Experience Le Petit Chef’s journey at Dinner Time Story
Have you experienced the marvels of Le Petit Chef with Dinner Time Story yet? If not, then you definitely should.
Projecting the 3D-esque journey of a tiny chef in the footsteps of Marco Polo, right onto the book placed in front of you, the dinner takes you page by page through a 5 course menu that pans across different cuisines, bringing out the best of each.
Located on the 33rd floor of the most iconic building in Dubai – World Trade Center – this dinner is certainly more about the experience of watching a 3D animation that keeps you engaged for about 2 hours, than the food itself. But having said that, the food definitely complements the whole show with its rich ingredients and varied flavors.
Through this post, I can only give you a glimpse of my encounter with Le Petit Chef. But you too can experience the real thing like I did. Just head over to @dinnertimestorydubai or log on to www.dinnertimestory.com for more details.
Amuse Bouche
The first leg of Le Petit Chef’s journey was a sail through towards our Amuse Bouche course. Presented over the projection of rusty waves in a petite treasure box, was a mushroom polenta cube – crunchy on the outside and mushy within – along with a tart nicoise. I’m not a big fan of fish, and wasn’t too keen on trying this, so I skipped it. But just so you know, this crispy shell came with a little of each – anchovy, tuna, black olive, green beans, fried potato, tomato and herbs.
Arabic Course
Moving on to the starter course, Le Petit Chef told us how his boat washed him ashore a Middle Eastern country, where he discovered red peppers, nuts, herbs and fruits.
Highlighting these very ingredients, we were served the Arabic course in yet another treasure box which housed small earthern pots with different dishes. While my favorite was the eggplant and labneh portion, the quail kibbeh really took me by surprise. I really hadn’t expected it to be so good. The walnut mohammara glazed with a golden coat gave off a true Arabesque finishing touch to this course.
Indian Course
After experiencing the magic of Middle East, Le Petit Chef encountered a talking sparrow who flew him off to the land of spices – India.
Combining notable elements from the very vast cuisine, the Indian starter course came placed in an ever-so-typical thali with miniature bags of star anise and carom seeds complementing the presentation. I can’t really decide which one was my favorite of these three. Blame it on my Indian roots, but the plantain fritters were the perfectly crunchy sides. And I had never before heard of a jackfruit cutlet; that was quite impressive too. Moreover I loved how they twisted a spicy mango pickle into a dip. But what took away my heart was the pani puri filled with spicy prawns and a tamarillo dip.
I really hope some Indian restaurant out there starts serving these prawn pani puris. Know of any? Tell me in the comments below
Sorbet
After the spicy Indian entrée, it was time for both, the tiny chef as well as our taste buds to cool down a bit.
While Le Petit Chef flew off to the Himalayas with his sparrow friend, we were treated to a palate cleanser sorbet course.
Molecular gastronomy has made its way to every nook and corner in Dubai, so there was no way this wonderful dinner time story experience could leave out that drama behind.
Placed atop a bowl containing dry ice, our lychee, pineapple and ginger sorbet was a refresher. Keeping up with the icy regions, the palate cleanser was a mix of strong and smooth flavors. Moreover, there was a light lemongrass scent to the sorbet that ended it on a fragrant note. A small teapot with hot water was presented with the sorbet. This, when poured over the dry ice, created all that theatrical smoke.
I’m not sure whether it was watching the tiny chef perched on top of those snowy mountains, or an aircon blast in the dining space, that instantly made the room seem cooler. Or well, maybe it was all in my head.
Asian Course
After the chilled out palate cleanser sorbet, it was time for some hot mains.
Le Petit Chef decided to explore China for this course and flew off with the sparrow to the mystical land where he encountered duck, fish, rice, and a fire spewing dragon!
At the start of our experience at Dinner Time Story, we were asked to choose a main course between vegetarian, lamb, duck and fish. While my partner chose lamb (his all time favorite!), I missed not having a chicken option. So I opted for the vegetarian mushroom main instead.
Both the mains were served over a bed of sticky rice. The lamb and oyster mushrooms coated in Chinese hoisin sauces, were accompanied with asparagus and bokchoy greens. I honestly loved the mushrooms, they were quite similar to crispy chicken pieces. The lamb pieces were well done too – tender from within and not at all chewy. And coupled with the sticky rice and soy flavors, these warm rice mains were the most comforting dishes from the entire evening.
I really wish I could have finished it all, but by this course we were quite full. I would have loved a little Chinese takeaway box on the side where I could fill in my leftovers and take them home with me.
Dessert
Taking a cue from the different cuisines we went through at our journey of the Dinner Time Story, Le Petit Chef created his own version of an animated live cooking station with this dessert.
It started with all the ingredients placed neatly around the plate. And it was wonderful to see the tiny chef running around, adding in different items one after the other. Almost like kheer, this rice pudding combined the basics of milk, rice and sugar. And then there’s the fragrant and flavorful saffron, cardamom and pistachio.
The tiny chef brought in his roots and gave the pudding a French creme brulee finish. And of course, there was the local favorite kunafa that added a crunchy bite.
To complete it with a touch of luxe, the pudding was served alongside a smooth and velvety hibiscus and raspberry sorbet. And one thing I can say for sure, the tiny chef knows how to do a sorbet really well.
That was all about my experience at Dinner Time Story. Have I stirred up enough interest in you to visit this place? Tell me in the comments below!
Dinner Time Story – Le Petit Chef
Location: Floor 33, World Trade Centre, Trade Centre Area, Dubai
Contact: 04 3097979
