DUBAI: Acclaimed Chef Glen Ballis opened his eatery INÁ at J1 Beach in Dubai this summer, bringing with him a wealth of culinary passion and international experience.“I started cooking in Melbourne, Australia when I was 16 years old,” he tells Arab News.
Inspired by his mother — “an amazing chef” — and her “incredible Greek food,” Ballis’ culinary journey began at home. “We are of Greek descent. But I was born and brought up in Australia,” he explains.
From Australia, Ballis’ career took him across Asia, working in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and China. Eventually, he made a long-term move to Russia, where he spent the last 20 years.
Most recently, he has been focused on a collaboration with Evgeni Kuzin, founder of Fundamental Hospitality in Dubai. “We’ve sort of been developing INÁ over those years. And we opened it a few months ago,” he says.
INÁ offers fire-cooked dishes made with seasonal ingredients, using what is billed as Dubai’s largest open-flame grill.
INÁ offers fire-cooked dishes made with seasonal ingredients, using what is billed as Dubai’s largest open-flame grill. (Supplied)
When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?
Overcooking everything; it was about controlling the cooking temperatures and things like that. I suppose discipline was also a factor — probably the main one — especially when I was a lot younger. But, you know, after a period of time, you either have to get into the system or get out of it. I decided I wanted to stay, so I had to become more disciplined. Cooking is a hard job. It’s hard on the body. It’s hard on the mind. It’s a lot of hours. It’s a lot of stress. So you have to get your body and your mind conditioned, especially if you want to do it long term. I meet a lot of chefs who do it for maybe five or 10 years, and then they can’t continue.
What’s your top tip for amateurs?
Don’t compromise. If you want to cook great food and only great food, then don’t compromise on what you do.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
Tomato. It's just full of umami. Doesn’t matter what you do with it. If you add a spoonful of tomato, whether it be water, juice, or pulp, it’s just booming with umami. It has a lot of flavor. You’d be surprised how often it brings everything together.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
No. I don’t go out to critique. More often than not, when I go out to eat, I’m with friends or family. I have my opinions and I have my thoughts, but I normally keep them to myself. Very rarely do I ever complain about anything. I understand the struggles that come with running restaurants and working in kitchens. Very rarely have I had something so bad that I felt the need to have a fit about it.
What’s the most-common mistake/issue that you find in other restaurants?
Overcomplicating things. Our industry is very simple, and I think humans are also very simple — until we start to overcomplicate things. That affects everything: food, service, atmosphere... There is so much chaos in the world, I think simplicity is the beauty of what we do.
What’s your favorite cuisine or dish to eat?
I love Asian food, I suppose because I’ve spent so much of my life in Asia. I love to eat. I I’m crazy for a good piece of beef. But I think if I had to choose between four or five restaurants and one of them was Asian, I would definitely go there, whether it be Thai, Japanese, Indian or something else. I think it’s more fun. It’s all about sharing, you know?
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
Pasta. I think that’s everybody’s go-to dish. It’s easy to make, quick, and fun. And it’s tasty and filling.
What customer request most annoys you?
I’ve been cooking a long time, but I have to say that, in three months in Dubai, I’ve probably cooked more well-done steaks than in all of my career. But that’s fine, and it’s actually quite interesting to try to master a well-done steak, because I haven’t cooked a lot of them. I think I’ve started to get better at cooking a well-done steak. That’s a scary thing to say.
What’s your favorite dish to cook and why?
I especially love cooking vegetables. I’ve always put a lot of vegetable dishes on the menu. In the beginning — 20 or 30 years ago — a lot of people didn’t understand it. “Why would we order a vegetable dish as a main course?” But, as time has progressed, vegetables have become more popular. It’s not as easy as many people think to cook a good vegetable dish and to please a vegetarian. They’re probably the most difficult people to please.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
I’m terrible at desserts. Maybe I just don’t have the patience. It’s so technical, with so many different ingredients, and all the weights and measurements have to be absolutely perfect. In any restaurant I’ve had, I always bring in a pastry chef. I don't want to be dealing with desserts. It’s a tedious job.
As a head chef, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laid back?
I’m quite aggressive. I’m a disciplinarian, but I also spend a lot of time developing my people. I’m very hard on people because we’re striving for something. Business is business, and there’s a lot of money and time invested. So I’m all about discipline, but it also starts with development, which comes from me and the senior people around me. The more time you spend in the industry, the more you realize it’s about developing people.
Chef Glen’s crab baked rice
Ingredients:
100 grams of fresh picked crab
160 grams of Abrio rice cooked
40 ml of pre bought fish stock
60 grams of butter
60 grams of parmesan
5 ml of olive oil
120 grams of chopped tomato
20 grams of chive
tablespoon of sour cream
Method:
Fill an oven-proof dish with your 160 grams of rice and fish stock. Mix liberally.
Over a low heat melt your butter and parmesan and stir into your mix.
Cook at 220 degree Celsius for 12 mins or until the top is crispy.
Heat your crab slowly and flake over the top
Finely chop your chive and tomato and sprinkle over the top of the rice. Finish with a dollop of sour cream.
Lemon zest, lemon juice and salt to finish (to taste).
Tomato carpaccio:
200 grams of Uzbek tomato
3 lrg tablespoons of good olive oil
5 grams of ground black pepper
5 grams of maldon salt
Herb dressing:
1 grams of salt
12 grams of chive
12 grams of mint
23 grams of spring onion
38 grams of parsley
5 grams of jalepeno
Method for herb dressing:
Chop all ingredients and mix thoroughly
To plate:
Thinly slice your tomato.
Liberally apply your plate with herb dressing.
Place your tomato on top.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, olive oil last to bring your dish together.
