Straight from chef Brian Hughson: what French flavours to expect at the new Frioul Bistro de Luxe at Souk Madinat Jumeirah

Chef Brian Hughson says the food at Frioul Bistro de Luxe in Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, will be influenced by cuisine from southern France, the Mediterranean, Spain and Italy. Sarah Dea/The National

There’s a new chef in town and while he might not be a household name just yet, Brian Hughson is well on his way to building a restaurant and a name you’ll remember.

Hughson moved from London to Dubai six months ago to open a new home-grown concept at the Souk Madinat Jumeirah.

The restaurant, called Frioul Bistro de Luxe, launches today and is named after the Frioul Islands off the Mediterranean coast of France. The food reflects that region, with influences from southern France, the Mediterranean and Spain and Italy, as well.

The sharing-style menu is loaded with high-end tapas, including frogs’ legs, bouillabaisse, scallop ceviche, duck magret and côte de boeuf. Hughson plans to change a few items on the menu each week to keep things interesting.

The 46-year-old previously worked with the Dorchester Collection in London. He has also worked with some of the most prominent chefs of our time, including Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White and Gary Rhodes.

“They have all been a big influence,” he says. “You take something from everyone, whether it’s good or bad. You channel that into what you want to be.”

The food at Frioul will be fun, fresh, light and simple, says Hughson, which is not always easy to pull off. He has about 20 chefs working under him, though he says he needs more.

“I like to involve the chefs,” he says. “Chefs are naturally creative. Why stifle that? Let them bring that to the table.”

Hughson was working as a caster for Rolls-Royce, making the famous Flying Lady hood ornaments, when he started cooking at age 18.

“I always wanted to be a chef. I get a lot of satisfaction out of it,” he says.

Now he’s excited to start dishing up food in one of the world’s greatest cities. “There are so many discerning customers here, which is great for a chef,” he says. “It just seems to be getting better. With Expo 2020 coming up, Dubai is just the place to be, isn’t it?”

• Frioul Bistro de Luxe is in at Souk Madinat Jumeirah. For reservations, visit www.frioulbistrodeluxe.com or call 04 567 0011