Simon Conboy On... his inspiration
I am inspired by travelling, tasting new foods in different corners of the world, reading books by other chefs and eating out at other restaurants.
Festive eats
My favorite festive food would have to be roast goose with slow braised red cabbage with some apples in it, and a nice rich roasting gravy.
On The Ivy
The Ivy has become synonymous with the best produce carefully sourced and simply cooked, with a very high standard of service playing a large part. For me it has the buzz of the West End of London, transported to Dubai.
On big name brands in the Middle East
Bringing big name operations into the region has most definitely raised the profile of Dubai on the international culinary map, and it can only be to the benefit to the city as a whole.
Kitchen bugbears
I would have to say within any kitchen my biggest bugbear would have to be when produce is not given the respect it deserves to produce a fantastic dish.
On his career highlights
For me my career highlight to date would have to be the opening of The Ivy. The expectation, pressure and nerves motivated me to drive the team to do the best job possible.
Advice to new chefs
I think the best piece of advice I could give to any new chef is to work hard, listen and to always be focused on what you want out of the kitchen.
On Christmas Day
I will be starting Christmas Day with a breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. This will then be followed by a Christmas lunch consisting of roast goose with all the trimming. And after that, for pudding, there’s nothing better than a traditional English trifle.
And presents
I am hoping Father Christmas will bring me a trip to the Japan! I would really like to go to the fish market and take a peek at some of their culinary traditions.
To find out more about The Ivy, or to make a booking visit www.theivy.ae
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