Fit For A King Or Queen! Gourmet Abu Dhabi Unveils Landmark

Australian Celebrity Chef Brent Savage & Etihad Airways Promise

One of several exciting new promotions designed to mark the fifth anniversary of Gourmet Abu Dhabi, the emirate’s annual culinary festival will hold its first-ever Etihad Airways Caviar & Bubbles Dinner during next month’s 16-day haute cuisine odyssey - running February 5-20 across more than 20 of the emirate’s fine dining restaurants.

The ultra-glamourous evening will take place under the iconic, neon-lit roof of the five-star Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi, the world’s only hotel straddling a Formula 1 track and feature the cuisine of Australian celebrity chef Brent Savage and Etihad Airways’ Corporate Executive Chef Thomas Ulherr.

“In honor of the fifth Gourmet Abu Dhabi showing, we will be using five different caviars in an inspired seven-course menu. We will use only the finest caviar available in the world, both farmed and wild,” said Chef Ulherr, a 17-year resident of Abu Dhabi.

“The dishes I prepare will be in line with the culinary standards, global inspiration and attention to detail that distinguish Etihad Airway’s ‘inspired service’ philosophy. It is this approach to guest service which has earned us recognition as the World’s Leading Airline and which will win our guests’ over at our ‘Caviar & Bubbles’ dinner.”

The full seven-course menu – of which Chef Savage will prepare four dishes – along with the list of exclusive grape vintages, is a closely-guarded secret, though Chef Ulherr did reveal the coup de resistance: “We will prepare a Tom Yam creamy spaghetti with Iranian Beluga caviar that is infused with lemongrass, ginger and chili. This will be our signature course, an experience guests will never forget.”

Chef Brent Savage, co-owner of Sydney, Australia’s award-winning Bentley Restaurant & Bar – which has been credited with shaping the future of the antipodean city’s dining experience – is looking forward to pushing his professional boundaries for the event.

“Caviar is one of those ingredients that you rarely get to use in volume, so the prospect of using such a luxurious ingredient over a seven-course dinner is just mindblowing for me and a fantastic opportunity as a chef. I’ll be creating a really cool caviar dessert, which I believe will be one of the most exciting dishes of the evening,” he explained.

With the exception of Iranian Beluga, all caviar brands for the Caviar & Bubbles dinner are produced in international farms. Chef Ulherr credits advances in farming with saving caviar’s extinction in global culinary circles.

“Caviar sturgeon was grossly over-fished and became a dying element of the global culinary industry. When I arrived in the UAE, wild caviar was AED1 per gram. Now you can pay more than AED8 per gram for the same product!” said Chef Ulherr.

“Thanks to the progress made in farms, there is now more control over produce and farms can guarantee a certain quality in year-round production. Farm owners only harvest when roe is ripe and at its full potential. As a result, availability has increased, prices have come down and a new generation of diners is reaping the benefit.

 “Diners will also soon be able to purchase caviar from Abu Dhabi’s first caviar farm, so I’m thrilled to see this positive move happening locally.”

After opening Sydney’s renowned Bentley Restaurant & Bar with award-winning sommelier Nick Hildebrandt in 2006, Chef Savage’s modern, cutting edge food, which is based on the contrast of flavor and texture, has seen the award-wining venue accrue two Chef’s Hats - the Australian version of the Michelin star.

“Chef Savage is a culinary genius and renowned for presenting food that is visually astonishing. We share a passion for caviar and this is our chance to collaborate on a menu that showcases our individual philosophies and blends our creations into an unforgettable culinary adventure for guests,” added Chef Ulherr.
Ticket reservations for the ‘Etihad Airways Caviar Dinner’ are now open at AED 1,300The event begins at 7pm and will run until 11pm. To register your interest or book tickets go to: www.gourmetabudhabi.ae. 

Emirate:  Abu Dhabi

Date: Jan 28, 2013

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