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IN THE KITCHEN WITH...GABRIEL HOEFLING OSSANI

Meet Gabriel Hoefling Ossani, the new head chef of The Kitchen Restaurant located on the upper second level in Arnotts. Here, he talks us through the new and improved menu, new season ingredients and finally being able to re-open the restaurant.

It’s been a long time coming but finally, The Kitchen has opened its doors once more. Located in-store on the upper second level, our restaurant offers a wonderful authentic Italian food experience, with a focus on traditional classics. With a unique dining experience, customers can watch the chefs in action as they prepare your dish thanks to the open kitchen design. Whether you need a refreshment after an intense day of shopping or are simply catching up with friends, The Kitchen has a menu that suits all occasions.

And to welcome you back inside, our team has been busy creating new dishes and ensuring a dining experience where you can relax. So much so, there’s even a new head chef in The Kitchen: Gabriel Hoefling Ossani. Having worked in a Michelin Star restaurant in Madrid, and under chef Dylan McGrath, here in Ireland, Gabriel brings a weight of experience to The Kitchen. Not to mention a host of recipes handed down through the generations of his Italian family. Here, he shares with us what to expect from the restaurant and the new seasonal ingredients to look forward to.

What To Expect

“For our customers, we want to bring much more than just Italian-inspired dishes. We want to offer a combination of classic dishes and our signature creations. For example, my favourite is our red prawns arrabiata and garganelli pasta dish, which is a real winner with a glass of pinot grigio.”

Menu Inspiration

“My experiences during the lockdown had a big influence on our menu. We have developed it to cater for all occasions so you can either pop in for a business lunch with a wide choice of main courses, but also to share light bites that can be enjoyed catching up with friends you’ve not seen for months.”

Happy Days

“I am so excited to be back in The Kitchen. My background is in fine dining and at the end of the day, what makes me happiest is welcoming people back to the restaurant so they can spend some time with loved ones and enjoy a delicious meal. Being able to provide the pleasure of a good meal and see customers enjoy themselves again inside our restaurant is like petrol for my team and I. It motivates us to constantly improve.”

Seasonal Extras

“With the new season, there are lots of new ingredients to look forward to, but the biggest ones to look out for are fresh plump peaches, broccoli, beetroots and aubergines. Like a lot of chefs, I love pickling food so a lovely fresh in-season peach cooked in half a cup of sake served warm, crumbed with roasted pistachios and served with a good scoop of vanilla ice cream is a great way to enjoy peaches this autumn. It’s delicate and the perfect end to a meal. As for aubergines, these are great when barbecued and turned into purée. Add some tahini paste, garlic, cumin, onion and freshly squeezed lemon juice to make a delicious baba ganoush that can be served as an antipasto with a slice of sourdough bread.”

Kitchen tips

“When it comes to cooking pasta, a great hack is to cook it one minute less than the time advised on the packaging. Then finish cooking the pasta in the sauce for a nice al dente finish. Another great one is when cooking an omelette, use an ovenproof pan to start cooking on the stove and finish it in the oven for a uniform cooking result.”

SHOP GABRIEL’S KITCHEN MUST-HAVES:

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