< PreviousURBAN HYMNS With Folly by Nick & Scott, Nick Alvis and Scott Price ful- ly established themselves on the Dubai dining scene. Eclec- tic and experimental, it was a departure from their years of fi ne-dining training under the likes of Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s. Now Dubai’s dynam- ic duo have returned to their roots with Verve Bar & Brasse- rie at Grand Plaza Movenpick. “It’s more of a classic experi- ence, like what we used to do in London,” explains Price. Looking around, it’s easy to see what he means. Verve oozes ele- gance, from the white tablecloths to the luxurious bar area, it’s be- fi tting the fi ve star status of the hotel — Media City’s fi rst. As with Folly, it’s a collabora- tion with Naim Maadad’s Gates Hospitality, with the three of them taking their time to se- lect the perfect location for this next venture. Unlike Folly however, it isn’t strictly a Nick & Scott joint. While they will be overseeing it, and have designed the menu, and been deeply involved, they’ll be taking as much of a backseat as they can, with GM Francesco Car- bone and head chef Jorge Grande the main boots on the ground. Carbone aims to introduce top quality service, in keeping with the surroundings, while allowing customers to also see Verve as somewhere they can come for a casual drink or snacks, rather than solely for a top-end meal. “Our approach is polished,” he says. “We don’t want to have stiff service, we want to be very ap- proachable, but with high stand- ards. Tablecloths, yes, guerridon service, yes, just to take us back a bit to the classics. “It’s a new area where we are located: Media City. We are sur- rounded by big companies and we have a lot of things happen- ing. After work you can pop in and have a little bar bite, have a happy hour drink, then maybe come back the next day for a for- mal lunch or dinner.” The 80-cover restaurant has plans to add an outdoor terrace once the worst of Dubai summer is over, while there are also pri- vate dining rooms available. Live music will be a regular occur- rence says Carbone, with more activations including a brunch also lined up. Having started his career in the bar, Carbone doesn't under- estimate its importance, and be- lieves Verve is in safe hands with Keagan Van Dyk as bar manager. “We understand each other and we work with the kitchen. Today it’s about ingredients, not just about on the rocks or straight up. You need to go a little bit further.” Carbone hopes that a collab- orative spirit across front- and back-of-house will steer Verve in the right direction. Located in the heart of Dubai’s Media City, Verve Bar & Brasserie is a Nick & Scott headline act but with more beneath the surface BAR LIFE: Keagan Van Dyk runs the bar. INSIDE OUT: You can enter Verve without going through the hotel. GENERAL MANAGER: Fracesco Carbone. DISCRETE: A private dining room upstairs. ELEGANT ENTRANCE: From the outside looking in. Outlet 360º Verve Bar & Brasserie Caterer Middle East | June 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 30/ER: one. TE: airs. SPLIT: The bar and restaurant are separated. NOT JUST FINE DINING: Verve wants guests to come in for small bites and a couple of drinks. EXTERIOR DREAMS: A terrace will open after summer. Don‘t Worry. With the SelfCookingCenter® and VarioCookingCenter®, the skeptics will become the regulars. Thanks to intelligent technology, you save on resources and serve outstanding food quality – and at a reasonable price too. Find out more: ae.catering2019.com ome the regulars. food quality – www.caterermiddleeast.com /31 June 2019 | Caterer Middle East While Alvis and Price are always likely to garner the attention at a new concept due to their reputation in Dubai, Verve’s head chef Jorge Grande isn’t without experience of his own. The Honduran worked un- der Gaggan Anand for the past three years, including as head chef of his Bangkok steakhouse Meatilicious, and worked in Peru before that. He’s coming into a concept where the menu has been designed by Alvis and Price, drawing of course on much of their past experience in the UK. So for Grande, Verve is as much a chance to learn the art of modern European cuisine as it is to show off his own talents. “We’re not going to do over elaborate dishes,” he tells us. “We’re concentrating more on the fl avour, the seasoning, and ensuring we have really nice produce, always fresh.” Price confi rms that the menu will look very familiar, saying it’s “more like what we used to do in London. We spent