Eka Mochamad, from Indonesia, is head chef at At.mosphere. He has 16 years of culinary experience, 12 of which are in the UAE.
Can you give us a glimpse of your career journey so far?
I have been learning all about French cuisine since I was 17 years old. I came to Dubai back in 2008, with Atlantis, the Palm, and have worked for leading hospitality companies such as The Shangri-La, Jumeirah, JA Resorts and now Emaar at At.mosphere Burj Khalifa. Most of my career was focused on the French and Mediterranean cuisines.
What’s your favourite dish to eat and why?
I like toro tuna and everything that goes with it because, for me and in my opinion, this is the part where you get most of the flavour and texture from tuna. It’s beautiful, simple and needs only salt and soya to be turned into a great dish.
What are you cooking up today? Tell us more about the dish.
I’m cooking Beef Rossini, a classic dish with a cultural background for some people. I love to cook it because it was the first dish I ever learned how to make in French cuisine. Since then, I hardly remember how many variations I created from these ingredients. A good quality meat combined with seared foie gras is always one to be enjoyed.
As a chef, what are the top ingredients and products you’re using these days?
Hokkaido beef, I would say: its quality, texture and consistency are top notch.
What are some of the most recent, important food trends you can tell us about?
In my opinion, and what I’m doing now, is creating a “surprise element” in each dish. Trying something unusual, for instance, was using the goat cheese ice cream we’ve just recently added to enhance our beetroot salad. What’s more surprising, is that it’s bright red, and so guests would not expect a goat cheese flavour from it.
What would you advise suppliers and foodservice professionals who are looking to offer their best to the market and meet demand?
I would advise them to maintain consistency and quality.
