Jiwan’s chefs worked with culinary consultant Alain Ducasse to highlight Doha’s multicultural landscape during the “Distinctively Doha” summer takeover in Paris.

Doha News caught up with the chefs and general manager at Jiwan, a restaurant tucked away in the heart of the National Museum of Qatar, to discuss their culinary journey during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

From July 29 to August 4, Jiwan took over Le Dalí at the Le Meurice Palace Hotel in Paris, offering a unique Doha dining experience to locals and visitors alike.

As the world flocked to the French capital for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Jiwan, a subsidiary of Qatar Museums, and its ‘Distinctively Doha’ project offered diners a cultural culinary exchange with set sharing and à la carte menus for lunch and dinner, along with a special brunch, all inspired by the rich flavours of Qatar and the region.

“Returning to the French kitchen setting was an interesting experience, especially given that we are French natives sharing the Middle Eastern and Arab cuisine style of Jiwan with fellow French kitchen staff,” Morgan Perrigaud, Jiwan’s Head Chef, told Doha News.

Perrigaud added that the kitchen in Doha reflects the city’s diversity: “In the kitchen, we have Indian, Arab and of course, French staff,” he said. “When my colleagues and I came together to design the menu, our ultimate goal was to showcase Doha’s multicultural landscape on a plate”.

The menu was an eclectic blend of Parisian aesthetic flare paired with modern takes on the region’s classics, including exquisite desserts.

Jiwan’s Executive Chef, Jeremy Cheminade, explained that despite the contrasting flavour profiles between Paris and Doha, the dishes at Le Dalí remained true to Jiwan’s original recipes.

“From the start, our dishes were developed in harmony with Alain Ducasse’s vision,” Cheminade noted.

Chef Alain Ducasse, the renowned culinary consultant for Qatar Museums’ restaurants and Le Meurice, guided the team throughout the takeover.

“His cooking guidelines include reducing salt, sugar and fat when possible and our duty was to keep these principles without compromising the richness of flavours,” Cheminade explained.

Cheminade also told Doha News that between service, he and his fellow Jiwan chefs, had the chance to meet and speak with the diners to hear about their experiences.

“We noticed a lot of curiosity around some of the lesser-known ingredients in Paris, including those used in our mocktails served. Guests would ask us about the Qatari spices we used to highlight the region’s flavours,” he said.

The dining experience was also enhanced by Jiwan’s tableware, which was selected by Chef Ducasse, to complement the menu and dishes served.

“In French culinary history, there is what is known as service à la française,” Lucas Fourdrinier, Executive Pastry Chef at Jiwan, explained. “This is a style of service centred on sharing, with multiple dishes for guests to choose from.” Fourdrinier noted that this approach is a key component of Jiwan’s service.

“Perhaps we have lost this culinary heritage in France, but we successfully reintroduced it by creating a dining experience that encourages communal enjoyment and connection among guests,” he said.

For Paris native and Jiwan Restaurant Manager Sami Rachet, who was also affectionately referred to as the ‘face of Jiwan’ during the takeover, this experience was especially significant as he saw how perceptions of Middle Eastern food were changing for the better in his hometown.

“It is true that the region’s cuisine is starting to become more well-known in Paris, certainly not to the level of fine dining that we offer at Jiwan,” he explained, adding that typically, such cuisine is found in street food settings in the French capital.

Reflecting on the experience, Chef Perrigaud said that for him and his team, their achievement showed them that they can push themselves even further in the future.

“When the experience ended, and we received good feedback from Chef Alain Ducasse and the guests, too. What remains now is to keep on improving. Personally, my goal for us is to get a Michelin star and open another Jiwan branch abroad,” he added.

Also looking ahead, Ratchet added that “through gastronomy, we can open the world’s eyes to Qatar. At Jiwan, we want to see more global awareness about Qatar’s and the region’s cuisine and we look forward to hosting more pop-up events with the world’s prestigious hotels.”