years working the classics, ter- rines, that sort of things. And we’re doing beef wellington. We spent years learning these things.” He thinks “people will struggle with what to choose because there’s a lot of dishes that people like, a lot of classics are in there.” Simple and relatable, but done to the highest standard, is the ethos at Verve. Price says: “There’s an ele- gance and a fi nesse to the food that fi ts the venue. It’s like tradi- tional fi ne dining, so everything done is nice and clean.” “It’s white china, shiny plates, it’s like where we started a long time ago,” adds Alvis. “It’s got to look simple but striking.” With a strong support sys- tem in the UAE, there’s been no problem fi nding the suppliers required to get what they need for Verve, despite it being a de- parture from Folly and other venture The Lion. And attend- ees of the Caterer Middle East Conference, where Alvis and Price both spoke on sustaina- bility, will note that Verve in- troduces a system to allow the production of drinking water which will be served for free on the tables. It’s the fi rst time that Grande has been responsible for a large kitchen team, and even with Price and Alvis overlook- ing things, the buck stops with him. But he’s excited about the challenge. Although it’s an in- ternational team, Grande says that “in a kitchen everyone is the same: same culture, same religion, same everything”. The kitchen itself brings its own challenges. With the space fully designed before Gates Hospitality took it over, the Verve team had to make do with what was there — in this case two kitchens, one upstairs and one downstairs, with no means of communica- tion other than a commis on the pass. In the end Alvis sums it up by saying “people will have to come here because it’s better than everywhere else for the same sort of price.” INTERNATIONAL AFFAIR: The kitchen team comes from all backgrounds. ISLAND LIVING: The show kitchen upstairs. THE THREE AMIGOS: Nick Alvis, Jorge Grande, and Scott Price Outlet 360º Verve Bar & Brasserie Caterer Middle East | June 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 32/PURE 'N' SIMPLE: The dishes are produce-centric. www.caterermiddleeast.com /33 June 2019 | Caterer Middle East Ronai offi cially launches Dubai showroom with Brian Turner British TV chef Brian Turner has helped table- ware and uniform supplier Ronai offi cially launch its new Dubai showroom. The star of Ready Steady Cook and numerous other British TV shows, Turner and Ronai MD Gavin Dodd cut the ribbon on the new location in front of watch- ing staff and customers. Speaking at the event, Turner said: “I was very for- tunate about 10 or 15 years ago when Ronai asked me to come out and do a few dinners for them to their clients. I came out and saw immediately what great potential this company had for off ering tableware and uniforms for people in Dubai, something that was totally necessary. “I think this facility will help Ronai show off , better than they ever had the chance to do in the past, the equipment they’ve got and how easy it is to come check it out and order from this offi ce.” Ronai celebrated the launch with a warehouse sale on the day, inviting loyal customers and new- comers to take advantage of deals on old stock. Due to the success of this sale it was then extended throughout summer. The new showroom is located on First Al Khail Street in Al Quoz Indus- trial Area 3, opposite Dubai Driving Centre, and is in the vicinity of the old location. Dodd explained: “We were about 200m away from where we are today but we’re now on the main road. It’s a great location for people, passing traffi c, and hopefully the facility shows that we’ve moved to a much better place. We have much more space in this fa- cility: we have tables where people can do setups, we have meeting tables, we have couches. We are hoping that customers will come not just to buy prod- uct but also to meet other people and have coff ee.” With more floor space and more stock on offer, Ronai expect the new showroom to attract more customers to view its goods, especially its Uniforms by Ronai selec- tion. Dodd also hinted at new developments and new brands to be added to its range in the com- ing months. Ingredient focus: dairy The latest hot products Aramtec’s latest chef-led event in Dubai 36 The Ready Steady Cook star inaugurated the Al Quoz location 38 40 Supplier News Products & Updates www.caterermiddleeast.com Caterer Middle East | June 2019 34/JA Resorts & Hotels has re- duced the food