Cooking for kids

At Rivington Grill, Lester believes the key to keeping younger clients — and consequently their parents — happy is being flexible.

“If someone wants to switch broccoli for peas or something, then we’ll do that; if their mum wants something steamed or cooked without butter for them, we’ll do that too,” he says.

“We’re here to accommodate; no menu is going to suit everyone so we simply try to be as adaptable as possible.

“These guys are our guests of tomorrow,” he points out. “We’ve got to look after them so they come back. There is an element of education in there.”

According to Sheraton’s Nuss-Ozbilge, the main thing to keep in mind when catering for children is always the safety and security of the youngsters.

“As a company providing for children, you must ensure that whatever you are offering is fun-filled and at the same time that parents are confident that all is up to standard,” she asserts.

As part of this, it is essential to check up on any lurking dietary requirements or any intolerance towards specific foods, notes Le Méridien’s Sabbatucci.

Rivington Grill’s Lester agrees: “For some reason, there do seem to be more allergies around nowadays.

“But parents will tell us what their children can have and then it’s up to us to make that happen if we possibly can. It’s about understanding their needs and being prepared to work around them.”

Le Méridien’s Sabatucci adds that promoting the benefits of healthy eating can be tricky. “Most of the time, parents order for their kids and the ‘little bosses’ refuse to accept those choices when the order comes,” he says.

“But the presentation of food plays a key role here; children’s dishes need to be eye-catching and colourful to ensure easy acceptance — and minimum hassle for the parents.”

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Kempinski Hotel Ajman executive sous chef Sailesh Balan agrees that persuading children to eat fresh vegetables and healthy food can be difficult — “as is fielding a menu without chicken nuggets or fries, as kids are always asking for them,” he adds.

But by keeping to youngsters’ preferences as well as subtly adhering to what parents want, there is a balance to be struck.

According to Le Méridien’s Sabbatucci, parents todays are “more conscious about food choices and want their kids to migrate from junk food to healthy nutritional foods”.

“Starting to eat healthily at an early age is gaining in popularity — and when it comes to buffets, children love it when fruits and vegetables are well presented,” he says.

But Shangri-La’s Enderli says kids are still fighting for their right to junk food, while Kempinski’s Balan notes that many “follow the unhealthy eating habits of their parents”.

Sheraton’s Nuss-Julide says she is “very disappointed to see that children continue to eat unhealthily here”.

“But as a new F&B director in town, I want to increase the efforts of Sheraton Abu Dhabi in providing healthy options for children,” she continues.

“We are planning to implement more items that kids will enjoy and that are eye-catching, but which are also healthy.”

Rivington Grill’s Lester admits: “I’ve seen parents here who only feed their kids rubbish, or won’t let them try new things — but there are other options out there.