Our F&B work in the Middle East
Our achievements and time spent in the region
Opened together with full mobilisation, two new Restaurants in Saudi ‘U Walk’ Riyadh called Solia and Khaneen
• Stewarding of Catering provision for the inaugural Saudi Cup in Riyadh at King Adbul Aziz Racecourse, plus Catering for the King and Saudi Royal Family plus others
• Designed and opened two Solia restaurants in Kuwait, these being phase four Avenues Mall and also Murooj Sahara.
• Reviewed, implemented change management into driving efficiencies, structural organisation, improved profitability, quality control into various CPU centralised production kitchens, Kuwait
• Design, mentoring and input into new opening of ‘Mia’ Restaurant Kuwait in Assima Mall
• Worked full time as Merger / Culinary Director in Kuwait for six months merging two substantial Catering companies.
• Project work in Kuwait for Restaurant group Gastronomica, the award winning leading total dining experience company which is established in Dubai/KSA/Qatar/Bahrain/ Oman/Kuwait.
• John worked for Saudi Tourism Authority commissioned on a key leisure project called Extreme 200 as the lead for Gastronomy, creating initially over sixty exceptional travel experiences across the Kingdom within culinary and gastronomy. These adventures are of five-star standard (signature Culinary experiences) this included for each experience.
• Experience identity and framework
• Experience creation and curation
• Experience narrative and design
• Experience launches and trade activation
• During the above lengthy project Mayada Badr CEO of Saudi Culinary Arts Commission John discussed his input of the challenge of recruiting and developing Saudi youth to train in and support the hospitality industry in huge new cities, mega cities and the growing demand for F&B Catering industry.
• Commissioned to work up very detailed standard operating procedure examples for a typical Stadia of size in Middle East for multinational accounting professional firm
- Consultancy for Gastronomica www.gastronomica-me.com
Notes From A Mediterranean Escapade In The Heart Of Kuwait
Solia review from www.bazaar.town
High ceilings, prominent yet minimal light fixtures, neutral woven whicker platters artfully hung on the wall, beige and gold accents and a real live olive tree in the middle of the restaurant. All of the things you notice when you’re entering Solia suggest a Mediterranean villa on the coast, or a cozy village plaza. You can also see an enormous open kitchen, the work-space for more than twenty chefs from all over the world, designed to be visible but unobtrusive without overwhelming your senses.
Consultant Chef John Benson-Smith original concept creator, together with the team from Hajery
It is an Audrey Hepburn in a world of Kim Kardashians. The girl next door who is also a princess and knows it. She does not need to flaunt it and instead carries herself with understated grace and elegance. Solia is in the Avenues Phase VI, and also in Murooj Kuwait
The Lyon Onion soup arrived. Covered in puff pastry, the crust is golden, flaky, buttery and absolutely delicious. The little lion head on the porcelain soup bowl was a sweet pun we appreciated. Our host informed us that there were two ways of going about it. Some people preferred preserving it, completely removing it before tucking into the soup. However, she suggested it should sink into the soup which is what we did. The sweetness of the soup, the crunchy pastry and the creamy Gruyere come together perfectly.
The pièce de résistance was the Sea Bass. The skin-on fillet was pan fried to a perfect crisp, on the inside it was just perfect. The verge sauce with capers is the perfect companion for the mild fish and is served on a pillow of fluffy crushed potatoes, snow peas and cherry tomatoes that pushed it into a world where fine-dining and comfort food coexist.
Already stuffed and extremely satisfied our desserts arrived at the table. A classic Tarte Tatin, with layers of caramelized Granny Smith Apples and puff pastry was an explosion of subtle flavors of cinnamon and vanilla. But we fell unabashedly in love with the Pavlova Meringue. A good meringue has a crispy glossy shell, is light, airy with a marshmallow center. Only this one was also filled with a lemon curd and floated in a sea of intense Chocolate Créme. You are supposed to pour the sauce and then crack the meringue with a spoon. It is a sensory delight with flavors, colors, textures and sounds. It was an impossibly high note to end on and despite being absolutely stuffed we had no regrets.