waste at its JA Beach hotel by 81% thanks to the introduction of Winnow Waste Monitor technology. A pilot test of the digital scale and tablet from Win- now resulted in a saving of almost 35,000 meals worth of food in less than a year. VP of F&B at JA Resorts & Hotels Rob Cunning- ham said: “Reducing food waste benefi ts everyone. We save money, we mini- mize our contribution to landfi ll waste, while stay- ing acutely aware of the world around us and those less fortunate. We are an- nouncing this in Ramadan, a month when many are concerned about food waste and motivated to make positive changes, however this project runs through- out the year. Our guests care about the planet and we want to continue to respond to that by doing the right thing.” The Winnow Waste Monitor allows chefs to track the amount of waste in their kitchens and iden- tify areas in which improve- ments can be made, includ- ing modifying dish sizes to minimise wastage. The technology will now be rolled out across seven JA Resorts & Hotels locations in Dubai and Maldives by the end of June 2019. Food waste costs the UAE an average of AED13 billion per year. JA Beach hotel reduces food waste by 81% Dubai Customs to improve cooperation with fruit and vegetable sector Winnow Waste Monitor technology aided the decrease Director of Dubai Customs Ahmed Mahboob Musabih chaired the meeting Several parties met to discuss how business- es involved in the fresh produce market seg- ment can benefi t from the facilities off ered by Dubai Customs and how to overcome any challenges they may face. The meeting was attended by Dubai Export Development Corporation (DEDC) CEO Saed Al Awadi and representatives of DP World, Dubai Chamber, Dubai Trade and the Depart- ment of Economic Development (DED). The director of Dubai Customs, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, said: “It’s important we keep up the good work and to maintain our good achievement of topping the 2018 happi- ness index at 97.49% through more coordina- tion with business groups and members of the Dubai Customs Consultative Council. We do our best to help our clients and partners overcome any challenges they might face in their business and to ensure they have access SUSTAINABILITY PRODUCE Be Kind to donate Ramadan water sales Be Kind, the collaborative platform aiming to establish charitable partner- ships, has pledged to donate 100 per cent of proceeds from the sales of Zayed Water during Ramadan to the Emirates Red Crescent. Amazon makes large investment in Deliveroo Food delivery company Deliveroo has raised US$575m (AED2.1bn) in its latest funding round, with e-commerce giant Amazon the largest investor. It takes the total raised by Deliveroo to date to US$1.53bn (AED5.6bn), with the UK headquartered firm expected to use the money to invest in its Editions kitchens and its ability to reach new customers. Beyond Meat fi rst plant- based food company to be listed on Nasdaq Beyond Meat, the plant-based food company behind the Beyond Burger, has become the fi rst company of its kind to be listed on the Nasdaq. With an IPO of US$25, Beyond Meat quickly surged 163%, according to CNBC, to a market value of US$3.77 billion. Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Bin Talal is an investor in the meat alternative through his KBW Ventures company. Alto-Shaam refurbishes Dubai facility Foodservice equipment company Alto- Shaam has refurbished and relaunched its dedicated product training and development centre in Dubai. Originally opened in 2015, the facility will house Alto-Shaam’s Combitherm Combi Ovens, Cook & Hold ovens, smoker ovens, and ancillary equipment, while also hosting training on the latest Vector Multi-Cook and rotisserie ovens. ROUND UP: Ahmed Mahboob Musabih chaired the meeting. to our ultra-modern facilities and services in support of Dubai as a world economic hub.” Musabih added: “To ensure streamlined fl ow of goods through Dubai into local, re- gional and global markets we coordinate with our strategic partners in the local and federal government. We are helping build the momentum towards the establishment of Dubai Silk Road.” The Winnow Waste Monitor tablet. Supplier News /35 June 2019 | Caterer Middle East www.caterermiddleeast.com Update Ajax Chef ’s Knife Friedr. Dick has created the Ajax chef's knife from the 1905 design series. The blade design can be traced back to the historic shape of a cleaver, a tried-and-tested tool for butchers and meat traders. The 22cm long blade glides through meat