When lockdown measures closed restaurants in Dubai, some of its high-end eateries introduced home deliveries. Cantonese restaurant Hakkasan is delivering jasmine tea smoked Wagyu beef ribs.
When lockdown measures closed restaurants in Dubai, some of its high-end eateries introduced home deliveries. Cantonese restaurant Hakkasan is delivering jasmine tea smoked Wagyu beef ribs.
Courtesy of Atlantis, The Palm
The roast dinner from Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen & Bar comes deconstructed to maintain freshness, with instructions on how to properly plate the dish as they do at the restaurant.
The roast dinner from Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen & Bar comes deconstructed to maintain freshness, with instructions on how to properly plate the dish as they do at the restaurant.
Courtesy of Atlantis, The Palm
When choosing dishes for Nobu Dubai's delivery menu, head chef Damien Duviau says it was important for the restaurant to select those that could stay fresh longer.
When choosing dishes for Nobu Dubai's delivery menu, head chef Damien Duviau says it was important for the restaurant to select those that could stay fresh longer.
Courtesy of Atlantis, The Palm
Deliveries from LPM Restaurant & Bar Dubai come with the restaurant's table décor -- a bottle of olive oil, tomato, lemon and freshly baked baguettes.
Deliveries from LPM Restaurant & Bar Dubai come with the restaurant's table décor -- a bottle of olive oil, tomato, lemon and freshly baked baguettes.
Courtesy of LPM Dubai
LPM's food comes in a hand-painted canvas tote, representing the artwork on the restaurant walls, and has its own Spotify playlist.
LPM's food comes in a hand-painted canvas tote, representing the artwork on the restaurant walls, and has its own Spotify playlist.
Courtesy of LPM Dubai
This vegetarian wellington from Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen & Bar comes with kale, spiced carrots, and a beetroot jus.
This vegetarian wellington from Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen & Bar comes with kale, spiced carrots, and a beetroot jus.
Courtesy of Atlantis, The Palm
Fresh cow's milk burrata cheese from Ronda Locatelli comes with panzanella salad, cherry tomatoes and red onion.
Fresh cow's milk burrata cheese from Ronda Locatelli comes with panzanella salad, cherry tomatoes and red onion.
Courtesy of Atlantis, The Palm
Dubai's restaurants are offering high-end home delivery

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CNN  — 

Many restaurants around the world have relied on takeout to stay in business while under lockdown. But in a city known for its fine dining, some of Dubai’s top eateries are making gourmet home delivery a regular offering.

In March, after Dubai closed all its restaurants to control the spread of coronavirus, hotel resort Atlantis, The Palm introduced home delivery at four of its high-end restaurants.

The dishes being delivered from Nobu Dubai, Hakkasan, Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen & Bar, and Ronda Locatelli go far beyond standard takeout fare; they include Wagyu beef with anticucho miso sauce from Nobu for a whopping AED 525 ($143) and grilled Chilean seabass with Chinese honey from Hakkasan for AED 248 ($68).

The move has been such a success that even though all four restaurants have now reopened, they will continue to serve up their signature dishes in the comfort of customers’ homes.

Read: Lockdown art shows what people are really thinking

“Home delivery of high-end restaurants is something that I believe is here to stay, certainly for the next three to six months,” said Daniel Follett, the director of food and beverage for Atlantis, The Palm. “The longer that this global situation continues, I think there is going to be a broader, long-term change in dining habits that the (restaurant) industry will have to adapt to.”

Cantonese restaurant Hakkasan is delivering grilled Chilean seabass with Chinese honey.
Cantonese restaurant Hakkasan is delivering grilled Chilean seabass with Chinese honey.
Courtesy of Atlantis, The Palm

Monique Naval, a senior analyst at Euromonitor International, who explores evolving trends in consumer food service, said high-end food delivery has attracted customers who would normally feel intimidated by going to Dubai’s luxury restaurants.

She added that demand may continue, as the pandemic reduces our appetite for eating out. “Going forward, I expect that people will have less motivation to go out to a restaurant, and to dine-in (instead),” Naval said.

Adapting to deliveries

Delivering gourmet cuisine brings certain challenges. To ensure the quality and appearance of each dish is not compromised, the restaurants sourced special packaging made from sustainable materials. They also had to exclude certain items.

“We use very high-quality ingredients, but don’t want customers to wait too long before they are eaten,” said Damien Duviau, the head chef at Nobu Dubai. “It was important for us to select dishes that could stay fresh longer.”

A few dishes even have some assembly required. A roast dinner from Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen & Bar comes deconstructed, along with instructions on how to properly plate it as they would at the restaurant.

“There are many dishes that would be finished with a sauce or a garnish in the dining room, whereas now that element of the completion of the dish needs to be finished by the guest,” said Follett.

Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen & Bar delivers this roast deconstructed.
Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen & Bar delivers this roast deconstructed.
Courtesy of Atlantis, The Palm

Follett added that home delivery has enabled many of the restaurant’s staff to continue working. Most of the front of house staff were trained to handle deliveries, pack orders, and deal with delivery drivers.

Other Dubai restaurants such as LPM Restaurant & Bar and Zuma – which aren’t part of Atlantis, The Palm – are also continuing to offer the home deliveries they introduced during the lockdown.

Lasting change?

The UAE has now eased its restrictions, allowing restaurants to open, as long as they position tables at least two meters apart and do not exceed 30% capacity. Restaurants are also required to be disinfected throughout the day, and must use single-use cutlery.

Read: Keeping shoppers safe at one of the world’s busiest malls

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Analyst Naval expects high-end restaurants to take a significant financial hit due to Covid-19, but believes they will “eventually overcome this.”

But she believes the pandemic might ultimately have one positive effect on restaurant goers.

When the UAE’s restrictions are fully lifted, Naval anticipates diners will be more appreciative when treating themselves to a luxurious meal out.

“On a consumer side, I expect people to become more sympathetic and to be more mindful of the meal that they are eating, how it’s prepared, and how they interact with the servers and waiters,” she said.