JULY 2021 VOL 17 ISSUE 07 AN ITP MEDIA GROUP PUBLICATION MARKET SHARE Sandy Hayek on 2021’s biggest F&B success storyNOMINATIONS CLOSE: WEDNESDAY JULY 14, 2021 FOR ATTENDANCE ENQUIRIES, CONTACT: ANTHONY CHANDRAN TABLE SALES EXECUTIVE TEL: +971 4 444 3685 EMAIL: ANTHONY.CHANDRAN@ITP.COM FOR SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES, CONTACT: JAMES SPERRING SALES EXECUTIVE TEL: +971 4 444 3477 EMAIL: JAMES.SPERRING@ITP.COM FOR NOMINATION ENQUIRIES, CONTACT: SIMON RITCHIE EDITOR, HOSPITALITY GROUP TEL: +971 4 444 3550 EMAIL: SIMON.RITCHIE@ITP.COM #CatererAwards CATERERMIDDLEEAST.COM/AWARDS Last chance to nominateIn this issue 3 July 2021 caterermiddleeast.com Specials 24 Three months after opening, GM Sandy Hayek lls us in on the ambitious Time Out Market Dubai 30 There's been a surge of UAE-born concepts heading to London. Is it the right time? The Maine is London bound Sandy Hayek ON THE MENUIn this issue caterermiddleeast.com July 2021 4 Mains 06 Trending 34 Spotlight 42 Mix masters 50 Kitchen con dential Carna Dubai The St. Regis Dubai, The Palm Vikas KhannaEditor's Letter 5 July 2021 caterermiddleeast.com Hello, There were times over the past 12 months when success stories were hard to come by. So to watch a collective of 17 homegrown F&B outlets buck the trend and entice customers to dine out in their thousands has been huge for the industry in Dubai. As general manager of Time Out Market Dubai, Sandy Hayek is the woman tasked with the smooth running of one of the city’s most complex venues. To say she’s doing it well is an understatement. And despite huge success since opening in April, it’s only going to get better. With coronavirus restrictions slowly being removed in the city, the Market is now beginning to reveal its full potential. Having already navigated what is likely to be the toughest spell the Market will face, Hayek is preparing to take the handbrake off and show us exactly what it’s capable of. With queues of diners out the door and a long line of venues desperate to be part of it, Time Out Market Dubai is already one of the city’s most important F&B fixtures. Simon Ritchie, editor Published by and © 2021 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 (0)4 444 3000 Web: www.itp.com Offi ces in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London & Mumbai ITP Media Group CEO Ali Akawi Managing Director Martin Chambers Group Editor Paul Cliff ord Editorial Editor Simon Ritchie Tel: +971 4 444 3550 email: simon.ritchie@itp.com Deputy Editor Kohinoor Sahota Tel: +971 4 444 3384 email: kohinoor.sahota@itp.com Reporter Josh Corder Tel: +971 4 444 3358 email: josh.corder@itp.com Advertising Commercial Director Sally Whittam Tel: +971 4 444 3348 email: sally.whittam@itp.com Sales Executive James Sperring Tel: +971 4 444 3477 email: james.sperring@itp.com International Sales Manager Amanda Stewart Tel: +44 7908 117 333 email: amanda.stewart@itp.com ITP Live General Manager Ahmad Bashour Tel: +971 4 444 3549 email: ahmad.bashour@itp.com Studio Art Editor Gerald Du Designer Junemar Tulipas Photography Senior Photographers Efraim Evidor, Adel Rashid Staff Photographers Aasiya Jagadeesh, Fritz John Asuro, Ajith Narendra Production & Distribution Group Production & Distribution Director Kyle Smith Production Manager Basel Al Kassem Production Coordinator Mahendra Pawar Senior Image Editor Emmalyn Robles Circulation Distribution Coordinator Avinash Pereira Circulation Executive Rajesh Pillai Marketing Director of Awards and Marketing Daniel Fewtrell ITP Group CEO Ali Akawi CFO Toby Jay Spencer-Daviescaterermiddleeast.com July 2021 6 TRENDING7 July 2021 caterermiddleeast.com terrace and through its oor-to-ceiling windows, is licensed, and serves shisha. Horizon Hospitality Holding MD Charles Khairallah said: “Dubai Festival City (DFC) needs a good Lebanese restaurant but more importantly, a recognised and trusted brand. I believe that Karam Al Bahr by Karam Beirut will be a great dining addition to DFC and to the Intercontinental Hotel’s F&B offering. “We aim to create a loyal customer base with the community in DFC and offer tourists and hotel guests the chance to experience Lebanese food and hospitality while in Dubai.” The managing director believes the abundance of Lebanese restaurants already in Dubai is not a problem. He said: “Beirut opened in the old DFC nine years back and was very successful amongst the local and Arab community. We listened to the demand to bring it back to DFC under the Karam Al Bahr brand. We also considered the hotel guests that mostly visit from the GCC who wanted a good Lebanese dining experience in the surrounding area.” He concluded: “Despite the competition in Lebanese concepts, new or existing, and generally the appetite to invest in F&B business in Dubai, I believe if you are on top of your business, focus on your food consistency, manage to build a loyal customer base ,and adapt to the market change you will thrive in this competitive market.” Bringing the family air Karam Al Bahr is aiming for loyalty above all else “GCC guests want a good Lebanese dining experience in the area“ This new Lebanese seafood restaurant has opened at InterContinental Dubai Festival City. Karam Al Bahr is a sister restaurant to Karam Beirut, a brand founded in Lebanon in 1960. The new seafood restaurant has a menu lled with dishes passed down through generations of the Karam family. There will be daily specials and a fresh catch section as well as the à la carte. Karam Al Bahr’s signature dishes include fresh grilled calamari, fried sh kibbeh, batrakh and hummus, which restaurant bosses say is the creamiest and most delicious in