Brian Becher, Executive Chef of CUT by Wolfgang Puck and re/ ASIAN CUISINE at Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, talks developments at the restaurants.

You’ve been steering the kitchens at CUT by Wolfgang Puck and re/ ASIAN CUISINE since 2017. Tell us about how these outlets have evolved in keeping with the brand, food and guest-experience wise?
The most meaningful way in which CUT and re/ ASIAN have developed in the past six years is by becoming more fun and approachable. We faced some challenges connecting with the market in 2015 and 2016 because we were focused on luxury offerings and service. What we came to realise is that our guests were looking to have a good time out, plain and simple. No one wanted pretentious service interactions, they wanted personality. I truly believe it is the genuine, sincere service interactions in which our team engage nightly that set us apart. And our guests find just as much satisfaction from a well-made sandwich or perfectly executed Mac n’ Cheese as they do from the world’s finest beef or caviar — which I also managed to make fun by placing Ossetra [caviar] atop a grilled cheese sandwich. Our ethos is now very simple: we serve food we like to people we like. It does not have to be any more complicated than that.

Are there any specific developments that you’ve led and are proud of?
Absolutely. The Sushi Bar addition we launched at re/ ASIAN in late 2021. We were able to take advantage of the pandemicinitiated shut down at re/ ASIAN and evaluate a clear path forward for the restaurant. We asked ourselves what we thought was missing in the Asian food scene in Bahrain. The answer was clear… a truly authentic sushi experience with a focus on impeccable product quality. It ended up being quite the project as there was no fresh tuna from Japan on offer previously in Bahrain. But we were committed to the vision and we created the supply chain with the belief that our guests would appreciate the quality. And the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

How has Bahraini culture and cuisine inspired your cooking and influenced your palate?
I have been influenced by local cuisine in the flavour make-up of our dishes. For example, we have great local lamb here, and the local lamb dishes highlight that great flavour. We apply that to our Szechuan Lamb Dumplings at re/ ASIAN. Our goal was to get as much lamb flavour as possible on the plate, so our sauce is a broken vinaigrette of sorts which consists of rendered lamb fat balanced by Chinkiang black vinegar and chillis. Ultimately, we are cooking for our guests, so the flavour needs to reflect what they want.
And I could wax poetic for hours over our Bahraini fish. I find it so strange to see restaurants serving imported salmon when we are surrounded by so many great local fresh fish. Especially at this time of year. We are serving rabeeb, shari, faskar, sobaity, andag, local clams and jash at our restaurants right now. And my favourite Bahraini fish is currently in season, sikken. Sikken also happens to be our Sushi Chef, Kiyoshi’s favourite. In Japan, it is known as Kuro Kampachi.

The last time we checked, Korean Fried Chicken was your signature dish. Can we expect a strong contender for it in 2023?
Yes indeed. We stuff a whole black bass with sticky rice (lo mai) and wok fry it. This is served for two at re/ ASIAN. It has become the fan favourite by far. I think it resonates with a lot of people because we all grow up eating some iteration of fish and rice. We just present it in a new way and it has been very well received. ✤