If the saying "you're only as good as your last dish" is anything to go by, then six Dubai-based chefs might well be feeling rather pleased with themselves this week, after filleting, frying and flambéing their way through to the final stage of this year's Anchor MasterChef Challenge.
Last week, 13 UAE-based teams (each comprising two chefs) battled it out at the Fonterra Culinarium on Sheikh Zayed Road, in a bid to reach the final and test their skills against teams from all of the GCC. The winning representatives from The Ivy, The Address Downtown Dubai and Jumeirah Zabeel Saray will no doubt be sharpening their knives in preparation for the final round of the competition, which begins this morning and will see them cooking-off against teams from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar.
Peter Hallmanns, the advisory chef for Fonterra in the Middle East, is a key member of the judging panel for the event. He said that he was thoroughly impressed by the calibre of cooking in the early stages and described one of the starters - slow-cooked organic egg on truffle and potato espuma (foam) with dehydrated bresaola - as "mind blowing, with a great combination of flavours and textures - a real taste explosion".
The chefs Demas Tri Saputra Latief and Nilmini Gunasena from The Ivy can pat themselves on the back for creating that little number, as it helped them wing their way through to the final. Joining them will be Daniel Edward and Dedy Supriady from The Address and Bengt Karlsson and Mohammed Ayoob Ibrahim of the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray hotel. Hallmanns said all three teams "showcased some fabulous flavour combinations, used a multitude of cooking techniques and portioned their food correctly".
Edward and Supriady were crowned the winners of last year's Anchor MasterChef Challenge and are keen to repeat their success. "We really enjoy taking part in the competition, it's great to talk to the other chefs and see what's going on in the industry, but keeping our title is important, too," said Edward.
In the initial stages, the chefs were invited to present a menu they thought best showcased their repertoire. This time around, the ante has been upped a notch and they will be asked to produce a three-course meal from a mystery box of ingredients.
While Edward is drawing on his experiences from last year and predicts that local fish will make an appearance somewhere along the way, chef de cuisine Karlsson is "thrilled and a little nervous" to have got so far in his first competition. He said that when faced with those mystery ingredients he would be "keeping it simple and using my colleague's knowledge", which sounds like a rather good plan, given that when I spoke to him earlier in the week, Hallmanns's advice to the three teams was: "Don't over-complicate things or put too many flavours or components on the plate. Stick to good old-fashioned cooking, with a tweak of modern."
The winners of the Anchor MasterChef Challenge 2012 will be announced at the Pullman Hotel, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai at 6pm tomorrow
eshardlow@thenational.ae
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Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
