Life & Style | Food

Blaze of glory

Elizabeth Elphick reveals the hits and misses at fancy eatery Fire & Ice at Raffles Dubai

  • By Elizabeth Elphick, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 23:40 November 18, 2008
  • Tabloid

  • Image Credit: Atiq-ur-Rehman/Gulf News
  • Hibiscus spice soup with assorted berries, hibiscus espuma and sichuan pepper.
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The theme and menu of Raffles Hotel's Fire & Ice restaurant are somewhat confused, and confusing.

Initially, we suspected it was named to reflect a passion for food, which would have been a thoroughly appropriate thing to do, given the incredible amount of thought put into the dishes and the staff's impressive knowledge of every ingredient in each dish.

But questions put to the same, obviously highly experienced — if slightly officious — team, yielded several explanations. The restaurant attempts to fall in line with the hotel's overall theme of the four elements of life, with the elements paired to foods (air being fowl, water, fish, and so on).

However, the name also reflects the emphasis on contrasts in terms of tastes, texture and heat (with some interesting use of liquid nitrogen for various effects), as well as a combination of Japanese and French influences (this was not fusion food, we were told emphatically) served in a New York-style loft setting.

The fire and ice is reflected in the decor too, with flames leaping up around the open kitchen and mirrors providing a frosting effect.

Taste teaser

We found the menu choices a little overwhelming and decided to simplify matters by selecting from the two set menus, although the staff were very accommodating in mixing and matching anything we wanted within the basic themes.

The word "theme" is used loosely as, although one menu is titled "Degustation Ice" and the other "Degustation Fire", this shouldn't be interpreted as spicy versus icy dishes — the main difference appears to be the number of courses and the price. Vegetarians and the health-conscious will be comforted to know that the summer menu to be released early in November will have an earth option to cater to them.

The starter of impossibly delicate and airy tempura covering succulent chunks of langoustine, calamari and scallops was presented with a salad of snow peas, a tempura sauce and three dipping spices — garlic dust, daikon green tea and curry powder.

While the curry powder and garlic dust went beautifully with all three types of seafood, we were not convinced about the daikon green tea, which was more interesting than good.

Although not part of the chosen menus, one of the most memorable aspects of the meal was a taste teaser classified simply as Gazpacho.

Not simple at all, it was a frothing test tube of clear tomato liquid with tiny red tomato balls at the bottom, which had a surprisingly complex taste and was a good, light way to take us seamlessly to the main course.

Excellent

I had chosen the seared turbot, which proved to be the only disappointment of the evening. Perhaps in an attempt not to overwhelm the fish's natural delicate flavour, the chef chose to cover it in a lemongrass foam.

However, it just proved visually unappealing and gave the impression that the fish was swimming in dirty sea foam. Even after it had stopped frothing and been scraped from the fish, the association lingered. However, the accompanying creamy risotto was excellent, as was the pairing with baby spinach and caramelised pineapple with hints of rosemary.

My dining companion opted for the Wagyu beef sirloin, which was promptly proclaimed the best piece of steak ever eaten. Cooked perfectly to order (medium rare) it was melt-in-your-mouth goodness beautifully and unfussily presented with asparagus and fluffy potatoes in line with the "clean" cuisine to which the restaurant aspires.

Thinking the cheesecake or creme brûlée listed as choices for dessert would be too sweet, the staff obligingly put up with another variation from the set menu in the form of a trio of fine French cheeses, paired with a tart cranberry mix. My companion's choice of Araguani Valrhona chocolate tart, Guanaja chocolate sorbet and Manjari chocolate jelly proved a harmony of taste and texture not too rich.

The focus of Fire & Ice is, as it should be, food. You will not find any entertainment aside from testing the staff's knowledge of the weird and wonderful, and the setting is elegant and understated.

The service is very intuitive and consistent, as would be expected from a restaurant of its calibre. Be warned, however, the price tag is also as steep — if not steeper — as you would expect, especially if you opt to have your choices paired with beverages by the resident expert.

Checklist:

Getting there: Fire & Ice restaurant, Raffles Hotel, Wafi, Dubai.
Reservations:Tel: 04-3149888.
Recommended: Tempura of langoustine, calamari and scallops and the Waygu beef sirloin.
Verdict: 4 stars

Food celebration at Raffles

Head down to Wafi, Dubai for the Raffles Food & Arts Experience which kicked off yesterday and runs until Friday.

The event, which celebrates the hotel's first anniversary, brings together luminaries from the culinary world and leading artists from around the globe in a showcase of cuisine and living excellence.

The festival features three of Europe's most renowned chefs: Nicolas Le Bec from the restaurant Nicolas Le Bec in Lyon, France; Philip Howard from The Square in Mayfair, London; and Atul Kochhar from Benares in Berkeley Square, London, who is distinguished as the first Indian chef to have been awarded the Michelin Star.

The event opened yesterday with a grand opening party at Fire & Ice and will continue with two days of lunch and dinner at the hotel's signature restaurants.

The Michelin star-studded masters will also be conducting culinary demonstrations in the dramatic setting of New Asia Bar, located at the peak of the pyramid.

The grand finale will take place on Friday, with a closing gala dinner featuring a five-course menu presented by the brilliant trio of chefs.

Reservations: Call 04-3149888 or send an e-mail to dining.dubai@raffles.com

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