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Experience Gourmet Eating at KAFD Dinner Club

Experience Gourmet Eating at KAFD Dinner Club

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 19 October 2022 – King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) hosted its inaugural ‘Rooftop Nights,’ a dinner club celebrating food and fine dining by bringing guests together to unwind in a chic and opulent setting, on 14th October. Taking place every Friday over the next several months at KAFD, ‘Rooftop Nights’ are open to the public with tickets available online.

The nine distinct dining experiences that make up the KAFD Dinner Club series are the first in the region. Situated at Level 23 in Area 3 of KAFD, each week a Michelin-starred chef will surprise the guests with their dishes. Each week will also have a signature look, feel, music selection and dress code. The great and good from the Kingdom and the region, as well as food, fashion and marketing connoisseurs, are invited to join.

The chefs hosting the ‘Rooftop Nights’ include Anthony Demetre, whose menu last week combined French cooking methods with the flavours of Saudi Arabia. Still to come are dinners from Milan Jurkovic, who will serve an authentic Balkan menu, Nick Alvis, who will be serving traditional Saudi recipes with a modern twist, Jesse Blake, who will be preparing a modern experimental menu, Bilal Elmascan, serving Asian fusion dishes, Khaled al Saadi, Chang and Eric Lee – the team behind the cult concept restaurant Ugly Noodles, the six-hand team of Sara Aqel, Keren Ye and Rita Soueidan, who will bring the flavours of Beirut to Riyadh, and Hattem Mattar, the world’s first Arab pit master in the following weeks. 

KAFD is a landmark development and proud symbol of Saudi Arabia’s social and economic transformation. The business and lifestyle destination includes a range of event venues and hosts an engaging year-long schedule of entertainment activities suited to families, culture connoisseurs and hobbyists. ‘Rooftop Nights’ are the latest addition to KAFD’s annual calendar.

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Description automatically generatedChef Profiles

Anthony Demetre – Owner at Wild Honey St James, London

Dinner: Hydroponic Wonderland of Herbs and Vegetables 

Anthony developed a menu that combined French cooking methods with flavours from Saudi Arabia.  His dishes looked at the journey of produce from farm to table and featured herbs and vegetables in all decor and centrepieces throughout the venue.

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Description automatically generatedMilan Jurkovic – Head Chef, 21grams, UAE

Dinner: Postcards from The Balkans

21grams is a multi-award-winning bistro dishing up authentic food from the mountains and coasts of the Balkan region. Pljeskavica (wagyu patty stuffed with beef bacon and cheese), burnt eggplant hummus, baked beetroot carpaccio, beef and quail ragout, creamy polenta with wild mushrooms and caramelised banana split are just a few of the chef’s creations.

This dinner will be a mix of tradition and modernity and aims to educate guests about the Balkan menu, landscape, and music.

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Description automatically generatedNick Alvis; Bib Gourmand Winner

Dinner: Interpretation of Dishes from Cookbook “Cooking Her Heritage” 

Nick has travelled throughout Saudi Arabia in search of flavours and will be delighting guests with his interpretations of recipes from the country. His dishes include monkfish tail, paprika and salted lemon, crispy hen’s egg, pancetta and maple syrup.

The décor will be inspired artisanal traditions of the Kingdom, coupled with music by local artists.

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Description automatically generated with medium confidenceJesse Blake, Chef and Partner, Lowe Restaurant, UAE

Chef Jesse Blake will be preparing a contemporary experimental menu. His dishes include market fish with celeriac, fennel, methi sprouts and roasted fish bone sauce. This fourth edition of the dinner club will be heavily influenced by the Middle East. Blake will have elegantly displayed tables with lots of greenery and earthy table decor. Immersive lighting will complete the experience. 

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Bilal Elmascan, Ramen X You Better Fly 

Dinner: Walk the line 

The newest DAIKAN idea by Bilal is like a fresh breeze amidst Riyadh’s abundance of high-end luxury restaurants and hotels. A variety of Japanese street foods, including ramen and Sichuan chilli bao, are among his offerings. 

Bilal’s dinner club will focus on providing a unique experience to sneakerheads. Alongside a local DJ spinning Arabic hip hop, he will be executing an elaborate sneaker installation with art and plenty of instagrammable moments.

Ugly Noodles

Dinner: Travels of Szechuan

The idea for Ugly Noodles was born out of a passion for delicious Chinese street food. It’s a collaboration and pop-up event organised by MENA’s top emerging talents Chang, Eric Lee and Khaled Alsaadi, alongside a line of amazing artists and entertainment personalities. They intend to make guests relive the experiences found in the neighbourhoods serving authentic home-cooked Chinese recipes, from wall art to music or cutlery. Ugly Noodles will have an “Urban Streets” vibe as opposed to traditional Chinese music. MENA top talent Mr. Shef Codes will perform during the night.

Sara Aqel, Keren Ye and Rita Soueidan

Dinner: Beiruting in Riyadh

This will be the first time three female chefs have collaborated to create a six-hand gourmet dinner in Riyadh. Their menu will feature dishes that evoke and honour Lebanese history through its farmers, producers, mothers and cooks.

The evening will be themed around ‘Beiruting in Riyadh’ and will be an attempt to emulate Lebanese home cooking in a non-traditional format. Table decor will be light and flowery with art finishes throughout. Complete with a live modern Lebanese band, the evening will be the perfect fusion of cultures.

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Description automatically generatedHattem Mattar, World’s first Arab pit master

Dinner: A Life on Fire

Hattem Mattar says the al fresco barbecue spot will welcome “guys in snapbacks and people in suits” all the same. He plans to put on a tableside barbecue experience that has never been done before in Riyadh. His dishes include goat’s cheese, grilled peach, blood orange, plum za’atar honey, toasted sourdough, lamb mandi, slow-smoked lamb shank, mandi rice and yoghurt daqoos. 

About The Author

Shima Zamil

Social media Marketing, Creative copywriter, Arabic- English translator, and Community management

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