Whine and dine
September 25th, 2008The art of cooking is no doubt interesting. The science of it is equally intriguing. Chefs cook, chefs taste, chefs plan their day, but how often do chefs actually dine? The most important thing that all chefs work towards seems to be the least practised.
As chefs, it really is our personal responsibility to dine out. Not just to hide in the kitchens. In the past, everyone said that chefs needed to be out of the kitchen and into the restaurant to mingle with the guests. Some have evolved and some still stay hairy and hunched-backed in the room of stainless steel. Now that the first step has been taken, we need to take that next step out the door and into another restaurant! Dining out, as I have found over the years, is a great way to unwind and to learn.
I once knew a chef who told me, “Dining out assures me that I can cook better than the chefs at restaurants I go to…”, and if not, then that would be a wake-up call to improve, wouldn’t it?
We learn and grow when we dine out. From the mistakes made by others and to be astonished by the trend setters. Not all have to be great experiences; I have been here for 2 and half years and dined around a lot in Dubai. But sadly only two of the many places I visited were good. Bad dining experiences aren’t just the result of the meal itself, but, good grief! the sloppy ‘big-arse’ service too. The point is, if a chef does not dine out to appreciate a meal from a guest’s perspective, how can he assure his guests a great dining experience? I wonder how long it will take for some chefs to take note of this.
