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Dubai: Hadi Sarofim, executive chef at Beirut-Vardat Bar du Port in Dubai, has been cooking since he was 10 years old, but he really fell in love with the world of cooking when he started training in professional kitchens.

The more I worked in the industry, the more I loved it. I feel blessed to be doing what I'm doing – it feels good.

One of my earliest food memories is modernizing a traditional Lebanese dish, kibbeh, from my village, Zagharte, in Lebanon. I turned it into a kibbeh roll with ice cream yogurt, cucumber jelly and dry ice.

His current favorite dish from the Bar du Port menu is grilled octopus with dried chorizo, tomato tartare and smoked bell pepper. “It uses simple ingredients, but it's good,” he says. This dish captures the essence of Mediterranean cuisine – fresh, bold and delicious.

Here, Sarofim discusses burnt onions, annoying customer habits, and the magic of vinegar.

What was the most common mistake you made when you started out?

I often burn onions and garlic during preparation. In a professional kitchen, even if you are assigned to a specific department, you have to multi-task and work under tight time constraints. The pressure to juggle multiple tasks at once can be overwhelming, especially for a new chef. Balancing the preparation of different ingredients with respect to cooking times and techniques is a skill that takes time to develop. Those early days were tough – but necessary to learn how to manage everything.

What is your best tip for amateurs?

Always use the best fresh produce available. Quality ingredients can elevate a dish from ordinary to extraordinary. When you start with fresh, quality produce, the natural flavors are lost. I always admire how Chef Alain Ducasse emphasizes “naturalness” in his cooking, focusing on the purity of the ingredients and letting their natural qualities speak for themselves. This philosophy has also influenced my approach. Whether you're cooking a simple meal or an elaborate one, the quality of your ingredients always makes a huge difference.

Which ingredient can instantly improve any dish?

Vinegar, like Xeres Vinegar, instantly enhances any dish by adding flavor. Just a splash can elevate a dish and bring out its best features, making it a must-have in any kitchen. I recommend it especially for risotto or salad dressing.

When you go out to eat, do you find yourself criticizing the food?

I definitely pay attention to the food, but I try not to criticize too much. One thing I often notice is the overuse of sauces. While sauces can enhance food, too much can overpower the original products and mask the natural flavors.

What is your favorite cuisine?

I especially enjoy French and Japanese food. I also admire the craftsmanship behind quality beef dishes, such as the carpaccio at Nobu, which inspires our menu innovations.

Which customer behavior or request bothers you the most?

I love innovation and creativity – it's all part of art. For example, our avocado puree has a unique twist on the traditional guacamole recipe and once sparked a “friendly debate” with a guest about its preparation. While I always value guest feedback, it can be annoying and leave little room for creativity when customers insist that dishes be made according to their home recipes.

What is your favorite food to cook?

I love cooking fish because of its delicate nature and the precision it requires. Determining the right time is very important to preserve its freshness and taste. One of the dishes I enjoy making is butterfly bass. I love how simple yet elegant it is – seasoned with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and served with a refreshing zucchini tartare. This is a dish that showcases the beauty of fresh ingredients and allows me to express my creativity.

What is the most difficult dish to make?

One of the most challenging dishes for me is the most traditional French foie gras – a classic dish of French cuisine. This requires careful technique, especially in layering the foie gras just right. Accuracy is the key. A slight mistake can cause the layers to blend together, compromising both the texture and appearance of the dish. Mastering the terrine requires meticulous attention to detail and a deep understanding of the ingredients, making it both technically demanding and extremely rewarding.

What do you look like as a chef? do you shout a lot Or are you calmer?

My focus is on keeping calm and organized in the kitchen. On our busiest nights, we can serve up to 1,200 covers in our relatively small kitchen, so it's important that everyone follows the rules. With a team of 15, discipline is very important, but I avoid shouting because it is counterproductive.

Chef Hadi's orange cake recipe

Elements

For the orange cake:

340 grams of eggs; sugar 470 grams; 360 grams of flour; baking powder 10 grams; 230 ml of whipped cream; 160 grams of butter (melted); 70 grams of orange juice; 7 grams of orange peel

For the orange syrup:

60 grams of orange juice; 30 grams of water; Sugar 30 grams

For the meringue:

3 egg whites (100 grams); 200 grams of sugar

Additional:

Orange 50 grams

instructions

(Note: Bain Marie is required)

For the orange cake:

1. Heat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

2. Mix sugar and orange peel in a bowl. Add the eggs and mix well.

3. Add orange juice and cream. Mix thoroughly.

4. Sift flour and baking powder. Stir until no lumps remain.

5. Add melted butter and mix well.

6. Pour the batter into the cake tray. Draw a straight line of melted butter on it.

7. Bake for 55 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and pour the orange syrup on the cake. Allow to cool.

For the orange syrup:

1. In a small pot, on very low heat, mix orange juice, water and sugar together.

2. Place on low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.

3. Remove from heat.

For the meringue:

1. In a bain-marie, heat the egg whites to 65 degrees Celsius.

2. Transfer the egg whites to the mixer.

3. Gradually add the sugar while beating until stiff peaks form.

Assembly:

1. Once the cake has cooled and absorbed the syrup, serve the slices with a dollop of meringue and (optionally) garnish with fresh orange slices and a scoop of orange ice cream.