Making your mark in the Dubai restaurant scene is, to use corporate speak, ‘challenging’. A constant flurry of openings in the UAE’s food capital generates fierce competition that makes foodie cities such as New York, London and Paris look like culinary kindergarten in comparison. Spoiled-for-choice diners with sophisticated palates and sky high standards demand the best in Dubai and woe betide any chef who doesn’t cut the mustard.
Parisian restaurant entrepreneur Rizwan Kassim relishes the challenge that Dubai presents and has transformed his successful brand – Rikas Hospitality Group – into a much-admired driving force in the city’s ever-changing F&B landscape.
Among Kassim’s impressive portfolio are some of the best restaurants to have opened in Dubai in recent years. Leading the way in 2015 was La Cantine du Faubourg at Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel in DIFC, the epicentre of luxury restaurants in Dubai. Chic and Parisian, the iconic flagship brand of the group combines art, music and food and boasts one of the most stunning terraces in the city.
From Paris, we travel to the Middle East and Ninive, a melting pot of history, legends and cultural fusions that are reflected in a modern menu inspired by the flavours of Morocco, Iraq and Turkey with Arabic and North African influences.
Further east, we arrive in Japan at Mimi Kakushi, nestled in the always-buzzing food hub at the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach. Mimi Kakushi transports guests to 1920s Japan when jazz, modern art and western fashion burst onto the country’s nightlife. The name Mimi Kakushi, by the way, translates to ‘covering ears’ and describes a revolutionary bob haircut from the 1920s.
Equally as stylish is Rikas’ Gohan, which became a hit quicker than you can say ‘arigato’. Ridiculously cosy, this Japanese speakeasy attached to La Cantine du Faubourg presents elegant street food and creative cocktails.
With Dubai’s weather at its glorious peak right now, Twiggy by La Cantine at the edge of the Park Hyatt Dubai Lagoon is the place to be. One of the most sought-after bookings in the city, Twiggy offers an open air restaurant with spectacular views, a beach club, and a menu that skips around Ibiza, Saint-Tropez, Cassis, Formentera and Okinawa.
Rizwan partnered with his wife Jessica to create Lana Lusa, which pays tribute to her Portuguese routes and inspired my her grandmother’s home cooking, including the famous Portuguese pastéis de nata – egg custard tarts that are dangerously addictive.
Next up for Kassim and his ambitious team is the French pâtisserie Madeleine et Marcel, an homage to Marcel Proust who, when he wasn’t writing some of the most avant-garde and influential novels ever published, loved to get his teeth into a fluffy French Madeleine.
Such an eclectic and high quality portfolio of restaurants needs a dynamic leader in the kitchen and, in Gilles Bosquet, Rikas Hospitality Group have just the man. Originally from Mauritius, the Michelin-starred executive chef trained under Gordon Ramsay and Lew Kathreptis.
Complementing the food from Bosquet and his colleagues is interior design that is equally mouth-watering. Acclaimed London interior architecture studio Pirajean Lees, led by Clemence Pirajean and James Michael Lees, have collaborated with branding agency AM Studioworks to design all the venues in the Rikas group.
Innovative, disruptive and effortlessly stylish, the eateries within Rikas Hospitality Group are leading the way in Dubai, setting new benchmarks of excellence and delighting customers every day. While other restaurateurs struggle in Dubai’s ‘challenging’ market, Rizwan Kassim seems to be in his element.
Lead image: Mimi Kakushi