Elia’s Greek signature dishes impress at Taste of Dubai 2009.
Dubai, March 2009

Dubai’s best Greek restaurant, Elia at the Majestic Hotel returned to Taste of Dubai between March 11 and 14 for the second year in a row, chosen among Dubai’s top 22 restaurants. Elia’s Chef Yiannis Baxevanis, a legend in Greece, joined the world’s top chefs such as Gary Rhodes, Vineet Bhatia and Osama El Sayed in the live chef’s theater and the cookery school.

Chef Baxevanis impressed the international gourmet crowd that attended Taste of Dubai with three signature dishes: bakaliaros fish with skordalia (a traditional light garlic cream) & beetroot chips, lamb with yialoradika (wild herbs that grow near the Greek seaside) & lemon sauce and loukoumades (sweet dumplings) with orange, yoghurt mousse, honey and cinnamon.

Chef Baxevanis treated the younger patrons of Taste of Dubai to a Young Chefs session at the cookery school. Kids of all ages rolled up their sleeves and picked up their kitchen utensils under the Chef’s careful guidance and prepared Bakaliaroas fish poached in aromatic milk with saffron skordalia (garlic cream). Children are one of Chef Baxevanis’ passions (he has four of his own). In 2006 he made one of his dreams come true by starting a Little-Chefs Program. Once a week he and many prominent Greek chefs set up cooking sessions for children where they can learn the beauty of the gastronomical world, fresh products, healthy diet and the virtue of easy, fast, healthy cooking. It was thrilling for him to be able to apply his skills with children in Taste of Dubai.

Taste of Dubai attracted thousands of gourmet loving visitors over its four days. It provided the ideal opportunity for sampling a wide array of dishes from the best restaurants in the city.

Editor’s information:

Elia opened at Majestic Hotel in November 2007. There is not a statue or broken plate in sight. Instead, a tranquil, cozy, earthy setting welcomes you, featuring olive trees, where the name Elia derives from. A team of Greek chefs, headed by the award winning Yiannis Baxevanis not only creates masterpieces of contemporary Greek cuisine, they serve you their creations themselves, giving you the opportunity to converse with them about the recipes and the dish.

To a Greek audience, top name chef Yiannis Baxevanis needs no introduction. Voted the top chef of Greek Cuisine in Greece for years and with several awards under his belt, he is set to alter the gastronomical scene in Dubai with the opening of his first venture outside of Greece. His vision? For Greek products and Greek cuisine to assume their rightful position on the world’s gastronomical map.

Elia offers long-established Greek tastes combined with a unique and alternative presentation of each dish. Top ingredients, distinct creativity, great service and an amazingly cozy environment are only a few of Elia’s core elements.