town. The restaurant has views of the Festival Bay waterfront from the outdoor caterermiddleeast.com July 2021 8 NEWS Chef and restaurateur Scott Price is leaving Dubai, ending his 11 year association with the UAE to return to the UK. One half of prominent duo Nick & Scott, with partner Nick Alvis, Price has become a key gure in Dubai’s dining scene primarily through his work with Gates Hospitality. His award-winning folly by Nick & Scott at Souk Madinat Jumeirah is regarded as one of the city’s top restaurants. The brand further expanded this year with the launch of folly Workshop at Time out Market Dubai. Price will leave the UAE at the end of July to return to his native Scotland. Gates Hospitality founder and chief executive Naim Maadad, says he will be a big loss. “Scott has been an integral part of Gates Hospitality from the beginning and, of course, we will be sad to see him go. “I wish him and his family every success with their new venture in Scotland and would welcome a collaboration if our paths cross again.” Price worked as a pair with Alvis since launching Table 9 by Nick & Scott in 2013. His departure means his partner will now solely oversee the folly brand within the Gates Hospitality umbrella. Alvis says: “The last 11 years have certainly been memorable for us. We began conceptualising our dream restaurant in 2014 and together we introduced folly by Nick & Scott to the market in 2016. “My focus now is on continuing to oversee operations, develop the team and sustain the guest experience at folly. Scott and his family are going on to develop their own projects in sunny Scotland and we’ll be the rst to visit.” Speaking exclusively to Caterer Middle East, Price said it was the right time to Scott Price leaving Nick & Scott and Gates Hospitality to return to UK NEWS DEPARTURES leave the UAE. “I moved here when I was 28, I was 40 in March. I got married here, had two kids. Everything that happened with Covid hammered it home that we’re so far away from our family. I’ve always wanted the kids to grow up in the rural countryside, with lots of green to run about in, surrounded by farm animals. It’s important to me they have an upbringing like that. “I started washing pots when I was 11, I’ve worked in the kitchen for 29 years. The next stage of my life I would like to spend more time with my family.” Scott PriceTrending 9 July 2021 caterermiddleeast.com Moorside Farmhouse, just outside Scotland’s famous wedding town of Gretna Green, will be Price’s next venture. Featuring a self-contained cottage for bed and breakfast and bespoke dining experience, it’s an opportunity for Price to get back to a natural way of cooking. “I’m really excited about the potential of what we can do there. Meeting suppliers, seeing what’s around, and using really seasonable produce. Scotland is the world’s larder, really. Being away for so long you forget how good everything is in the UK,” he said. Having grown up in the area, Price is determined to make it an exciting destination venue for the local community, with long terms plans including an event space. However, Price isn’t leaving the UAE F&B community behind completely. Alongside his wife, Emily, he is setting up a consultancy company to share his experience with up-and-coming restaurateurs. Centre Stage Hospitality will help people from initial development right through to securing an investor. “I want to show people that there is a pathway here in Dubai,” said Price, who created and developed folly with Alvis. “At every stage in Dubai I’ve been given an opportunity to build and create and I would like to say to people that it is possible if you’ve got an idea, if you work hard, and you know the right people. I’ve been working with Spinneys in the supermarket side. I was executive chef for Hilton for four years so I know the corporate side. I’ve got a lot of experience to help people. I can help them develop a brand and pitch it.” Someone who has helped Price the most along the way is Gates Hospitality’s Maadad. “I have a great relationship with Naim,” said Price. “When Nick and I just had an idea and a dream, Naim backed us right from the start. I’m always grateful for that and the relationship he and Gates have given us. It’s been a tough year and it’s only due to Gates’ support that folly is still here.” Price will remain working with Gates and in the kitchen of folly until the end of July. Ending the working relationship with his long-time collaborator Alvis is something he isn’t looking forward to. “I am dreading the last night of service,” he said. “It’s going to be horrible. Nick and I have known each other for 15 years, we’ve been pretty much married the past 12 years! We’ve done so much together and it’s going to be weird not working with him every day. I haven’t quite got my head around it to be honest, it’s a bizarre feeling. We’ve had a fantastic time and Nick is going to run the show at folly and the Workshop and it’s only going to improve. Leaving is going to be the hardest thing. Standing on the pass for the last night at folly will be horrible.” Alongside Alvis, who he calls “one of the most gifted and dedicated of his generation”, Price made folly one of the UAE’s top restaurants, which he says is among his proudest achievements. “Winning Best European Restaurant from Time Out Dubai was one of the bigger things. folly was ours from top to bottom. It took a whole lot of hard work to get it together and we built the experience from what we imagined and brought it to life.” As Price prepares to leave Dubai, we look forward to seeing what’s next for him in the UK and folly here in the UAE. Price with partner Nick AlvisNext >