British chef Nathan Outlaw to take over Burj Al Arab restaurant

He runs multiple Michelin-starred restaurants, is all about seafood and is soon going to take over a kitchen at the Burj Al Arab.

In exciting food news, renowned British chef Nathan Outlaw is going to take over the kitchen at the Burj Al Arab’s aquarium-view restaurant Al Mahara from late September.

The seafood specialist has a two-star Michelin restaurant in Cornwall called Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, as well as a Michelin star restaurant in Knightsbridge, London called Outlaws. Oh, and he also owns a traditional UK pub called The Mariners (he told us he couldn’t resist on the latter, he just loves pubs that much).

A dish from his Fish Kitchen restaurant that sums up his cooking philosophy – simple yet with strong technique, allowing the seafood to shine:

Photo: Instagram/NathanOutlaw

So how did this new gig come about for the chef who has worked with masters like Rick Stein, Gary Rhodes and Eric Chavot? Well, Anthony McHale, who became the Burj Al Arab’s managing director in 2014, just happened to be out for dinner at Outlaw’s Cornwall restaurant, and he loved it so much he approached the 38-year-old about coming to Dubai. When Outlaw found out the gig would be at the iconic Burj Al Arab, he said yes: “It’s the most luxurious hotel in the world, and a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Outlaw was in Dubai this week for Taste of Dubai, and to showcase his food to some Al Mahara diners, serving up crispy oysters in a deliciously unusual cucumber, oyster and caviar sauce, as well as a slowly baked piece of turbot in a hollandaise with a twist (Outlaw says he likes to use olive oil instead of butter in his hollandaise to give the sauce a lighter touch).

Oh, and he also dished out a treacle tart with raspberries, saying he plans on making the dessert menu at Al Mahara a study in the best of British puds.

Here’s the menu he cooked up for the Burj Al Arab sneak peak:

 Photo: Instagram/NathanOutlaw

While Outlaw’s specialities include dishes with Cornwall’s finest fish and Irish oysters, the chef did tell us that he plans on going out fishing in Dubai to try and find some great local and sustainable fish that his team can cook up at the luxury restaurant. He said he’d like to find species that not many other Dubai spots are serving on their menus.

With the menu completely revamping, the interiors of the restaurant will too – while keeping the aquarium the focal point.

So how often will Nathan actually be here? He plans on coming flying in several times a year at least, while his hand-picked head chef will run the restaurant year-round.

Here’s some more of Nathan and his team’s creations for you to drool over:

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