Christopher Haatuft

the food at Verre was flawless. the sommelier was extremely friendly and made sure the evening would be one to remember. I can definatly recommend the place to anyone who wants a good meal, and though it cost a lot, its value for money.

So far Hunters Room & Grill has been the best food I've ever had in Dubai. I might be biased, as I had a tasting menu at a steakhouse, so I dont know how tha a la carte is, but from what I was served, Im confident that the steaks are first class. My father and me was taken incredibly well care of by friendly and attentiv staff and the food chefAZ kept throwing at us was world class. It is obvious that he stays updated on progressive technics, and they were used well. We both spent time at a nice restaurant in Chicago, so there were tounge in cheek references to this in the food that came out. Out of a series of excellent dishes the highlight for us was the amuse, puffed nori chip with toro, the torchon of foie gras and of course the orangescented scallop on parsnip pure. Also the shrimp with popcorn pure and brown butter was fresh and tasty. The mustard foam that came with the braised shortrib lacked a little sting, but in a time of sous vide, its nice to get a well excecuted braise. There was not one single let down during the meal and it is obvious that chefAZ has some high goals with this place. So if youre in Dubai, dont get blinded by all the bright Michelin stars, its definatly worth your time to go to Hunters Room & Grill at the Westin. Again, thanks a million for the food and the nice experience we had this monday.

just got in the door after a perfect dinner at chefAZ's Hunters Room & Grill. Ill wright about it tomorrow, but let me say that it was a jewel in the concrete landfill that is Dubai. Thank you, chefAZ!

ate at the Seafood Marked today. I know I might come of as sourpuss, but the whole "seafood marked" concept is stupid. this is the second time in two days (Sammach yesterday) Ive dined at this type of place, and I dont get it. The fish is overdone, underseasoned and full of bones. I dont know...is it me? What is better about the seafood at this kind of place as opposed to a regular a la carte seafood restaurant? Aaaaanyway, Verre on wednesday is probably good. and I cant wait to have chefAZ cook for me ;D

If your looking for a steak come by my place; Hunters Room & Grill in the newly opened Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi.... just let me know and Ill be sure to take care of you...would love to have an e-gulleter here for dinner. As far as powerhouse chefs....dont forget Santi Santamaria who also just opened at Atlantis...Ossiano, its a fantastic seafood restaurant, he has the best fish in town hands down! As far as chefs knives, there is a place called Deans trading just off Shiek Zayed Rd. downtown area.....they have japanese knives around 200 dhs ! ← great, thank you! I'll take my father and come by one of these next days. Ill check out Deans, sounds like the kind of place Im after Do you have a little more info on where I can find Deans? I have a car, so mayby a nearby landmark?

thanks guys. It looks like the powerhouses are moving in here. mayby Ducasse, Robouchon and more will follow. I read somewhere that even the waiting lists for all the restaurants at Atlantis are full. Just ate at Smiling BKK, and that was nice. The owner recogniced me from my last time there a year ago! I had a craving for clams and spagetti, but the seafood selection at Carrefour is terrible. Is that the best there is here in Dubai? Now I guess Ill try to get a steak...

going back next week, any new places I should check out? Also, is there any kitchen supply stores there? I found a place down by the river where the taxi boats leave from (next door to the Canon shop) that had a good selection of Victorinox.

Good advice. Where can I find it?

After lots of asking and walking in circles, we just had a great lunch at Sichuan Government restaurant. Highly recommended. Now we have to figure out where to go to dinner....so many choices. Fengyi - how was the restaurant?

Great! Mayby I should go there. Im leaving for Beijing tomorrow...

how about Maison Boulud à Pékin? anyone been?

No fish market to speak of - though there are nice markets around. If you want to see some interesting utensils: try the wholesale hotel and catering market that is located on the south bank of the Tonghui river at the corner of Da Wang LU. Be careful not to get run over, and walk Eastwards from Dawang lu until you hit the absolute end of the market area (about 10 minutes). There's a load of shops selling everything and anything and cash payment and bargaining needed. There's also some cookware stores in the centre of town (on Dianmen street), but many are shut down and don't have the neat stuff at the wholesale market. ← Thank you. Im looking foreward to it.

Going to Beijing in the beginning of July, and was wondering if there is a good knife and kitchen utensil shop that is recomended. Also, is there a fishmarked that is a must-see?

I could tell you of a place in Bergen But, Ive heard a lot of good about Mares, esp the fish and foie http://www.mares.no

can you elaborate on how it was a let down? btw, I thought the massive changes Le Canard has been through would mean that it would automatically loose its star? Or has the head chef been there through the new ownership?

Is it completly out of the blue or has the food there been lacking lately? Very nice with two good restaurants beeing recognized.

