Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XVII

1 0 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Brian Hughson, Culinary Director, Utopia What is your career background and what initially inspired you to get into the hospitality industry? My career background is in Manchester and London. I’ve had the opportunity to work with the UK’s top chefs, including Gary Rhodes, Marcus Wareing, Gordon Ramsay, Jason Atherton and Marco Pierre White. How would you describe your cooking style? Classically French trained. I consider my food light and tasty. What are you like with your team in the kitchen? I’m very open with the team, honest and fair. They bring new dish concepts to me to try all the time. With a little tweaking, they go on the menu. What is your signature dish? We have a few. The bo luk lak is a great dish, simple but executed very well. What is unique about the restaurant? We have an amazing venue to cook in, and being a part of a tradition of 47 years of quality nightlife brings something different. Name three basic ingredients we would always find in your kitchen. Garlic, thyme, and bayleaf. How do the front-of-house and back-of-house support each other? We do this naturally; one can’t operate without the other. We have a great connection, the key to which is good communication. Biggest challenges you face in the kitchen and the restaurant? When we first opened, I found the hardest thing was getting a rapport with the suppliers. Now that we understand Dubai better, we get on marvellously. And the other thing we had to get used to was the guests like to turn up a little later than booked. (laughs) Are there any culinary trends you’re seeing across the world that you integrate into your own menu? There are so many trends across the globe, we have to be careful what we do. For example, we can’t start being molecular just because it’s trending. We are a Pan- Asian offering and we like to keep it as real as possible. What advice would you give young chefs entering the industry? You sacrifice a lot when you become a professional chef. All I would say is work hard, ask lots of questions, and then work harder… What are your thoughts on the food and beverage scene in the UAE? I love the food scene in the UAE – it is definitely becoming a culinary destination. To date, what has been your most memorable culinary experience and why? It was in a Thomas Keller restaurant called The French Laundry, in California. Nothing has topped that yet. From the minute you walk in to the second you have your last bite – it’s an experience I will never forget. Where do you want to see yourself five years from now? Wow! Who knows? I don’t know where I will be in five days…. Finally our signature question: what do you think of Simply Abu Dhabi? I love it, it truly defines luxury. Smoked Japanese Scallops