like a knife through butter and continues even when it encounters small bones. Whether meat, poultry, fruit or vegetables – the Ajax is a real all-rounder. The knife's curved cutting edge make rocking cuts easy, enabling raw fi sh and meat but also herbs to be cut effortlessly. This special Ajax knife owes its name to the Greek hero of the Trojan War. When developing this blade, it was modelled on an over 100 year old cleaver that Friedr. Dick had in its product range for butchers and meat traders at that time. The new Ajax chef's knife will be available from specialist retailers from August 2019. Friedr. Dick T: +49 7153/817-0 E: mail@dick.de W: www.dick.de/en/ Enomatic Elite Through advanced inert gas preservation, Enomatic wine dispensers maintain the individual organic characteristic of each wine and delivers it fresh, directly from the bottle every pour. With portioned controlled servings, Enomatic reduces overhead waste, maximises profit potential and creates the opportunity to serve and explore wines from around the world. Advanced auto-cleaning technology and a push button operation insures efficient ease of use by any customer or personnel. Revere T: +971502756012 E: jason@revere.ae W: www.enomatic.com Electrolux SkyLine Ovens and Blast Chillers Electrolux Professional has launched the SkyLine Ovens and Blast Chillers, the result of the company’s all-in-one solution approach. The new Cook&Chill makes kitchen operations easier, effortless, and more profitable. Based on a combination of smart technology and human-centered design, as well as on the company’s 40 years of strong experience, the Electrolux SkyLine Ovens and Blast Chillers have effi ciency, unmatched usability and uncompromising, truly replicable performance, resulting in high food quality, reduced running costs and a comfortable working environment, thanks to the 4-star certifi ed ergonomics. Electrolux Professional T: +39 0434 3801 W: professional.electrolux.com New Pr oducts Every month, Caterer brings you a selection of the must-buys on the Middle East market www.caterermiddleeast.com 36/ Caterer Middle East | June 2019 Supplier News New Products#C at ererAward s SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES EMMA BARNETT Sales Manager PHONE: +971 4 444 3115 EMAIL: emma.barnett@itp.com NOMINATION ENQUIRIES Simon Ritchie Editor, Caterer Middle East PHONE: +971 4 444 3550 EMAIL: simon.ritchie@itp.com FOR EVENT ENQUIRIES TERI DUNSTAN Event Manager PHONE: +971 4 444 3227 EMAIL: teri.dunstan@itp.com FOR TABLE BOOKINGS Lacie Curtis Table Sales Executive PHONE: +971 4 444 3223 Email: lacie.curtis@itp.com BOOK YOUR TABLES TODAY FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT www.caterermiddleeast.com Join us for the 11th annual Tuesday 18th June 2019 JW MARRIOTT MARQUIS, DUBAI CATEGORY SPONSORS MEDIA PARTNERS DUB AI BEVERAGE SPONSORS MEAT SPONSORCheese Box Chef Middle East has welcomed the launch of the cheese box with an as- sortment of 10 to 12 variants of speciality cheeses. The cheese box includes cheeses such as Pont L’Eveque, Fourme D’Ambert, Camembert de Normandie, Sainte Maure De Touraine, and Epoisse Le Saint Germain to name a few. Chef Middle East T: +971 4 8159 888 E: chefdxb@chefmiddleeast.com W: www.chefmiddleeast.com PRODUCTS Industry experts reveal the latest news, products, and insights into the Middle East’s dairy sector CheeseApp Ingredion has added three functional potato starches to its processed cheese ingredi- ent portfolio, giving the food industry greater functionality and choice. CheeseApp 50, 70 and 80 enable recipe cost savings in analogue block and block processed cheeses while delivering the appealing texture and sensory qualities consum- ers crave. With the addition of the three CheeseApp starches, food producers can improve the meltability, fi rmness and gratability of analogue block and block processed cheeses for applications including pizza toppings, processed cheese slices and individually wrapped slices. Available in the Middle East, the CheeseApp range is also suitable for vegan and vegetarian cheeses, enabling manufacturers to tap into new and grow- ing consumer trends. Ingredion T: +971 44 53 42 88 W: http://emea.ingredion.com Dairy www.caterermiddleeast.com 38/ Caterer Middle East | June 2019 Ingredient FocusWith a healthy compound annual growth rate, the Middle East and Africa’s dairy market is expected to reach US$21.7 billion by 2023, and annual sales in the region surpassed seven billion kilograms in 2017. It has encouraged dairy