The UAE’s fine dining scene is at a crossroads, according to Marco Pierre White. Restaurants can either pursue exclusivity or reclaim some of the fundamentals increasingly lost amid the Michelin-fuelled glitz and glamour.
In an exclusive interview with The National, the British celebrity chef – who famously returned his three Michelin stars in 1999, stepping away from the relentless pressures of fine dining – is concerned that some of the UAE's well-heeled restaurants are approaching a state of peak haute cuisine.
"Sixteen courses of little knick-knacks? That’s not eating. That’s a canape party. I’d rather have my teeth pulled," he says. "The most important part of any restaurant isn’t just the food, it’s also the environment. People want to feel comfortable and relaxed. Give them good service, a proper plate of food at a reasonable price, and they’ll come back next week."
White doesn’t dismiss the thrilling complexities and possibilities of molecular gastronomy – after all, the menu at his former eponymous Michelin-starred London restaurant was renowned for its meticulous techniques, such as roasting up to 36 chickens each morning solely to extract juices for a signature in-house stock. However, he argues, the growing focus on such culinary intricacies is increasingly out of step with the concerns of today’s patrons.
Similar to residents of London and New York, those in the Gulf are not immune to rising costs of living, White adds. Coupled with the emotional strain some expatriates feel being away from home, he suggests many diners in the UAE should instead be drawn to well-made meals offering comfort rather than pure virtuosity.
It is partly for this reason that he teamed up with UAE food delivery service Meals on Me, where he will help curate select meal plans. While his input is yet to be revealed, he alludes to it being the kind of comfort food needed after a long day of work.
“I am talking about those classic dishes like lasagne, chicken parmigiana, gnocchi with ragu, that make you feel like home,” he says. “It’s not about trying to set the gastronomic world on fire but about feeding people at a price that makes sense. After a long day, they just want to take their shoes off, heat something up that’s hot, delicious and comforting. Bang. That’s it.”
An idealist, White attributes some of the perceived malaise in modern restaurant culture to the loss of values from what he refers to as "the old world". It was an era featuring French chefs such as Auguste Escoffier, considered the father of modern French cuisine, and Raymond Blanc, who championed the importance of quality ingredients. The lessons of pushing boundaries while respecting tradition have not only influenced White's own career but have also been passed on to his proteges Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal, both of whom have restaurants in Dubai.
“The old world of gastronomy was romantic," he says. "You smelled the food as soon as you walked into a restaurant. You saw the show with the waiters coming and bang – they carved and chopped things in front of you. You could smell the food, feel the anticipation, and by the end, you have a table of six, all eating something different. Now, it’s all sterile. It’s like walking into a wake and having the few little sandwiches that are left.”
Whether fine dining culture will return to that aspect of its rich heritage remains to be seen, but other timeless lessons, such as the importance of location, continue to endure.
White’s UAE restaurants are a testament to this principle: Marco Pierre White Steakhouse celebrates its 15th anniversary, while Marco's New York Italian marks its fifth anniversary this year, both at the Abu Dhabi beachfront property Fairmont Bab Al Bahr. In contrast, his modern European cuisine and art deco-inspired Titanic closed after less than 12 months in 2013 at the former Melia Dubai in Bur Dubai.
"Everything has a shelf life. In the UAE, many restaurants reinvent themselves by repositioning from one hotel to another," he says. "You see how things change because you have to keep it interesting. If you don’t, it dies on you. In this town, if you're slightly off pitch, you're done. You need to be in the right area otherwise, you're in serious trouble.
“What’s interesting about restaurants today, whether in the UAE or elsewhere, is that they often change after a year or so. Even if it’s the same owners, once the place starts to fade, they refurbish it, give it a new name and they’re off again. This is unless the restaurant is in a brilliant location, like one by the water, where it has a better chance of sustaining long-term success.”
But all that trade talk doesn’t matter, White says, if chefs lose track of why they’re in the business in the first place. While social media and the plethora of popular television cooking shows – many of which White starred in, such as various international versions of the MasterChef series – became a fast track to celebrity status, it’s what’s on the menu that will ultimately tell their story.
"Don't focus too much on the song and dance and let the plate do the talking," he says. "Because at the end of the day, all that other stuff is nonsense."