Fantastic! That is great news!

going to Dubai in the beginning of January. Is there something new thats not mentioned in this thread? Or mayby a good food guide?

good question. Im also going to London for a weekend with the staff at the place Im working at. We are re-opening our bar/restaurant and want to eat at places that can give us inspiration. So far, Ive sent a request for a table at St. Johns, but we have one more dinner and two lunches left to fill. I would like a good gastro-pub and mayby a brasserie. And are there farmer markets on sundays?

Is there a producer of foie gras and related items that is considerd better than anyone else? Someone told me Comtesse du Barry is good, but I havent tasted it yet. But I do have two jars of the studd in the fridge from my last visit to Bordeaux Here in Norway, Rougie is widely available. How does that rank among the good ones?

Well I had a nice weekend in Bordeaux, with the highlight being oysters at the market and a nice dinner at La Tupina. We also ate at L' Entrecôte, but as much as I liked it at the time, Im left with a slight feeling of being ripped of. Not given a choice of wine and the dismal salad (semi-fresh salad, raw walnuts and vinaigrette) for a fixed price was just kind of boring. But I got a nice cheese plate. Dont get me wrong, the meat was good, but Id rather spend the hour standing in line somewhere else, next time. We also had lunch at La Bordelaise (spelling?), which was way under par. So next time I go, I will cook more nice food from the exelent supermarkets and mayby try on e of the one-star restaurants the city has to offer. The market on the last sunday of the month along the river is well worth checking out.

Mark....I think I love you! Hey Christopher.... That's a pretty tough one...it's not really an ideal time slot, is it...basically you need to be sitting down and eating between 3 and 6...leaving enough time for someone on crutches to get to and from Schipol (at rush hour). So this kind of eliminates anywhere "nice" for dinner, most places open at 6pm. And the Central Station area (as in most large cities) is not known for its casual-but-sophisticated eateries. It is pretty easy to hop on a tram or bus at CS and get anywhere in the city relatively quickly...but I'm not going to be the one responsible for sending someone on crutches all over town if it were me I'd try and keep it laid back and on foot anyway. I think I would stick to the Zeedijk/Chinatown/Nieuwmarkt area. Most of the eateries are open all afternoon, and if you find you have some extra time to kill there are some great bars intermingled with the eatin'. Here are my recommendations: sit-down eating A*Fusion Kind of a pan-Asian place that does a lot of things pretty well. I used to eat here quite a bit but it's been two years or so. New King. Good Cantonese...great oysters with black bean sauce (pictured upthread). Bird. better than average Thai food, you've got the option of a very crowded snackbar or not-so crowded restaurant (same name) across the street. Nam Kee. The most famous restaurant in Chinatown...still affordable, ugly, and indifferent, but good food. I prefer New King by a nose or two. Wing Kee. Another good Chinese, not much to look at, but none of them are. Sukasari. This is the closest reputable Indonesian to CS I believe, and is located in the center of a hellish tourist street (which I used to live on). If you're looking for a rijsttafel I think this is your best bet, though it's just about at the outer limit of walking-on-crutches distance. Bunga Mawar. Much closer than Sukasari but I've never eaten there because I've never seen anyone else eating there. But it does get decent reviews, and is very affordable. takeaway Nyonya Malaysia Express. Get a roti canai here and eat it anywhere else but here. This would be the first thing I'd do in the neighborhood, as I've probably already said too many times. Toko Joyce. Takeaway Dutch-Indonesian sandwiches and noodle dishes. Chang Express. Takeway Surinamese food, a broodje pom or roti lams would be good interesting options. Also: there's a haring stand on the Nieuwmarkt square, decent place for a haring or some kibbeling (fried cod or pollock). drinking 't Loosje, Nieuwmarkt 32- 34 (good place to find local microbrewery IJ beers on tap) De Engelbewaarder, Kloveniersburgwal 59 (my first amsterdam local, just a good place to hang) Cafe Fonteyn, Nieuwmarkt 13-15 (better on sunny days, but inside is ok too) Cafe Stevens, Geldersekade 123 (I always confuse this one with Cafe Fonteyn but they're both pleasant) In 't Aepjen, Zeedijk 1 (no music, good for reading and drinking jenever). and several more good bars on the Zeedijk itself whose names escape me at the moment. ←

What about Restaurant Gravelier?

How about a good brasserie in Bordeaux? Im there from thursday through sunday and so far I got a table at La Tupina for sunday night and I have a request for lunsj at Le Chapon Fin on friday. What do you guys know about Hauterive et rest. St-James? I see that you've all recommended La Cape, but are there other places in the town center that are good? Im on crutches and we dont have a car, so Id like to stay in the city if I can. But of course, if the food is a lot better on the other side of the fence...

So I need some advice here. Im on my way to Bordeaux and will have a five hour wait in Schiphol. Will this give me enough time to go to the city and eat somewhere decent? I will be landing around 2pm and leaving at 8.30pm. I also have to add that Im on crutches, so mayby somewhere near a train- or busstation? Im open for any type of cuisine as long as its good