Set in Alserkal Avenue, the region’s leading arts hub, INKED boasts an experimental environment where delectable ingredients are superbly blended to create an engaging eating experience that’ll be hard to forget.
INKED borrows beloved dishes from the city’s favourite menus and changes their arrangement into contemporary, innovative compositions. Conceptual dinners, guest-chef pop-ups and inventive cooking workshops are also organised so as to embrace the artistic side of food.
Entrepreneurs and enthusiastic foodies Kenza and Patrick Jarjour are the creative collaborators behind INKED. “We chose Alserkal Avenue as the compass for our concept because we fundamentally share the same values,” they tell MOJEH in an exclusive interview. “Alserkal Avenue has a strong communal drive that is evident in its special design as well as its chosen tenants. Equally important to our projects and to us is a strong sense of authenticity.
“Essentially, it is a love of creation and of the arts that brought the Alserkal Avenue team together, and we believe this common value is what makes us a great addition to their family, and theirs is a great place for us to make a home.”
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The couple met while at school in Montreal, Canada, and soon bonded over their mutual appreciation of good food and a good story. Patrick’s extensive knowledge in events suited Kenza’s intimate understanding of the culinary arts, although it wasn’t until a trip to Berlin that the concept of INKED started to take form.
“[At INKED] It’s a dinner that has a story which starts from the moment you enter, until the moment you leave. It’s not just about the food or the service or the design of the restaurant. It’s about being immersed into a preconceived theme or concept. As the concept changes, the space, menu, music, service sequence, plating, and décor will change as well. We create the setting, but we let the people make their own scenario.”
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INKED pushes boundaries by blending art with food, which is achieved through the couple’s passion, know-how, and innovative thinking. “We strongly believe that the creation of a dining experience is an artistic endeavor in itself. We believe that art and food are essentially about intention, and there is so much intention in everything we do. The challenges lie in keeping a constant alliance between imagination and rigour.”
But what can visitors really expect during their visit? “[They should] come with no expectations, and to leave INKED. We want our experiences to leave a mark even if they are ephemeral. It is actually where the name INKED derives from. It denotes the marking of a moment in order to leave a meaningful memory.”
Two fully equipped kitchens, a chocolate laboratory and three different event areas regularly host culinary classes, product tastings and demonstrations. Three additional event spaces accommodates various functions, and INKED are equipped with what’s necessary for off-site production services including fashion shows, gala dinners, and private events. “We hope that through our concepts and creations, our guests will get to keep a memory long after the experience has passed.”
