Armani/Kaf, the first kosher certified dining destination in the United Arab Emirates, located within Burj Khalifa and Armani Hotel Dubai, officially opened its doors on Thursday.
The 40-seat pop-up dinner venue is located on the ground floor of the award-winning luxury hotel, adjacent to Armani/Hashi, and will deliver a standalone culinary experience that celebrates the very best in kosher cuisine, as well as paying homage to classic flavours from around the world.
Armani/Kaf will specialise in serving kosher cuisine that complies with Jewish dietary laws (kashrut) and will be operated under the rabbinical supervision of Rabbi Levi Y Duchman, Rabbi of the UAE, who has certified the venue with Glatt Kosher and Pas Yisroel certifications from Emirates Kosher Supervising Agency, the only UAE based kosher certifier.
Its premium Burj Khalifa location and its unique positioning is set to turn Armani/Kaf into a major attraction for Dubai residents and visitors to the city, offering a multisensory kosher experience. The luxurious setting of the restaurant is complemented by views over The Dubai Fountain and Downtown Dubai.
At the culinary helm is Armani Hotel Dubai Executive Chef, Fabien Fayolle. His seasonally changing menu offers a global gourmet take on kosher cuisine designed to reflect Dubai’s multicultural demographic. Underpinned by innovation, the menu honours signature Armani dishes with flavours and preparations from Asia and Europe to the Middle East.
The opening season menu signature dishes include spaghetti bolognese with fresh basil and cherry tomatoes, pan fried sea bass with parsnip puree, and beef bourguignon served with root vegetables, mushroom pilaf rice and thyme. For guests seeking to experience traditional Middle Eastern dishes, the menu also includes hummus with tahini, baba ganoush, fattoush salad with sumac seasoning, and creamy lentil soup.
The iconic venue is one of the very few, perhaps the only, located in a 5-star hotel that offers guests kosher In-Room Dining service outside of Israel. Armani/Kaf will be closed for dine-in guests on Fridays but will offer a special take-away menu for Shabbat for guests to enjoy in the comfort of their private space. Kosher delivery service is being developed and will be announced soon.
When the UAE hosted 50-plus Jewish delegates as part of a US-Israeli delegation, they were served kosher food as they stayed at the St Regis Hotel.
Rabbi Yissachar Krakowski, Director of US-based OU Kosher - the world's largest kosher certification agency - was flown down to Abu Dhabi to ensure the food served to the Jewish guests complies with the strict dietary standards of traditional Jewish law.
On Thursday, Emirates Flight Catering signed an MOU with CCL Holdings founded by Ross Kriel, entering a partnership to set up a dedicated production facility for kosher food at EKFC’s premises in the UAE.
The new partnership will be called Kosher Arabia, and production is expected to begin by January 2021.