brands in the region to expand their off erings, widen- ing the choice available to consumers and bringing experimental products to the fore. At Chef Middle East, a range of vegan cheeses are being introduced soon to cater for the rapidly expanding plant-based de- mographic, while Irish milk supplier Clara Fields is looking at bringing products like its Reduced Sugar Dulce de Leche to market to fi t in with current health conscious trends. Chef Middle East dairy & culinary category manager Jiji Matthews said: “The trends depend on the type of customers and quality they want to off er. However, in the high-end dining outlets, there is an increased demand for artisanal cheeses and every customer is looking at serving something diff erent. We also see a surge in fl avoured cheeses includ- ing some fl avours such as lavender, truffl e, sriracha, cranberries, sage etc. In addition, there is a growing demand for vegan, organic and lactose-free cheese options.” As it looks to release more healthy prod- ucts, Clara Fields is increasing its sustain- ability outlook. Managing director Tommy Hogan said: “Health trends are becoming more prevalent with consumers more conscious of sugar and fat content. In ad- OPERATIONS Ingredion has extended its virtual lab, Inside Idea Labs in EMEA, to the dairy market, bringing its application expertise in dairy product formulation to its customers 24/7. The virtual dairy lab showcases technical resources including sample formulations, white papers and responses to questions that customers frequently ask about topics such as formulating clean label dairy products, reducing protein and removing fat. Visitors will also fi nd information about consumer and market trends driving change in the dairy industry, as well as insights from experts working throughout Ingredion’s network of Idea Labs innovation centres. The interactive online portal which includes consumer insights, expert advice and tested recipes, gives customers everywhere access to Ingredion’s science-based problem solving developed at the company’s 28 Idea Labs innovation centres. Charlotte Commarmond, senior director, marketing and innovation, EMEA at Ingredion, said; “Our customers, as well as consumers, are increasingly digitally savvy and the use of digital technologies to source information on products is on the rise. As speed-to-market becomes increasingly important, especially for small to-medium-sized-manufacturers responding quickly to the latest consumer trends, online product development support needs to be available, on-demand, 24/7. “Our region-specifi c virtual labs give our customers everywhere timely access to consumer trends, regulatory guidance and sample formulations that refl ect the needs of their local market. “This new lab means dairy manufacturers can learn directly from our experts at the company’s brick-and-mortar labs around the world. They can access expertise on a range of topics, from selecting the right clean label ingredient for their yoghurts to reducing the protein content of their analogue cheeses.” NEWS dition, consumers a concerned for animal welfare and the environmental impact dairy farming has. This is where our Origin Green program gives consumers assur- ances that all of our ingredients and our processes are sustainable and responsible.” It’s not an entirely rosy outlook, admits Matthews, who highlights a few issues that the Middle East has in particular. “The biggest problem has been the avail- ability of raw milk and the prices that are volatile. Another challenge the industry is facing is in fake/misleading labelling prac- tices by some producers, mostly related to protected cheese names that must come from a specifi c geographic area. However, one of the main challenges in the Middle East is the local production, where the availability is limited to very few products and the majority is still imported.” The launch of Mazoon Dairy Company in Oman in February is one response to the limited availability of raw milk in the region. With the introduction of 1,600 cows from Australia, it is now making a concert- ed eff ort to increased production in the region – with over 8,000 cows expecting to be imported by 2020. The aim is to produce 200 million litres of milk annually by 2026, rising to over 900 million by 2040, which would make a signifi cant impact in the sector. Local knowledge and awareness will be pivotal to ensuring this happens. Dairy Ingredient Focus www.caterermiddleeast.com /39 June 2019 | Caterer Middle East Next >