UAE's 48th National Day: Food fit for a Royal

Gulf News

See more at https://gulfnews.com/videos  On the 48th National Day we set out to speak to some people who’ve actually cooked for and served Royal guests. Here’s what they had to say.

Transcript

00:00I have a happy national day in Dubai, in UAE. I love, I love UAE.

00:08Before I was work, there is a royal family in Dubai.

00:13Not in the restaurant, before the royal family in Dubai, like Sheikh, Sheikh Maktoum family.

00:21I was working like 8 years.

00:24And after I will come here, we started the Al-Fanar food.

00:28Last time, I was meeting there, that Justin Salam.

00:33Then I was almost talking more the Sheikh Hamdan, son of the Sheikh Mohammed.

00:39Then we are going the picnic there.

00:42And lot of time, they are joking with us.

00:45That's why every time, Alhamdulillah, I was happy with him.

00:48He is people, really honest, you know.

00:53Really, they open their heart, people.

00:56Not like steady and another.

00:59Yes, like same our family members.

01:02He is looking like that.

01:04Not he is looking, ah, it's my stuff, no.

01:06See, as you know, this Emirati cuisine, and we present our Emirati culture from all the time, 1960, 1962.

01:14This culture is not familiar now with most of the people, the young people.

01:19So, we have a lot of supporting from Sheikh.

01:22Because we like to supporting the Emirati cuisine and the Emirati culture.

01:25So, we have a lot.

01:27When we start this business and we open in 2011, we get a lot of supporting from a lot of Sheikhs.

01:33Okay, and you know, as you know, the Sheikhs is always supporting the new business.

01:38He was the business to grow up.

01:39Okay, so this time we get a lot of visit from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Sheikh Zaid bin Zayed, Sheikh Hamdan.

01:48He is coming here, he check everything, he visit us.

01:53He usually like to sit between the crowded, he like to sit between the people, he like to see the people, and the people will see him.

01:59He like to talk with them.

02:01After that, usually if they have some visitor from outside the countries, they send it to here.

02:07One of the biggest gentleman who come to the restaurant is His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai.

02:14One of the most humble people whom we have met in Dubai.

02:18And couple of times, Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan, John Ibrahim, Anil Kapoor, Hussain al-Jasmi, Ahlam, Zareen Khan.

02:29So, 140, the late MF Hussain.

02:31Lot of people, like more than 140-150 celebrities, footballers have come to the restaurant.

02:38His Highness, the first time he came was on 17th Jan, 2017.

02:44It was about 12-15, we receive a call like normal people, they said that keep a table for 12 ready.

02:52Saeed Yaber is coming.

02:54Saeed Yaber is one of his closest man.

02:56All of a sudden, 10 minutes, we saw His Highness walking in the restaurant.

03:00And exactly he sat on this table, on this chair.

03:03And like everybody was in a shock to see him like coming here.

03:08I mean, they are always towards Dubai Mall, the new part of Dubai like Zabil and all.

03:12So, coming to this place was a great honor for us.

03:18For us, we take like people say it's an institution here.

03:20You know, you have come with your parents, some people have come with their grandfathers, now they bring their children.

03:26It's not only about food and all.

03:28So, it was a good visit when he came.

03:30And I would say he is very, very, very humble.

03:33Like when he talks to you, he looks into your eyes like his friends and all who have come like Saeed Hilal, Ahmad Yaber, Saeed Yaber.

03:41They know about my brothers, myself because we are born brought up here.

03:45Like I told you my father came in 1941.

03:47So, they asked about my late father.

03:50So, Zainab started asking like when your father passed away, it came in four papers.

03:55He said, who was your father like?

03:57It came in so many papers.

03:59I said, he was nothing.

04:01He was a very humble man.

04:03He used to guide people on the right track.

04:05And he was a part of the history of Dubai.

04:07I mean, so it was a good visit from him.

04:09He used to talk to you, you know, face to face, eye to eye contact.

04:12It's nice.

04:14It was good.

04:16He came everywhere.

04:18He goes to any country.

04:20He was a normal, humble person.

04:22I mean, that's the good story about the highnesses, the sheikhs and all.

04:26Irasshaimase.

04:28Welcome to Kohante.

04:30I will show you the table.

04:32Please.

04:34Before we open this restaurant, we wanted to introduce kaiseki cuisine,

04:38the Japanese, the multiple course meal in this country.

04:46Because there is no other kaiseki restaurant in this market.

04:52The other restaurant where he worked before, also the royal visit restaurant,

04:58but he was not the executive chef.

05:00But after we opened Kohante, the royal visited us,

05:05and then he is the executive chef.

05:08So, he was very happy to welcome the royal families in UAE.

05:15He came to the restaurant.

05:17We knew he is arriving after 15 minutes.

05:23So, he showed up suddenly.

05:26Then, he asked his special dishes, whatever he wants to serve here.

05:33He prepared probably 5, 6, 7 dishes.

05:40And I think the royals loved the shabu-shabu,

05:45which is the pork dish with thinly sliced Wagyu beef,

05:52and then cooked at the table.

05:55It's one of our traditional pork dish.

06:02He took the movie and posted on his Instagram.

06:07The chef always welcomes the royals,

06:13and he wished to see Sheikh Mohammed.

06:19He wants to introduce the traditional authentic Japanese dishes to the royals.

06:31I hope he will like it.

06:33Happy National Day!

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