Nostalgic restaurants harking back to a chef’s childhood days are one of modern dining’s leading trends, but chef Luke Thomas, who opened Retro Feasts at Dubai’s The Beach on Tuesday, didn’t have to dig too far into his memories to conjure up the menu.
He’s only 21.
What makes it all the more amazing is that this isn’t even his first restaurant — in fact, it’s an offshoot of a pop-up he did in London a couple years ago. When he was 19.
Thomas is one of Britain’s youngest chefs, yet he’s already completed a rite of passage that chefs decades older than him are hastening to achieve — the opening of a restaurant in the UAE.
“Dubai is a really exciting place and the food scene really is at its best,” said Thomas, who was a head chef by age 18, while in Dubai for the launch of his restaurant this week. “There are some of the best chefs in the world in Dubai, and along with the brands already situated in the UAE, it’s got to be one of the most exciting cities in the world to be part of in terms of the culinary scene.”
He’s not wrong: World-class chefs including Jason Atherton, Vikas Khanna, Gary Rhodes and Jean-Georges Vongerichten have recently opened or are due to open restaurants in Dubai.
“Chefs taking their brands overseas is a common thing now, and for me it has been something I have always dreamt of, but this really is the ‘creme de la creme’ of locations and places to be,” adds Thomas.
Retro Feasts — a year in the making — is a concept “inspired by my childhood favourites, it’s old-school nostalgic flavours that have been reinvented and given a fun modern makeover,” says Thomas.
“I had a Retro Feasts pop-up in Mayfair, London, in late 2013 and to bring this to the Dubai culinary scene is extremely exciting. The concept is fairly unique and especially at The Beach we are up against some big brands, but our diner is something different and hopefully the UAE like[s] what I have created.”
The diner (which has head chef and manager Tom Briggs and assistant chef Polly Smith in the kitchen on a permanent basis) serves a short menu of small plates, grill items and classic English puddings. “We will of course add specials to our menu such as fish and chips [Dh65], fish finger sandwiches [Dh55] and so on. I think the key for us to keep true to our brand and the much-loved Retro Feasts classics to remain solidly on the menu.”
As for being a young chef: “I hope more than anything it can help inspire young people to follow their dreams as enough hard work, passion and determination and you can make it happen. Overcoming the challenges of being a head chef so early was tough, but the key was having some really good people around me who also believed in what I wanted to do and helped me through the challenges and also enjoyed the rewards.”
Luke Thomas’ don’t-miss dish at Retro Feasts:
“I would say the Coronation Chicken Burger [Dh45] is a signature dish, coronation chicken is quintessentially British and dates back to the early 1900s, we have taken this great dish and serve a grilled chicken breast with a creamy curried mayonnaise, golden raisins, toasted almonds and an iceberg lettuce wedge, all of which is served in a toasted brioche burger bun. If you have a sweet tooth then our Eton mess [Dh25] is pretty special.”
Retro Feasts is at The Beach opposite JBR in Dubai, open daily, 8am-midnight. Call 052-7226462.
