British celebrity chef Gary Rhodes on Monday launched a first-in-the-world fine dining concept in a cinema called ThEATre by Rhodes at the spanking new Vox Cinemas in Mall of the Emirates, Dubai.
The concept, announced earlier this year, will see the Michelin-starred Rhodes create a menu to be served in a specially-designed luxury cinema. ThEATre by Rhodes also comes with its own lounge with a cinema ticket price starting at Dh160. The concept will also be launched at Yas Mall and Nation Towers, both in Abu Dhabi, before the end of the year.
“We’ve been training the boys in the kitchen for the last couple of weeks. Every day solid cooking, which has been fantastic. A great team has come together in front and back of the house,” Rhodes said at the opening. “Some of the dishes will feature on the a la carte menu on a daily basis. Each one shows a different side to our menu, keeping it really quite international as we possible can.
He called his partnership with Vox Cinemas an exciting “marriage”.
“I feel we can, between us, offer something fresh to the general public which no other cinema worldwide right now can actually match. And we want to make sure we stay that one step ahead as always.”
Rhodes, who relocated from the UK to Dubai to focus on his modern British-style restaurants here, already has two restaurants in the city: Rhodes W1 at the Grosvenor House and Rhodes Twenty10 at Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa.
“It’s been a pleasure [working with Vox Cinemas]. The great thing about this marriage is that we’re all speaking the same language and offering something extra that other companies just cant follow or match. We are going to continue on that form.”
The opening of ThEATre by Rhodes also marks the inauguration of the Mall of the Emirates extension, marking the mall’s 10th anniversary. Besides a revamped 24-screen Vox Cinemas, which includes the first IMAX with laser in the Middle East, the redevelopment includes 40 new outlets. Famed Canadian yoga-inspired label Lululemon Athletica and British fashion house AllSaints make their UAE debut with stores in mall, while American retailer Abercrombie & Fitch is set to open its first store later in the year.
Common Grounds, the third restaurant by Dubai entrepreneurs Tom Arnel and Serg Lopez, more popularly known as Tom & Serg, is now open; as well as a revamped More Cafe, international Taiwanese restaurant chain Din Tai Fung and Texas-born Brazilian steakhouse Texas de Brazil.
Online bookings for ThEATre by Rhodes at Vox Cinemas open at 6pm on September 28.
