I want to create food that stays in my guests' minds," three-Michelin-star chef Juan Amador told tabloid! on Saturday while in Abu Dhabi for the opening of his restaurant, Amador, at the Park Rotana last month. The restaurant will be the first of five to be opened in the Rotana chain. Amador combines his Spanish roots with his German upbringing and his international experiences fuelling his endless search for the perfect flavour.
Born in Germany to a Spanish immigrant, he wanted to practise law, and his mother wanted him to be a doctor. But destiny had different plans for him.
Amador's first brush with cooking at a workshop altered his plans to pursue either law or medicine as his career. He says he was most influenced by his mentor chef Albert Bouley during his apprenticeship.
"Bouley influenced me in terms of minimalism, creative thinking and the aesthetics of the arrangement — and breaking away from rules and conventions in cooking," Amador said.
Gaining his first Michelin star at the age of 25, Amador rose rapidly to stardom. He opened the first Amador restaurant in 2004, which, shortly after, was named Restaurant of the Year by the Feinschmecker magazine in Germany.
Whether you are celebrating with friends, your family or your partner, Amador promises an unforgettable experience of food, ambience and care.
Amador's food is visual art in its presentation, colours and aroma — an irresistible invitation to every palate. The menu offers tapas, a sampling set menu and an à la carte menu option.
For the Middle East restaurants, Amador combines his international knowledge with regional ingredients and flavours.
"We are combining techniques from the European kitchen alongside Arabian influences — especially herbs and spices. There is an amazing variety of exotic flavours that can add a fresh and exciting twist to Spanish- and German-style dishes," he said.
There are reasons why Amador is able to place his restaurants among the world's best. This man loves his work and knows no bounds to perceived limits in culinary creation with ordinary ingredients.
Elegance is a trademark of his restaurants. The al fresco dining section overlooks an oasis-like setting and greenery of the beautiful Khalifa Park, while the inside of the restaurant lacks no luxury and has a comfortable seating arrangement with enough elbow space.
The staff is well trained and will make you feel incredibly welcomed, providing the service that will make you want to return again and again.
Amador's delectable delights
Dining at Amador restaurant can be a treat. Here's what you can expect:
Juan Amador's signature dish is Mieral pigeon with purple curry (a mixture of oriental spices), which has been given the thumbs-up by food critics around the world. The dish offers moist, tender and tasty meat, with purple curry and coconut delivering crispy bites with a subtle hint of Arabic spices.
The baked veal tail is a fresh and succulent young veal, with a subtle hint of homemade Arabic flavours.
If foie gras is your thing, his foie gras on Pan d'epice and mango combination is not something you would want to miss.
Crème Catalan "légere" with caramelised sugar and a pineapple flavour is a tasty yet light dessert.
For the kid in you, the passion fruit candy floss takes you down memory lane with a cotton-candy creation fused with passion fruit.
The Truffle Lollypop is a mouth-watering medallion of white chocolate infused with the taste of French truffle. If you are not fond of heavy butter and cream tastes, you may want to skip the Iced beurre blanc - an ice-cream-like disc with saltiness of caviar and a beetroot wasabi mixture.
— Got some purple curry at home? Try to recreate Amador's Mieral pigeon. Log on to www.gulfnews.com for the recipe
Mieral pigeon
- 4 pigeon breasts
- Curry oil
- Salt and pepper
- Butter
- Maldon sea salt
Curry melt
- 50g butter
- 50g nut butter
- 20g purple curry
- 80g dried honey bread
- Mie de pain
- 20g red beetroot granules
- Salt
Curry sauce
- 1 table spoon chopped shallots
- 1 table spoon chopped garlic
- Little butter
- 1 tea spoon curry
- 30ml vinegar
- 200ml red grape juice
- 500ml pigeon fond
- Prayer plant starch
- Salt
Coconut gelée
- 1l coconut milk
- Salt
- Sugar
- 10g agar agar
- 4 sheets gelatin
Mango mayonnaise
- 400g mango purée
- 6g lota (textura)
- 200ml olove oil
Garnish
- Mango dices
- Siho purple cress
Recipe
For the curry sauce gently stir the shallots and garlic in the pan for a while. Add purple curry to them and finally add the vinegar and red grape juice and stir until it looks like syrup. Put in the pigeon fond, reduce down to half and sieve it. Eventually season with salt and add the prayer plant starch.
For the coconut gelée boil the coconut milk with salt and pepper, add agar agar, boil it, sieve it and add the gelatin to it. Put it in a 2cm high form and put it in the fridge. Before service put the gelée in the thermo mixer with a little argan oil and mix it creamy.
For the mango mayonnaise boil the mango purée, add the lota and mix the olive oil with the blender into the warm mixture until it becomes an emulsion. Keep it warm.
Put the single pigeon breasts together with hazelnut oil and vacuum them and put them for 9 minutes in a controlled water bath at 65° C.
For the curry melt put 50g butter and 50g nut butter in a pot and let it melt. Add purple curry, Mie de Pain and red beetroot granules. Season it with salt and keep it warm.
Take now the pigeon breasts out of the vacuum, season with salt and pepper and roast them shortly in foaming butter from both sides. Spread them with the curry melt, a little Maldon sea salt on it, add the mayonnaise, curry sauce and coconut on the plate, garnish with the mango dices and siho purple cress and serve it hot.
