- The thing what I love about being a chef
is to see the satisfactory of the guests, the smile.
Dubai is such a vibrant city, diversity of people,
nationalities that we have, it's brilliant, it's fantastic.
(upbeat music)
- [Ching] Wherever I am in the world,
food is the focal point of everything I do.
My name is Ching, and I'm a TV chef and food writer.
My taste journeys have taken me all over the world
in search of great flavors and new recipes.
Finally, it's brought me to Dubai, and I can't wait
to explore its rich and varied food scene,
one bite at a time.
Reif Othman, internationally celebrated chef, has worked
in a variety of kitchens, from fine dining and experiential
cuisine to innovative pop-ups.
Food and family have always gone hand in hand
and for chef Reif, Dubai has provided
the perfect environment to raise a family
and pursue his culinary adventures.
- Hi, my name is Reif Othman, and I'm from Singapore.
My family would describe me as hard working, funny
and little bit crazy.
I would describe myself easy, free-style, very straight,
on the point.
So, I have two kids, Ayden and Ally. They are my precious,
they are my life.
- [Ching] My grandmother was a very important person in my
family's life, and one of my favorite memories of my
gran was that she'd always make me and my brothers
packed lunches for school.
I'm really excited to be meeting a father and chef who does
the same for his children.
- [Reif] So today we are making a salmon maki roll,
sashimi as well.
- [Ching] Oh wow, they're so lucky.
- Yeah, yeah they're done.
- Great, I'd be happy with that.
- Yeah happy day. - I mean chef's lunch box!
- It's so multi-faceted, Dubai, isn't it?
Do you feel like that's also a mirror for who you are,
you're a serious dad, you're a serious chef.
- [Reif] It's not easy, but I have to juggle it.
At home you have to be fatherly figure, but Dubai's been
great, it's giving me a lot of opportunity.
- [Ching] After meeting Reif's family, we head to the
waterfront fish market, so that he could show me the amazing
variety of fresh produce Dubai's coastline has to offer.
For a chef whose passion is seafood, I can see why Reif was
excited to bring me here.
- [Reif] Welcome to waterfront fish market.
They're open 24/7 throughout the year.
Let me show you some salmon fishes.
- They look so fresh! - Hi, morning.
- [Reif] This is Tuna, Blue Crab, local fishes, import,
shell fish, you just name it, we have it.
- [Ching] Fantastic.
All your fresh fish, this is where you get it all from?
- [Reif] Exactly, plenty of choice, yeah,
plenty of choice, yes.
Once I pick some fish that I want.
- [Ching] OK.
- Maybe I bring it to my local fish restaurant.
Are you hungry?
- I'm always hungry.
- Let's do it.
- (laughs) Okay.
Our next stop, Bu Qtair, where one has to try the
specialty fried fish.
- They're famous for their fried fish.
- OK.
- And so, prawns?
- Yeah, I'm really excited.
Oh wow, look at that!
- Here we have the Sheri Fish, they marinated it
with masala curry.
- And it's packed here, it's lunch time.
- It's always packed, even dinner, there's a queue.
- [Ching] So how do we start?
- You use your hands.
- OK, really get the mix of spices.
- Yes, a nice balance.
- It's got the sweetness of the flesh of the fish.
So simple, and I love it, simplicity is key.
But I want to try your food.
- Yeah, why not, let's go, let's go to my restaurant and you
see my take on doing my fish, all right?
(upbeat music)
- Here we have Sea Bass Ceviche Tartare.
- Uh-huh, lovely.
- [Reif] And we have a (mumbles)
- All in one go, that was really good,
the fish is delicious!
- Yeah, we get freshly three times a week
from Japan (mumbles).
So here we have the Jet and Bruce Lee Wagyu beef,
and the rice is from Kyoto.
- [Ching] Okay.
- Only the emperor is eating this rice.
- That is delicious, that is comfort in a bowl,
unbelievably delicious!
- Thank you, thank you. (laughs)
Dubai is growing now, with a lot of restaurants
opening, a lot of big chefs coming in, it's all about
to achieve and to give the best experience to our
customers, to our diners, you know.
We do have some home-grown restaurants, made by
home-grown talents as well.
(upbeat music)
- [Ching] I didn't realize that you could have such a vast
array of choice and delicious food in Dubai.
From street food to fine dining and everything in between.
My time in Dubai has been multi-faceted, vibrant,
full of flavor, full of culture, and I can't wait
to come back.