here. Some traditional Spanish dishes where we can’t get hold of the right produce, we’ll find alternative ingredients that are just as good.
Roldan: Not at all, we pride ourselves on delivering a truly authentic Spanish experience and we look to use traditional ingredients to provide a real taste of Spain. We are passionate about using Spanish ingredients so we work very hard to source these. Sometimes products are just not available locally and some very traditional ingredients are not available for import which can make this process a challenge.
Shihab: At Boca we try to use a mix of local and regional products as well as imported ingredients from Spain. The biggest challenge will always be sourcing fresh ingredients at the right price to introduce them to clients.
Hernandez: It is relatively easy to source quality ingredients as there is a well-established network of suppliers that have a wonderful array of products. The challenge however, is finding the balance between excellent quality and a fair price.
Bigorda: The product quality and offering has grown significantly in the past few years in Dubai. Spanish restaurants and products are in a high demand in the region. Suppliers work very closely with the chefs to get us what we need.
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