Riyadh: Italian food lovers in Saudi Arabia may want to consider changing their travel plans to include Katif, a small coastal city that is about to get major culinary upgrades, as the first fine dining restaurant is preparing to open the door.
Saudi Chef Ali Al-Jishi is a 23-year-old graduate of The Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, and after studying under acclaimed Italian chef Francesco Gasbarro in training scenes for the TV series The Bear, he launches Osteria Dal Nonno. The restaurant is expected to open in about three months at QATIF's C-Front.
He had long ambitions to study at culinary school, but Aljisi's parents convinced him that it could lead to success, he said. After eventually winning them, he traveled to Switzerland in 2019 as part of the first batch of the Kingdom's Cultural Scholars students.
“I thought it would be easier,” Aljisi said. “We're just going to cook and eat food.” But no, that's not the case at all. ”
The training included every detail of what is needed to run a restaurant, from the nutritional value of all ingredients to accounting.
Aljisi did his first internship in Geneva under Gasbaro, which has two Michelin stars, and has Bib Gourmand from Osteria dela Bottega.
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•The training included every detail of what is needed to run a restaurant, from the nutritional value of all ingredients to accounting.
•He had long ambitions to study at culinary school, but Ali Al Jisi's parents convinced him that it could lead to a successful career.
•After eventually winning them, he traveled to Switzerland in 2019 as part of a batch of students of the Kingdom's first cultural scholarship.
“The first three months were extremely difficult. He didn't allow me to cook in the kitchen,” Aljisi said.
“I started downstairs in a small room under the kitchen. It was very dark,” Aljisi said. “He gave me 20 kilos of cherry tomatoes every day. He asked me to pick up leaves from the parsley stems.
Gasbaro attempted to scare him out of his cooking career, reaching the end of his six-month internship with “no one there” and announced most resignations or failures after a few months. He also expressed doubt about how young Saudi Arabia will be carried in high-end Italian kitchens.
After three months of rigorous training that could have come straight out of the “bear,” Aljisi finally moved to the kitchen, and finally successfully completed her six-month internship.
“He was very strict, but it was actually a good thing. I learned more from the internship than I did in college,” Aljisi said. “I went into the restaurant on my first day as someone and I left as someone else.”
Aljisi knew he wanted to return to Saudi Arabia and open a fine restaurant in his hometown. And he knew it wanted it in a place where you could enjoy authentic Italian food and a high-end dining experience. He said the restaurant's name nodded to his student days.
“Everyone saw me getting obsessed with Italian food and Italians, so they asked me: “Do you have someone Italian in your family?” “Yes, my grandfather is Italian.”
Therefore, Osteria Dal Nonno (grandpa's restaurant) was born.
Everything on the menu is made from scratch, including 12 different pasta, and every dish is meticulously curated. Aljisi gave him a sneak peak on what to expect from Arab news.
One of the distinctive dishes is Gnudi. Ricotta dumplings with burnt onions, butter sauce and mushroom cream.
The chef also highlighted Italian dried-aged steak, served in a bed of arugula salad and grilled on charcoal topped with Parmesancha and balsamic vinegar, and slow-cooked beef teak served with dark chocolate and smoked mozzarella cheese in a homemade focal point.
Desserts include “special” gelatos, including classic tiramisu, creme brurie and the Italian basil, a favorite of Arjisi.
The breakfast dishes are inspired by Greek, French and local Katifi cuisine. For example, the beloved Qatifi Breakfast Dish Siwiya has won an Italian remix and is made with Angel Hair Pasta.
Aljisi mainly focuses on Saudi talent, particularly Katifis' employment. He hopes to be able to contribute to the city's growth and said the restaurant is to give Katif people a place where they can celebrate marriage, graduation or good nights locally.
“I want people to see how Katifichev does big things,” he added.
In December, Aljisi opened a pop-up at QATIF's C-Front for three weeks, testing some of the food along with the crowd, making it a hot topic. The first few days were a bit difficult as many people were new to authentic Italian cuisine and kept asking for “pink sauce” or “chicken pasta”. However, when they tried out his authentic offerings, Al-jishi was making pasta for over 300 people a day with friends.
Reflecting his own internship experience, Aljisi hopes that Osteria dal Nonno will become a place where other students and culinary alumni can spend their time studying. He has already called to discuss future internships with Alcobar's Zad Saudi Culinary Academy.
Aljisi also opens take-out and delivery-only breadcrumbs and curry (serves katsu curry).
As if that wasn't enough, Aljisi held several cooking courses in 2024, with five for children and one for adults. “I want people to see how cooking can change the way you feel inside,” he said.
In that respect, Aljisi hopes one day opens his own academy where people can learn to cook pastries, baked goods, pasta and even Arabic dishes.
“Arabic cuisine is not easy, so we should not forget about Arabic cuisine,” he said. “I still can't say I'm good at it. It's more difficult for me than Italian food.”
