‘Worldwide Cook-off’ at Etisalat Beach Canteen adds to DFF taste sensation

Friday,  4 March saw the Etisalat Beach Canteen, the central hub of the ongoing Dubai Food Festival, turned into a place of intense culinary action as chefs from three prominent restaurants came together to do a ‘Worldwide Cook-off’ with guests from various expatriate communities including Italian, Japanese and British food connoisseurs.

Alessandro Miceli, Head Chef of Roberto’s, Chef de Cuisine Kiichi Okabe from Okku Dubai, and Cesar Bartolini, Chef de Cuisine of Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay created scrumptious seafood dishes that were well received by the foodies and their families.

The concept of the ‘Worldwide Cook-off’ was created for the Etisalat Beach Canteen by Alice Scuratti, Founder of Fatto In Casa. She said: “As Dubai is home to people  from different nationalities, we thought it would be great to bring together people from various communities with chefs from iconic restaurants around Dubai so that they could cook for us live at the Etisalat Beach Canteen.”

Chef Amanda Roselli, who represented the Italian community, made her own home-cooked version of risotto with peas while Chef Alessandro from Roberto’s did a gourmet version of the risotto. People learnt more about gambero rosso (deep-water rose shrimp), carruba and a host of other Italian ingredients. Chef Alessandro said: “I have used carruba bread for this dish as it is full of vitamins and anti-oxidants.”

Chef Kiichi Okabe from Okku Dubai came onto the stage and showed off the 7kg fresh tuna that was shipped in from Japan. With him was Sachiko Saito, a member of the Japanese community in Dubai, who wanted to learn how to replicate the tuna sesame dish that he was about to prepare.

After preparing the fish, Chef Kiichi sliced it into strips, dipping them in black and white sesame seeds before frying. The dish was completed with a healthy sauce.  Chef Kiichi said: “I’ve been in Dubai for only one and half years and it is heart-warming to see that people visiting the Etisalat Beach Canteen know and appreciate our Japanese cuisine.”

The last in the cook-off series saw Chef Cesar Bartolini, Chef De Cuisine, Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay. Rebecca Hall, from the British community, helped him slice the stone bass fish while he prepared a simple avocado and lime zest purée to go with the fish. He said: “The dish involved the use of simple ingredients because I wanted to show people that cooking is not hard or time-consuming. It is possible to simplify dishes according to your taste and the time that you have.”

The Etisalat Beach Canteen at Kite Beach is the central hub of the Dubai Food Festival that is organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). The Etisalat Beach Canteen is open from 12pm – 10pm on weekdays and from 10am – 10pm during the weekends of DFF 2016, which runs until 12 March under the theme Celebrate Taste’.