Hakkasan, the modern Chinese fine dining restaurant at Emirates Palace, scooped the prestigious ‘Restaurant of the Year’ gong at the 2012 Gourmet Stars Awards – the closing event of Gourmet Abu Dhabi, the emirate’s annual culinary festival.
Having established a credible worldwide brand courtesy of affiliated restaurants in London’s Hanway Place, London Mayfair, Miami, Mumbai, Dubai and New York, Hakkasan – owned by Abu Dhabi-based property investment company, Tasameem – did not have everything its own way as its Head Chef Lee Kok Hua narrowly lost out to Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi counterpart, Chef Patrick Bischoff, in the coveted ‘Executive Chef of the Year’ race.
In all, 11 Gourmet Stars Awards were presented, with Hakkasan’s success sealing three category wins for restaurants or individuals connected to Emirates Palace; Chef Josef Teuschler took home the much-sought-after ‘Pastry Chef of the Year’ award, while the UAE’s Chef Ali Ebdowa of Emirati fine dining restaurant, Mezlai, added a ‘Regional Cuisine Chef of the Year’ crown to the ‘Special Honorary Award’ he picked up last year.
Following in the footsteps of Chef Ebdowa, Emirati pioneer Chef Khuloud Atiq won this year’s ‘Special Honorary Award’ for her work as a consultant with Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC).
In addition to Chef Bischoff’s ‘Executive Chef of the Year’ win, Abu Dhabi-based Rotana Group also celebrated Geoffrey Boon, from Teatro, Park Rotana claiming the prize for ‘Restaurant Manager of the Year’.
The iconic Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi also claimed two awards: Rika Yusmita won ‘Restaurant Host of the Year’ for her role at Kazu, while the mouth-watering fare at Atayeb restaurant saw it earn ‘Regional Cuisine Restaurant of the Year.’
Elsewhere, Chef Amrish Sood won ‘Restaurant Chef of the Year’– the maestro’s ongoing work at Ushna, Souk, Qaryat Al Beri, ensuring he became the first person in Gourmet Stars Awards history to claim back-to-back category wins.
In other awards, Hilton Abu Dhabi’s Gajendra Sharma won ‘Food & Beverage Manager of the Year’, while Mariam Elacel, of Cedar Lounge, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, won ‘Regional Cuisine Manager of the Year’.
