By Jojo Dass

For Food Trip Magazine

An award-winning Filipino chef at a classy Japanese restaurant in Dubai Mall has created a set menu for AED 5,000 front-row, dinner seats to the upcoming Burj Khalifa New Year’s Eve fireworks display and laser show.

Executive Chef Ricardo Bojador, 43, runs kitchen operations at Kata, which has just recently opened in the Dubai Mall located across from the Dubai Fountain.

The restaurant, which attracts European and Arab visitors, is also very close to the stunning Burj Khalifa tower, the world’s tallest man-made structure at 828 metres. Burj Khalifa is slated to feature a cutting-edge, fireworks display and laser show illuminating the Dubai skyline with numerous dazzling beams, attempting to establish a new world record for the largest laser display.

“It warms my heart to lead a homegrown restaurant. It’s a bit challenging because the restaurant is new and we are still introducing it to the market. But we are prepared for the challenges,” said Chef Ricardo, who hails from Bicol in the Philippines.

Bojador said it has been a “colourful and rewarding” career in the culinary world for him.

“Looking back,” he said, “the highlight of my career has been the people I have had the opportunity to work, learn, and grow with.”

Bojador said Kata offers Japanese cuisine “with a twist.”  

“In our profession, the pressure is always there. We always ensure that we have considered all aspects – texture, temperature, presentation and so on – before we serve the dish,” said Bojador, who went to college at University of the East – Recto as a working student and had wanted to pursue a career in law. He however quit school to work full time and provide financial support to his parents and siblings.

Bojador’s New Year’s Eve creation has been described as a “creative and bold menu.” His set menu “will take diners on a culinary journey of note,” the restaurant announcement stated.  

Kata has three options, the most expensive of these choices is the promenade package at AED4,000 and AED5,000 per person respectively for house and premium packages.

Chef Ricardo arrived in Dubai 16 years ago where he worked at a Japanese restaurant..

Persistent hardwork and training took him to Jumeirah Group Hotels, which runs high-end dining venues, where he worked as demi chef for five years.

In 2013, Bojador joined the trendy Katsuya by Starck as a senior sous chef. He would later on become head chef and then executive chef. 

He got on board to be part of Kata’s opening team in mid-November.