SimplyAbuDhabi XII

3 5 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I The Smell of the Sublime by Nick Rice T here is another addition to the burgeoning food scene in Downtown Dubai and it’s destined to become a popular haunt for the refined gourmands of the city. La Serre Bistro opened its doors in Downtown Dubai in the summer, and to find it you need only to follow your nose. La Serre sits above an authentic Parisian-style boulangerie on the ground floor, from which emanates the most delicious smells that even coeliacs must find hard to resist. They say to sell a house you should bake bread and brew coffee. Perhaps La Serre is applying the same rule to dining? The South of France is evoked in the clean palette décor. All glass, creamy tones and airy sophistication. Extended from the end of the boulevard and rising up two glass-clad floors like a boxy, bread-filled phoenix, the boulangerie ovens fire up early each morning to bring eager punters fresh bread made of finely milled flour, viennoiserie pastries and a light breakfast menu. High quality raw ingredients are fundamental to the café’s philosophy. Fresh, organic ingredients are sourced from farmers and artisan suppliers throughout Europe to ensure quality. Leading up from the bakery café, a grand staircase – the Pièce de résistance – stretches to the second floor to the bistro. An extensive lunch and dinner menu is offered, bringing the explosive flavours of the Mediterranean to the heart of Downtown. A long marble bar, light woods and cream banisters overlook the boulevard below where shoppers mill contentedly around. It’s easy to see why this is one of the hottest tickets in town at the moment. It’s like a wormhole to chic Paris. Like to see how the chef conjures up your meal? Look no further than the chef’s table where the sounds, smells and ambience of the kitchen are brought to the dining table. Enjoy a delicate onion tart to start, or maybe grilled aubergine with feta and prawns? Rich risottos and sea bass with soisson white beans can follow. Are you a fan of potato gratin? Stop what you’re doing and head to La Serre immediately. You will not find superior gratin this side of Toulouse. Parcels of perfect pasta are nestled in creamy sauces, mandolin’d slivers of vegetables are baked, fried, boiled and blanched to perfection. It’s a labour of love: “The food embodies the culture that it represents,” says Head Chef, Izu Ani; “the idea being that if you go back to the roots of the product you will understand the direction to take it.” Nigerian-born Izu Ani grew up in London and after studying home economics at school, found a love for cooking. After finishing studying, he began his career at Michelin-starred The Square in London. After four years, he travelled to France and stayed for six years, working at a number of restaurants, including the world-renowned three-Michelin-starred Auberge de L’Ill and the two- Michelin starred La Bastide Saint Antoine in the South of France. This is where he met his wife, who further instilled in him a passion for French gastronomy. La Serre Bistro