Innovative tasting menus from visiting international Michelin chefs at Expo 2020…

Expo 2020 is turning out to be a dining destination in its own right, where globally-celebrated chefs and local favourites collide. One new concept bringing both together is Jubilee Gastronomy.

Situated on the ninth floor of the Media Centre, Jubilee’s schtick is offering up unique gastronomy experiences at its signature ‘Chef’s Table’, where a rotation of both internationally celebrated, Michelin-affiliated chefs take up residency in between local celebrity chef postings.

A word of warning: these chef’s tables don’t come cheap. The prices for a nine-course dinner tasting menu come in at Dhs1,195 with soft drinks up to an eye-watering Dhs1,995 with wine-pairing, photo meet-and-greet with the chef, and a commemorative gift box post dinner.

We suggest taking on the condensed four-course lunch (from Dhs650) instead.

Perks of the job, we managed to grab a spot at the nine-course dinner degustation experience when Chef Jordan Bailey was in town. The Cornwall native is the head chef at Aimsir in Ireland, which earned the accolade of the fastest ever straight to two-star restaurant in the history of the Michelin Guide (in five months).

His wine-paired menu took us through a few of his most celebrated dishes.

There was a delicate oyster gently warmed in roasted koji butter with a thrilling lift of apple balsamic, and an incredible soda bread cooked in beef fat and served as a course of its own with raw, heavily salted butter. At the heart of this meal, an inch-thick seared duck breast finished with pine salt, was served by the man himself, who snuck in for a quick ‘hello’ to pour a gravy of five-year old cherry balsamic. It was good, in that rich, gamey way only duck can be.

Not all are universal crowd pleasers. Young buck cheese with ripe fig topped with a crispy fig leaf and oil is challenging in texture and unfamiliar flavour combinations. But the finale, ice cream with a dandelion root sauce and biscuit ‘branches,’ was a delightful way to round off the night.

As we walked back to the car park, we revelled in the evening’s experience. What a treat to feel like we’ve dined abroad, in the surroundings of a Michelin-starred restaurant, only to have never actually left Dubai. I guess that’s the true beauty of Expo.

December line-up

December 2 – Vineet Bhatia, Alfredo Russo and Chef Chakall (Golden Julibee special)

December 7 – Heinz Beck (3 Michelin stars)

December 8 – David Parolin (UAE chef of Fogueira)

December 12 – Francesco Guarracino (UAE chef of Roberto’s)

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December 14 – Cristina Bowerman (1 Michelin star)

December 15 – Ashish Kumar (UAE chef of Kinara by Vikas Khanna)

December 21 – Paolo Casagrande (3 Michelin stars)

December 26 – Wasala Mudyanselag (UAE chef of Miyako)

Bookings are essential. Call (0)4 317 7120 or book.jubilee@gatesdxb.com. @jubileegastronomy

Images: Social/provided