P+C, Shangri La, Abu Dhabi: If music be the food of love, play on...

Sergi. Courtesy of Arola

I've always been loathe to buy into the clichés about "[insert profession here] are the new rock stars." In the 1990s, it was comedians, as the former inhabitants of smoky back rooms suddenly found themselves on stadium tours worthy of The Rolling Stones. Then as the 20th century passed into the 21st, we were reliably informed the mantle had now passed on to chefs, with the likes of Gordon Ramsey topping TV-ratings lists.
I've always maintained that rock stars are still quite capable of being the new rock stars, but the two-Michelin-starred Sergi Arola, who has recently taken over head chef duties at Shangri-La, Abu Dhabi's rebranded P+C restaurant seems intent on giving it has best shot.
At last weekend's launch event, the highly regarded Spaniard could hardly wait to get the evening's formalities out of the way and get on the decks at his own launch party, and he clearly loved it. This was no anodyne house or chill-out set as you might expect at a fancy new restaurant launch. Mouths literally dropped as many guests asked in disbelief: "Is he really playing Beck?" Proper, old-school Beck, too. Loser in fact, from 1994's Mellow Gold album. He continued with a set taking in rock, soul, indie and some classic Michael Jackson for good measure.
I was intrigued, so made a point of catching up with Arola the next day, when I learnt that while he may have made his fortune in the kitchen, it's on the stage with guitar in hand where Arola feels most at one with the world. He plays in a band back in Spain, he tells me, pumping out what he describes as "pop/rock". He became most excited when telling me about the time he met his hero, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and The Foo Fighters. "That was great. It was funny, because they were touring in Spain, and somehow he heard that one of Spain's most famous chefs has a Foo Fighters tattoo [Arola rolls up his sleeve for veracity at this point], so he asked to meet me. That was great, and he was such a nice guy. He's so talented, to go from playing guitar in The Foo Fighters, to drums in Queens of the Stone Age, and everything else he does. It was a great day."
It seems music may play a vital role in Arola's new Abu Dhabi venture, too. "At the end of the day, anyone can open a restaurant and cook some chicken and rice. Anyone," he explains. "What separates a good restaurant from a great one isn't just food. It's the music, the light, the whole ambiance."
Luckily, Arola hasn't completely forgotten about the food, and presents me with a plate of one of his signature dishes - a large potato croquette, with a meat ball and tangy chilli centre that he proudly says he calls "Spanish bombs".
Second guessing another imminent musical link, I move to pre-empt his punchline, asking: "In Andalucia?"
"Exactly," Arola replies. "I like to say this dish is like The Clash on a plate."
The hotel's press team assure me the restaurant's P+C moniker is in reference to the venue's former Pearls & Caviar denomination, but I'm not so sure. I like to think it's because the venue could be the ideal spot to indulge on the rare combination of Punk & Cookery.
. P+C is open now at Shangri La, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi.
[e-mail]