When one thinks of refined dining, expectations are immediately set. Diners are enticed by its layered experience, from the details in the décor to the immaculate service, to the chef’s cooking style and the careful choice of ingredients for each dish on the menu. A standard that 99 Sushi Bar in Abu Dhabi upholds.
A South Africa native, Chef Thinus Van Der Westerhuizen works hard to ensure his kitchen adheres to international group’s luxury standards as well as his own. Earning the restaurant it’s one MICHELIN star for the MICHELIN Guide Abu Dhabi 2023 selection, Chef Thinus has been leading 99 Sushi Bar’s kitchen for the last three years and continues to strive to maintain its standards.
We sat down with Chef Thinus and spoke to him about his views on gastronomic luxury and how he strives to achieve it.
Upon first glance, the devil is in the details. Everything about 99 Sushi Bar is glamourous – from the restaurant’s gold detailing across its black interiors, the edible gold leaves on their 99 Jewel sushi already made of Toro, Akami, Black Truffle topped with Beluga Caviar, to the golden letters beautifully lining EIRA water’s premium bottles displayed across the restaurant. It’s not your average sushi restaurant, but it’s a unique concept Chef Thinus describes as “a Japanese restaurant with a Spanish flare.”
Here, diners will not miss out on the luxury gastronomic experience they seek at the one-MICHELIN-star restaurant in Abu Dhabi. “Guests should be astounded from start to finish,” Chef Thinus says as he explains his vision for his guests. “From the moment they step through the door, till the last goodbye, we want to staple our presence and leave them with great memories to keep them coming back.”
Chef Thinus sees gastronomic luxury as multifaceted, but it boils down to two main ideologies: sourcing products and ingredients carefully, and presenting them in a respectful and refined manner. “It's the grace of the technique that you use and the way the products are being presented, without destroying the actual essence of the product.” But before one presents the ingredient’s essence through cooking technique, its selection is at the forefront.
When it comes to curation products, the chef and his team go through the effort and source them from all over the world. Their ingredients come mainly from Japan, such as their fresh wasabi root and hamachi, shrimps and bluefin tuna from Spain, seabass from Greece and salmon from Scotland. The trouble they go through to ensure their guests get the chance to taste the high-end products from various corners of the world is a luxury in itself. Each product is mindfully picked out to match the restaurant’s overall mission to refined dining.
The chef’s selectivity even goes as far as the water he chooses to serve and for him it’s the “clear, crisp and splendor” EIRA still and sparkling water. Norway’s ever-so pure water brand is the perfect match for 99 Sushi Bar because of the similarities they both share in their advanced and precise techniques. “When we first got the water bottles, I saw those golden letters on the bottle and I went, ‘that's the water we need to sell!’ and that just transcends quality.” By carefully selecting a product as essential and as simple as water, Chef Thinus takes the extra step to ensure his guests are offered only the highest quality products to make sure their luxury experience is attained.
While many restaurants strive for gastronomic luxury, only a few manage to achieve it in the right way. Chef Thinus advises others to be patient and to take the time to make their choices carefully. “It cannot be pressed, you need to curate things and to take the time you need to achieve the brand you want,” he says. “Make sure your product shines so they can see the effort that you've gone in to present the brand that you're looking for.” A philosophy both the restaurant and EIRA water share.
