There are open kitchens, and then there’s L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon’s open kitchen.
Open from all angles with every staff member fully on show, every delicate plating procedure and miniscule manoeuvre is carried out under the watchful eye of diners.
With expectations high, such a level of exposure could be daunting for kitchen staff at the two-toque Gault&Millau UAE 2022-rated eatery. But for Italian chef de cuisine Roberto Torre and his brigade, it’s all part of the experience of working under the name of Mr Robuchon.
“When guests eat in our restaurant, it’s important that they feel the spirit of Mr Robuchon on the plate,” Torre explains. “It’s important that they feel the respect for the food products. But we also want guests to see our kitchen like a theatre.
The open kitchen, he says, is “the heart of L’Atelier, what Mr Robuchon wanted. In fact, the concept of L’Atelier is around the kitchen as a theatre – one where the show is the chefs. And that’s very good for the chefs, very exciting, because you are like the actors.”
For Torre, who has worked with Robuchon since 2014, first in France and then in Dubai, the restaurant’s performance aspect is just one area in which the team aspires to the very highest standards. The arrival of international critique brands such as Gault&Millau, he insists, can only drive those standards ever higher.
“I knew Gault&Millau from France already and I think it’s very important that it’s now in Dubai because this guide respects high standards in the kitchen. That’s important for us as we go to a lot of effort in our kitchen, in the selection of products and in the combinations that go on the plate.
“Seeing that recognised is very important for us, so winning two toques was very satisfying for the whole team in the restaurant. It’s an honour for us to be in this special guide – one of the most respected in the world.”