New restaurant opens at the Harbour

az-u-r (read 'as you are') is inspired by the cooking styles from countries around 'The Med', from Spain and Morocco in the west to Lebanon in the east. In addition, it serves many of those great traditional dishes for which French and Italian cooking have become famous. The common tradition with all cooking from the Mediterranean is the use of fresh, seasonal and authentic ingredients - the basis of all dishes on az-u-r's menus.

Tony Williams, Senior Vice President, Emirates Hotels & Resorts said:

"We really wanted to mirror the authentic food experienced in regional Mediterranean towns and villages where local produce is provided fresh on a daily basis, and immediately used in traditional menus, often following family recipes. As a result the food is distinctive, giving guests a tastier, 'made-to-order' and homemade 'farm-to-fork' dining experience. Whilst there are many excellent restaurants in Dubai, we felt that something was often missing, so we put the challenge to our chefs to replicate the style and standards of true Mediterranean cooking."

Executive Chef, Christopher Baker, who put together the culinary team at The Harbour, continued: "There are several key aspects to Mediterranean cooking, and each one has been tackled with equal passion. The first challenge was to trace authentic, family-tradition homemade recipes. We then met personally with many of the fresh-produce suppliers to small, regional restaurants in the Mediterranean. In doing so, we have uncovered some of the world's best organic food producers, and certainly some of the highest quality produce I have seen in years. 'Farm-to-fork' became our motto - we travelled extensively, visiting fruit and vegetable farms, local bread mills and bakeries, and even fish-markets.

"The effort was time-consuming, but certainly worth it. For example, we even source our own wheat and wholegrain flour for the bakery, baking all our own bread every day using fresh eggs and quality butter. Preparing food from scratch makes a huge difference. We never use the pre-mix flours or pre-mixed frozen dough commonly used in Dubai's restaurants. Our bread is now so popular that we bake extra so that local residents can come and collect their bread at Counter Culture, our deli-style restaurant on the ground level."

az-u-r is on the pool-deck of The Harbour Hotel & Residence, and aligned with the Timeless Spa on the same level. To complement the Spa, the restaurant offers a range of healthy menus, from cheeses to wholesome salads, which predominantly use organic products. az-u-r is also fairly unique in that it has an open kitchen, giving guests easy access to the chefs and the experience of a cosy, informal atmosphere.

More than 70% of the produce served at az-u-r has been organically sourced. The staff has been trained by organic expert Dave Friend, who also assisted in the selection of food, sourced according to the seasons. Produce comes from as far a field as Spain, Italy, Lebanon, and France.