GHASSAN KHATTAR

Executive chef, Zaytinya

I’ve cooked for many celebs, but one of my biggest achievements was cooking for Miss Lebanon on Dubai TV. Sixteen top chefs applied for it and I was awarded the project.

The longest I’ve spent making a dish is six hours. I made harees, a delicious local dish.

My first chef gave me some great advice. He said as a Lebanese chef you have to first perfect your art for cooking Lebanese cuisine, and only after that can you go on to master other cuisines.

We are currently revamping our menu at Zaytinya and there’s a fish chermoula on it I’m really proud of.

My favourite flavour is a simple one – it’s definitely lemon.

I still want to learn how to make sushi, as it’s something I’ve never tried to master.

The biggest mistake chefs make is compromising with quality. You must always put 100 per cent into each dish and make sure the quality is the same every time you prepare it.

I must admit I’m not a fan of cooking rabbit.

KFC is my only guilty pleasure! I treat myself to it once or twice a year but no more, as I know how unhealthy it is for me.

Once I had to make 160 lamb ouzis in a single day. It was an extreme amount of food.

Al Seef Village Mall, Abu Dhabi, daily 11.30am to 11.30pm. Tel: (02) 4474489. Taxi: Al Seef Village Mall, near Khalifa Park. zaytinya.ae