Elf

M A N C R U S H M O N D A Y

This week I decided to present my first #mcm to the site. He is a great friend, and a culinary mastermind. Faisal grew up in London, England and is a very proud natural born Kuwaiti. When deciding a career path he ventured out to the States to study film & photography. Years later he ended up in the vibrant city of Miami and discovered his love for the professional kitchen. Failsal has made a great influence when it comes to the food industry in Kuwait by creating eye-opening concepts and hosting refined dinners that this desert land would of even fathomed 10 years ago. Apparently, here in Kuwait, chef is the NEW sexy!

FindFood: I always like to introduce my crush in 3 words or less. How would you describe your personal style in 3 words.


Zuba: Street, Urban, Modern

FindFood: You've been involved in a few culinary concepts in here Kuwait, describe your most recent endeavor.

Zuba: The most recent was experimental eatery. It's a concept that I came up with, introducing a new type of cuisine or really new type of food to Kuwait. In the sense of serving food without my guests knowing what it is. There things like tongue, beef cheeks, duck. And I mean duck as been around for ages but for Kuwaitis it's something new! They are used to the basics, fried food, beef, lamb, and chicken halas.  I even had a guest that had never tried lamb before, so...haha. Introducing different techniques and ingredients made the dinner about not only the food, but also the atmosphere. We introduced art installations to the dining settings, have artists come and help design the plate-ups, do live demonstrations, music installations. I was trying to make people aware that dining is just not about food, going out to eat is not just about eating, but that there are levels to it. That's what The Experimental Eatery is all about.

Modern vs. Tradition Harees

Find Food: That's awesome. The art scene here is really booming. I've found that there are a lot of really great artists!

Zuba: Yeah, a lot!

Find Food: So, we've all had them! Especially, being in culinary school or new kitchens. It's a cut throat industry and the nerves are always an aspect when trying to do your best. What has been your most embarrassing moment in the kitchen?

Zuba: Okay! When I first came to Kuwait from the States I was working at The Sheraton Hotel. The head chef was German and you know Germans don't joke around!

Find Food: Yes, they're very serious.

Zuba: So, I remember I was preparing the fish dish for our buffet. I was bringing the chafing dish with the whole dish in it, to the fridge. And I slipped! The whole thing flew all over the place, fish EVERYWHERE. And face, I'm white so I was so red, literally. I remember when it happened the chef wasn't there but, after I started cleaning so fast! The rest of the staff are not used to having a Kuwaiti in the kitchen, so they are like trying to help me, "Oh we'll clean in". And I'm like "no, no I'll clean it as long as this German guy doesn't see what I just did".

Find Food: Omg, that's so funny! Well you touched on something very important, actually. As you mentioned, being a cook or doing laborious work is not a typical for Kuwaitis. Explain a little bit about your experiences while having this type of position in Kuwait.

Zuba: For me, I'm kind of lucky because I got into the culinary game a little later in life. I say this because I know Kuwaiti's who are chefs, completed their degrees and are out working. One guy I know, was proposed to be married and got rejected because of his line of work. It's really bad, that society keeps looking down on people! Although, recently the food market has been booming, and Kuwaiti's are a lot more interested now. So instead of looking down on people the culture is beginning to look up to chefs, all within about a year. Now it's like, "the guy that cooks, is apparently sexy!" But the thing is that in Kuwait there are levels of respect between nationalities. For example Western expats are feared by Kuwaiti's. And people from poorer countries are feared by Kuwaitis. What I always do whenever I'm in a new kitchen is let all the staff know, "listen, guys before I start, I'm a chef. I am working as you work. I am getting paid like you are getting paid. Everyone respects each other mutually.  If something is bad, tell me it's bad. If something is good, tell me it's good." I always want a positive relationships with the chefs.


The Experimental Eatery Teaser from Zubaneen on Vimeo.

Find Food: For sure! As foodies, and as professionals in the hospitality industry. There are times where we go out of our way to experience the best restaurants, to taste cream of the crop food. What has been your best restaurant experience so far?

Zuba: I don't want to tell my best experience, but I will speak about the restaurant that has changed my view on food. It's not even that expensive! The 4 years that I spent in Miami, is when I was introduced to street food and fusions. I'm a huge fan of American-Asian fusion cuisine, I love the heavy flavors of American and the refined flavors of Asian. Gigi's is a restaurant in...

Find Food: Oh! That's one of my favorite's in Miami!

Zuba: Yeah! It's the best restaurant. I remember going to Gigi's for the first time and on that menu they were serving chicken skins. "I was with Kuwaiti friends and you know how Kuwaiti's are, they don't want to try anything haha"! So I had to postpone it until the next time,  I was blown away. Week after week I my friends and I would go to Gigi's, and it was great because they don't close until 3 AM. They have no limits or barriers to what type of cuisine they are. And the new items that they want to serve, they introduced it that day, simple as that! It tastes good, the plat-up is good they sell it!

Find Food: It's a great spot, I can never go to Gigi's without finishing with a mini ice cream cone, I just can't do it!

Zuba: Oh yes! I love the pistachio.

Find Food: Maple is my favorite!

So get your creative juices flowing. Because I want you to create an imaginary dish using Kaffir lime leaves, Captain Crunch, & feta cheese. I'll give you a few minutes...I should time this, huh?!

Zuba: Okay, I think I got it! I've used cereal in a salad before so I feel confident. I'm going to stick to the same idea. I would do a Tamarind Captain Crunch Salad with coriander, pickled onions, and pomegranate. I'd use the feta cheese with captain crunch breading, fried. Kaffir lime leaves would be used in the dressing with the pickling liquid, tamarind, and honey.

Find Food: Nice, sounds good!

^Zubabar's Lamb Bun w/ Coriander Mint Chutney^

Find Food: Over the years, I have found that chefs have a well rounded aura about them. They are very knowledgable, humorous, detailed, and up to date. They are also very personable and passionate, because in the kitchen you give your heart & soul. What chef has impacted and helped mold you along your journey?

Zuba: So I have a daily habitat of reading a lot books and watching You Tube videos on almost any chef I hear about. That is how I gain more knowledge and recently I have researched David Chang. He's a New York based chef, creator of Momofuku, and the Lucky Peach brand. I read his book, Momofuku, and I started to acknowledge and understand his mentality on food. In his book he describes how he wasn't an A-star student in culinary school. He was the one getting left behind and that he would have never expected to be where he is today. Cusine wise, David Chang has a very similar style as myself. I really look up to him, and the way he perceives food. Because from ramen noodles to a 2-Michelin star restaurant, you have to respect that. I'm in Kuwait and he's in New York and I'm discussing him with you, like thats crazy, he's brilliant!

Find Food: Haha, yeah! I was at Momofuku about 2 years ago with my sister. His Kim Chi was simply amazing, and Milk Bar is a cool concept too!

****Check out Chef Faisal's Newest Concept Coming to Kuwait City this Fall 2014****

For more of Failsal's amazing videos, and culinary photos check out @experimentaleatery & @zubabar on Instagram!