With five Michelin stars under his hat, Thomas Buhner is one of Germany’s most acclaimed chefs with a career spanning more than 20 years. He will visit Expo 2020 Dubai as part of the Jubilee Gastronomy Chef’s Series by Gates Hospitality, preparing one four-course lunch (Dh795) and one nine-course dinner (Dh2,500) for 30 discerning guests tomorrow.
The menu
Buhner will whip up some of the dishes that have impressed Michelin inspectors over the years. By far the prettiest-looking plate is his A Touch of Autumn, or what the chef describes as “a taste bomb that is full of umami, with mushrooms and a smoked, slightly runny egg yolk”.
Vying for attention in the looks department is potato foam, “as far as I know, the only dish that has ever made the front page of the FAZ [newspaper] in Germany," says the chef. The hot foam is served with a scoop of pumpkin curry ice cream, so you get “hot, cold, airy, firm and spicy all in one spoon”.
Good cooking didn’t play a big role in our family. We never went to restaurants, but eating together at the table was obligatory
Chef Thomas Buhner
The “gently cooked” cod, meanwhile, comes topped with raw otoro. “The fish warms the otoro, making it perfect in flavour [served with] an umami-teased stock that is more tea than sauce,” says Buhner.
Elsewhere, he melds Spanish cuisine with Asian flavours, serving lukewarm carabinero prawns with tom-yang-dried persimmon and kombucha. The menu also includes fluffy duck, Wagyu with a “pure meat flavour that needs no sauce”, passion fruit in two consistencies and a cottage cheese classic French dessert. “I like excellent products, no matter where they come from,” he says.
The chef
Buhner was born in 1962, in a small village in Riesenbeck, Germany. His father was a commercial clerk and his mum a homemaker. “Good cooking didn’t play a big role in our family. We never went to restaurants, for example,” he says. “But eating together at the table was obligatory.”
After a young Buhner took a test at the employment office at the end of school “because I didn’t know what I could become”, he scored the most points for a career in the kitchen. “A short time later, I told my parents that I wanted to be a very good chef. And that’s how my interest in food was aroused.”
A jolly good chef he is, indeed, if various international restaurant guides and awarding bodies are to be believed.
After stints at the Hilton Dusseldorf, and the Grand Cru, Jorg Muller and Schwarzwaldstube restaurants, Buhner became the head chef at La Table in Dortmund in 1991. The restaurant received its first Michelin star five years later and a second one in 1998. Between 2006 and 2018, the chef helmed La Vie in Osnabruck – a restaurant that was awarded 19 Gault Millau points and three Michelin stars.
Buhner now spends his time as a guest chef, keynote speaker and consultant for gastronomic concepts and food producers all over the world, from developing Westphalian cuisine for a restaurant in Germany to hopping from the Gastronoma exhibition in Valencia and The Ritz-Carlton, Chengdu in China to, as of this month, Expo 2020 Dubai.
Bookings are essential for the Jubilee Chef's Table experience and can be made by contacting 04 317 7120 or book.jubilee@gatesdxb.com
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
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Fourth-round clashes for British players
- Andy Murray (1) v Benoit Paire, Centre Court (not before 4pm)
- Johanna Konta (6) v Caroline Garcia (21), Court 1 (4pm)
Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Brief scores:
Huesca 0
Real Madrid 1
Bale 8'
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
Match info
Karnataka Tuskers 110-3
J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16
Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs
K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
