One of Britain’s most renowned chefs Heston Blumenthal OBE, has opened his concept restaurant Dinner in Dubai with an impressive selection of extraordinary and surprising dishes inspired by the flavours of The United Kingdom, dating back as far as the 13th century.
Blumenthal, who is known for his out-of-the-box cooking and creative concepts, began his Dinner concept in the United Kingdom in the late nineties after becoming fascinated by the historical tastes of his home country. With an “Alice in Wonderland” approach to presenting his dishes, combined with the Tudor dining experiences, he created an experience that guests will not forget in a hurry. Now for the first time, this unique concept has arrived in Dubai, and it really is as extraordinary as it sounds!
The original Dinner concept was created after years of research. Blumenthal became fascinated with historical dining and wanted to find a way of modernising it, offering guests a sense of the past, present and future through the flavours, presentation and style of the dishes. He began by studying 14th-century cookbooks such as those by the royal chefs of King Richard II; he worked with food historians, tapping into the world of the British Library and the team at King Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace to create something completely unique.
Located at the awe-inspiring Atlantis The Royal, Dinner overlooks the hotel’s Skyblaze fire and water fountain show. Upon entering the restaurant, guests will be greeted with the scents of frankincense, wood smoke and leather, creating a sensory atmosphere. Guests enter the restaurant via a panelled room where Victorian-style animal sculptures are built into the wood. As the entry door closes, a concealed automatic sliding door opens to reveal the restaurant and show kitchen, as well as the showpiece installation, ‘The Dinner Escapement’ (clock).
The menu, now available at the Dubai location, is an edible history through storytelling in the form of highly modern dishes inspired by a gastronomic insight from the past. We don’t want to give too much away. Still, some of the menu highlights include “Meat Fruit (c.1500)”, which appears to be a Mandarin but is actually an artistically disguised chicken liver parfait when it arrives at your table. It is regarded as one of Dinner by Heston’s most iconic dishes and is inspired by a traditional medieval dish called Pome Dorres or “apples of gold”; Dinner’s contemporary version of the dish features velvety chicken liver parfait disguised as a mandarin and is served with sourdough and requires three cooks on the cold larder station to work five hours every day to make.
Another highlight is the Salamagundy (c.1723), which is Dinner’s contemporary version of a 17th-century salad dish that features layers of smoked confit chicken, warm slices of beef bone marrow, pickled walnuts, braised salsify with bitter leaves and finished with freshly grated horseradish. Furthermore, the Powdered Duck Breast (c.1846), is an incredibly complex duck recipe, highlighting the level of work and detail that goes into each dish on the menu. The dish was inspired by a recipe for “Garnish of braised cabbages” in the 1846 edition of The Modern Cook by Charles Francatelli and comprises sous vide duck breasts paired with duck hearts and pickled cherries, with braised red cabbage and a red cabbage fluid gel. The word ‘powdered’ is an old term or phrase for ‘brined’ (which was a great way of preserving meat before refrigeration was invented); the team ‘brine’ the duck first with herbs and spices to add flavour to the meat.
And you cannot visit Dinner without indulging in an impressive selection of desserts. Guests are invited on a sweet discovery of the 19th century with the Tipsy Cake (c.1858), as well as the Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Trolly (c.1901), inspired by the work of Agnes B Marshall, a 19th-century culinary entrepreneur.
“I’m excited for guests to experience Dinner Dubai; although similar to Dinner in London, the Dubai venue has something extra special that our London guests won’t see, a giant pineapple escapement, which is the magical centrepiece of the restaurant, that also provides a functional element, turning the rotisserie which has roasted pineapples on it. Pineapples, historically, were unbelievably expensive; they were seen as unbelievable luxury… and so ours will signify adventure, exploration and discovery; Atlantis The Royal and Dubai were the perfect locations for Dinner outside of London, I like the idea of the juxtaposition of the old and the new, historically inspired recipes reimagined with modern techniques; so there’s the old and the new, housing it in an incredible new building; Atlantis, on the sea in Dubai.” Said Heston Blumenthal OBE.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal is open daily from 6pm – 11pm. To find out more or to make a reservation log onto www.Dinnerbyhbdubai.com or call + 971 4 426 2444. @dinnerbyhbdubai.
