Chantal Fouad

DUBAI: Award-winning Japanese restaurant, The Robata, is one of its kind in delivering a true and elegant Japanese dining experience, located in Caesar’s Palace in Bluewaters Island, making it a great attraction to local and foreign visitors.

The name of the restaurant represents the style and technique of cooking involved; the name is short for robatayaki, which translates to fireside cooking in Japanese cuisine.

It’s a method of cooking over hot charcoal on a wide and flat open fireplace.

Chefs need to be highly skilled as the grill is extremely hot and the temperature can’t be controlled; the food needs to be cooked for precisely the right amount of time and kept at a certain altitude from the heat to ensure the perfect cooking conditions.

Out of all cuisines, Japanese cuisine is one that prioritizes the quality of its ingredients; as many famous signature dishes and meals are authentically served raw.

Everything from the type of fish to the type of wood used for cooking is served and delivered fresh.

The restaurant has an in-house general trading license that allows them to directly import fish and seafood ingredients directly to Dubai 3 to 4 times a week.

With an interview exclusively with Arab News Japan, both wagyu master and executive chef, UEDA Hisao, and head chef, HINO Yusuke, discussed inspirations, culinary backgrounds, special cooking styles, challenges, targets, and more.

UEDA shared his early career path saying at the age of 18 years old he went to a culinary school to pursue his passion for cooking and after that started in a western style restaurant where he was introduced to Wagyu, the finest beef slices.

Five years later HINO discovered his passion for Japanese cuisine; by switching to a Japanese restaurant, he was trained to finely cut and cook delicate meats, such as wagyu and fish, fundamental dishes of Japanese cuisine.

Both chefs discussed cooking techniques and skills that are essential for cooking authentic Japanese food in Dubai; HINO discusses his main challenge by saying that certain types of fish when imported directly from Japan can have a unique smell that this culture might not necessarily be familiar with, unlike serving the same dish in Japan, where all the smells and richness of the fish could be the most appealing aspect of the dish, HINO has to work on slightly changing the dish to suit this specific target audience while maintaining its authenticity.

The Robata also a personalized experience, HINO also mentioned that what makes the Robata distinct from the other restaurants is the engaging aspect the customers get to experience; customers can see what exactly is the chef doing as well as having guidance and explanations to the different styles and techniques applied to their dishes.

This creates a sense of appreciation and respect for culinary art.