Experience Gourmet Eating at KAFD Dinner Club

King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) is hosting its inaugural ‘Rooftop Nights,’ a dinner club celebrating food and fine dining by bringing diners together to unwind in a chic and opulent setting. The ‘Rooftop Nights’ dinner clubs are part of a series of events taking place over the next several months at KAFD.

The nine distinct dining experiences that will make up the inaugural KAFD Dinner Club series are the first in the region and will take place over the next few months. Each week, a Michelin-starred chef will surprise the guests with their dishes. Additionally, each week will have a signature look, feel, music selection and dress code. The great and good from the Kingdom and the region, as well as food, fashion and marketing connoisseurs, are invited to join.

The chefs hosting the Dinner Clubs include Anthony Demetre, whose menu will combine French cooking methods with the flavors of Saudi Arabia, Milan Jurkovic, who will serve an authentic Balkan menu, Nick Alvis, who will be serving traditional Saudi recipes with a modern twist, Jesse Blake, who will be preparing a modern experimental menu, Bilal Elmascan, serving Asian fusion dishes, Khaled al Saadi, Chang and Eric Lee – the team behind the cult concept restaurant Ugly Noodles, Chef No #7 TBC, the six-hand team of Sara Aqel, Keren Ye and Rita Soueidan, who will bring the flavors of Beirut to Riyadh, and Hattem Mattar, the world’s first Arab pit master.

KAFD is a landmark development and proud symbol of Saudi Arabia’s social and economic transformation. The business and lifestyle destination includes a range of event venues and hosts an engaging year-long program of entertainment activities suited to families, culture connoisseurs and hobbyists. Rooftop Nights are the latest addition to KAFD’s annual calendar.

Chef Profiles

Anthony Demetre – Owner at Wild Honey St James, London
Dinner: Hydroponic Wonderland of Herbs and Vegetables
Anthony will be developing a menu that combines French cooking methods with flavors from Saudi Arabia. Grilled octopus, sweet peppers, courgetti, lamb, seaweed butter, pink grapefruit and ginger relish are among the dishes he serves.
Anthony’s dishes will look at the journey of produce from farm to table and will feature herbs and vegetables in all decor and centerpieces throughout the venue.

Milan Jurkovic – Head Chef, 21grams, UAE
Dinner: Postcards from The Balkans
21grams is a multi-award-winning bistro dishing up authentic food from the mountains and coasts of the Balkan region. Pljeskavica (wagyu patty stuffed with beef bacon and cheese), burnt eggplant hummus, baked beetroot carpaccio, beef and quail ragout, creamy polenta with wild mushrooms and caramelised banana split are just a few of the chef’s creations.
This dinner will be a mix of tradition and modernity and aims to educate guests about the Balkan menu, landscape, and music.

Nick Alvis; Bib Gourmand Winner
Dinner: Interpretation of Dishes from Cookbook “Cooking Her Heritage”
Nick has travelled throughout Saudi Arabia in search of flavours and will be delighting guests with his interpretations of recipes from the country. His dishes include monkfish tail, paprika and salted lemon, crispy hen’s egg, pancetta and maple syrup.
The décor will be inspired artisanal traditions of the Kingdom, coupled with music by local artists.

Jesse Blake, Chef and Partner, Lowe Restaurant, UAE
Chef Jesse Blake will be preparing a contemporary experimental menu. His dishes include market fish with celeriac, fennel, methi sprouts and roasted fish bone sauce. This fourth edition of the dinner club will be heavily influenced by the Middle East. Blake will have elegantly displayed tables with lots of greenery and earthy table decor. Immersive lighting will complete the experience.

Bilal Elmascan, Ramen X You Better Fly
Dinner: Walk the line
The newest DAIKAN idea by Bilal is like a fresh breeze amidst Riyadh’s abundance of high-end luxury restaurants and hotels. A variety of Japanese street foods, including ramen and Sichuan chilli bao, are among his offerings.
Bilal’s dinner club will focus on providing a unique experience to sneakerheads. Alongside a local DJ spinning Arabic hip hop, he will be executing an elaborate sneaker installation with art and plenty of instagrammable moments.

Ugly Noodles

Dinner: Travels of Szechuan

The idea for Ugly Noodles was born out of a passion for delicious Chinese street food. It’s a collaboration and pop-up event organized by MENA’s top emerging talents Chang, Eric Lee and Khaled Alsaadi, alongside a line of amazing artists and entertainment personalities. They intend to make guests relive the experiences found in the neighborhoods serving authentic home-cooked Chinese recipes, from wall art to music or cutlery. Ugly Noodles will have an “Urban Streets” vibe as opposed to traditional Chinese music. MENA top talent Mr. Shef Codes will perform during the night.

Chef #7

Sara Aqel, Keren Ye and Rita Soueidan
Dinner: Beiruting in Riyadh
This will be the first time three female chefs have collaborated to create a six-hand gourmet dinner in Riyadh. Their menu will feature dishes that evoke and honor Lebanese history through its farmers, producers, mothers and cooks.
The evening will be themed around ‘Beiruting in Riyadh’ and will be an attempt to emulate Lebanese home cooking in a non-traditional format. Table decor will be light and flowery with art finishes throughout. Complete with a live modern Lebanese band, the evening will be the perfect fusion of cultures.

Hattem Mattar, World’s first Arab pit master
Dinner: A Life on Fire
Hattem Mattar says the al fresco barbecue spot will welcome “guys in snapbacks and people in suits” all the same. He plans to put on a tableside barbecue experience that has never been done before in Riyadh. His dishes include goat’s cheese, grilled peach, blood orange, plum za’atar honey, toasted sourdough, lamb mandi, slow-smoked lamb shank, mandi rice and yoghurt daqoos.