Interview: Martin Cahill

Popular with GCC visitors to London, the first international outpost of the British hotel brand, Dukes Dubai, officially opened last year on the west trunk of the Palm Jumeirah. At the helm of the hotel’s F&B outlets is executive chef Martin Cahill. The outspoken Manchester native credits his mother’s excellent regional cooking with inspiring his career path.

Like most chefs, Cahill started young: “I worked in a small hotel washing dishes at 14 or 15 years old. You look over and you just feel this sense of camaraderie but what you don’t realise is once you’re in there, is that initially, it’s very hard work, very stressful and it’s not the most rewarding job in the world when you’re younger.”

A move to the British capital soon followed, says Cahill: “I went to London and worked at The Savoy Hotel and The Dorchester. At catering school you learn the theory but then when you get into a real working environment, you learn to work under pressure.”

The chef has since done stints in Toronto, Sydney and Hong Kong, where Cahill won several accolades: “I got a Michelin star there. I had a great time in Hong Kong. Super city.”

Now in Dubai for some time, Cahill was initially struck by the city’s transient nature. He says: “Take your average waiter or your average chef, you could pretty much map out their timespan in Dubai on a graph. There’s a timespan. Everyone’s got an agenda.

“In Hong Kong what I really liked was if someone is the local sommelier, that’s his job forever. And with that comes so many positives. Every time someone leaves, you have to source, hire, train them and then they move. In Hong Kong it was minimal turnover because you take care of them and with that comes consistency, quality, and guest recognition and with at come the accolades. If your staff is always rotating you won’t get that. It’s a massive challenge in Dubai.”

Speaking of accolades, Cahill’s take on whether or not Dubai should have its own Michelin Guide, might surprise some: “My personal opinion is that it shouldn’t come and I don’t think it will. There are too many inconsistencies with certain aspects of hospitality. Whether it’s the supply chain, the service or the food. Cities like London, New York, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong are just on point and they always will be.”

The chef also has strong views on the use of social media and its interference with the dining experience: “I’ve been to three-star dinners and the maître d’ will say ‘If you want any images, give us your email address or your card and we’ll send them to you. Enjoy your food when it’s hot and as the chef wants it to be eaten’. In Asia sometimes people would stand up and move the plate and before you know it, it’s 15 minutes later, and the sauce has congealed and the lamb’s gone a bit dry. It’s a bone of contention, social media.”

Back-of-house, away from social media influencers, Cahill shares that operations are running smoothly: “All credit to the hotel and the owners of the group. They employed me for a reason. They wanted someone who does come from the UK and knows the culture and the dynamics but also someone who had worked overseas. Dubai is a melting pot and you need to have that managerial style.”

With regards to the supply chain, Cahill imports British produce where possible: “We bring in as much as we can. Neal’s Yard cheese, Severn & Wye smoked salmon from Gloucester and  lamb from Wales. British beef is still banned in Dubai so we use grass fed, hormone-free Irish and we’ve had great feedback.”

The chef says Dubai is moving in the right direction in terms of building an infrastructure for local produce but there are challenges: “The government here is putting plans in place for sustainability. There are a few people here that are trying to start these eco farms but they struggle in the summer because it’s just ridiculously hot.”

The culinary team at Dukes Dubai is also doing its part, using urban cultivators in-house, with plans to start herb and vegetable boxes after the summer: “There’s a cost incurred but when you raise it up and you show whoever signs the cheques that it’s sustainable and over time there’s a return on investment. It’s the way forward.”

Have access to quality produce and manipulating it as little as possible is a key concern for Cahill: “I say to my chefs, the less you handle produce, the better it is. Beef — trim the fat off, cut it, salt and pepper, perfect. The less you do, the better it is.”

According to the chef, Dubai has a real eating out culture and, with constant openings, the restaurants to support it: “There are places opening everywhere and there are numerous pros and cons the pros are healthy competition is good, keeps you on your toes. New chefs are coming, celebrity chefs are coming and it’s good. The cons are that there’s a real cut throat market. Some restaurants have 300 to 400 seats and you have to fill them.

“Dubai is becoming heavy on F&B. Every hotel that opens would have a minimum of three or four restaurants and you have to times that by what’s coming up around just The Palm and Downtown. It’s a very heavy industry now. But with GBR, Kyber or West 14th if you stick to your USP and your concept, you’ll always do well because people associate that with quality.”

In terms of creating an experience for his guests, Cahill places importance on: “Service, value for money and consistency. People don’t want to come on a Monday and have a great steak and come back on a Friday and have it be terrible. That boils down to training and sourcing the right ingredients.”

Location is another variable that can make or break a restaurant. Cahill explains: “People don’t want to travel too much in Dubai. That’s a real business factor — location. I know people in the UK who will travel three or four hours for a meal. Take San Sebastián in Spain, people will travel there just to eat. I know friends who will fly out to Napa to eat at French Laundry just because they appreciate great food. But in Dubai people don’t want to travel outside of a certain radius.”

Guests do seem to want to travel to the hotel for its Friday brunch. When asked why it’s been so successful in spite of fierce competition from every other hotel in town, Cahill says: “A big one for Dubai is value for money. People want to feel like they’ve paid a fair price for a fair offering.”

The authenticity of the concept has also struck a chord with diners: “We’re sticking to our roots — the rotisseries, the roast chickens and the à la carte menu. We haven’t given in to the whole buffet where we serve sushi and sashimi. We’re sticking to our guns in terms of Britishness and I think now that the season’s back, guests will vote with their feet and say ‘yeah this place is authentic’. The service is very interactive and the restaurant is beautiful.”

“In Dubai I look at some menus and it’s like ‘Around the World in 80 days’. We want to do what we do well and stick to it,” Cahill concludes.