If and when Michelin starts awarding stars to restaurants in the Middle East, Bice Mare could certainly be a contender. Tucked into a corner on the third level of Dubai’s Souk Al Bahar, the high-end Italian seafood restaurant has just re-opened with a new look and two new menus after a summer renovation. The restaurant seats 72 inside where a shiny, new open kitchen – part of this summer’s massive refurbishment – gives the guests and the chefs inside unobstructed views of each other. Slip through a set of multiple sliding glass doors to the 62-seat terrace outside and the view will take your breath away. With ultra close-up vistas of the Burj Khalifa and front-row seats to the Dubai Fountain’s nightly water shows, Bice Mare delivers.
But you can’t win a star or loyal customers on location alone. You also need exceptional cuisine and Francesco Guarracino, Bice Mare’s Italian executive chef, makes sure his team is on the case. Guarracino might be the hardest-working chef in the country. He works six days a week, often seven, for 15 hours a day. Even when he’s not working, he’s still working.
“I have tomato sauce in my veins, not blood,” he says. “My recipes come in the night. They come when I’m driving. My brain is working 24 hours.”
His passion and love for food are as fierce as a mother’s love for her child. He comes from a family of accomplished chefs: his father, Luigi, held two Michelin stars in Italy for five years. Guarracino’s pride for Italy shines not only in his own creations, but also in the products he uses. Nearly all of Bice Mare’s ingredients – from the tomatoes and the olive oil to the lemons and the fish – are sourced from Italy. He even has “a guy” who fishes off the coast of Sicily, puts his catch on a boat, then a plane, and delivers it to Dubai the same night. It’s on a guest’s plate in Bice Mare the next day.
“For me, the ingredient always takes centre stage,” Guarracino says. “The best pasta for each dish, the best tomato. I make everything around that ingredient.”
He goes to painstaking lengths to find those ingredients. This summer, he travelled 5,000km from Milan to Sicily in a camper van visiting small farmers and producers looking for Italy’s best products. He is now importing most of what he found on that trip and highlighting those products on a special new menu. Many of the products have never been in Dubai before and some of the farmers had never sold their product outside their small Italian towns. “I’m living outside of Italy, but I’m still an Italian,” says Guarracino. “My job here is to bring people closer to real Italian ingredients.”
Guarracino is just as particular when it comes to the chefs in his kitchen. Each summer, he puts out a call for young Italian chefs to win a spot in Bice Mare’s kitchen. This year, he received nearly 2,000 CVs for four available spots. Applicants are required to send a video of themselves cooking.
Guarracino is looking for personality, attitude, skills and passion. “I am not an octopus,” he says. “I cannot cook for 200 people each night by myself. I have to make sure my chefs’ hands are like my hands.”
His young chefs confess that Guarracino is a strict kitchen boss. He once made a chef personally apologise to a guest for overcooking his meat and making him wait while he re-cooked it.
Giovanni Cortese, a sous chef at Bice Mare, says: “Francesco always expects the best. He’s uncompromising about the rules. Not all make it; many chefs give up. But those who remain become the best.”
Five of Guarracino’s chefs during his four-year reign at Bice Mare have gone on to Michelin-starred restaurants. Guarracino insists on having 10 Italian chefs in his kitchen (because his favourite footballer, Diego Maradona, wore the number).
He says: “I know there is no one else in Dubai – or even outside of Italy – who has 10 Italian chefs in one kitchen.”
The new open kitchen was built, in part, to show off those chefs, but that’s not the only reason for it. When you dine in Bice Mare, rest assured, Guarracino is watching. He is obsessive about ensuring each person’s meal is worthy of praise: “I’m looking at customers to see what they’re eating, the expression of the face. I try to understand how fast they want their food.”
He changes the spiciness of a sauce or the doneness of pasta based on nationality.
“I will change it a little without changing the philosophy of the dish,” he says. “I’m cooking for specific tables. Armani makes dresses. It will always be a dress but he’ll make it to fit your body. It’s the same here. Same ingredients, same technique, but I adjust it to fit your tastes.”
That over-the-top attention to detail has paid off. Bice Mare is packed every night and you should reserve a table a week in advance.
“I’m very committed to this job,” says Guarracino. “It’s a kind of respect for the kitchen, for the food, for the guests. My worst moment is when the lights switch off and we need to go home. I’m not saving lives. We are only cooking. We are only chefs.” He pauses, then says: “But the day that Michelin comes to the Middle East, I will be ready.”
Bice Mare is open from 11am to 11.30pm daily. For reservations, call 04 423 0982
sjohnson@thenational.ae
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
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What is double taxation?
- Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
Company%20Profile
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Match info:
Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
FIGHT CARD
Welterweight Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Tohir Zhuraev (TJK)
Catchweight 75kg Leandro Martins (BRA) v Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Company%20Profile
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If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
'Downton Abbey: A New Era'
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
Rating: 4/5
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
SCORES IN BRIEF
New Zealand 153 and 56 for 1 in 22.4 overs at close
Pakistan 227
(Babar 62, Asad 43, Boult 4-54, De Grandhomme 2-30, Patel 2-64)
