Robert, tell me, where did such a sonorous and interesting name come from for a restaurant?
Bece (BiCE) is a diminutive form of the name Beatrice. That was my mother’s name. This feminine name is very popular in Tuscany, where my family and I come from. My mother opened the first restaurant in 1926, and there was a very funny story behind this discovery. My father and mother grew up in poor Italian families. My father was born in 1896, and in 1915, like many Italians then, he decided to leave to work in the USA. There he got a job on the construction of railways. But since he was a smart guy, after a while he managed to open a small bar and restaurant.
A year later, he was planning to go back to Italy to bring some of the money he earned to his parents, but the First World War was in Europe, and she decided to live in the USA for some more time. In 1919 he returned to Italy, because by that time he had already given the word to my mother that he would marry her. With money earned in America, he looked like a rich man among the poor living in our town. In general, he married my mother, they had a daughter - my sister. Soon, my father was going to America again, but my mother was the eldest in a family with ten children. She needed to work to help her parents. And then she told her father that there is a city nearby called Milan. For her, it was the same as America. She asked her father to try to open a restaurant in Milan, and if this does not bring any income, then they will all go to America. In 1926, they arrived in Milan and, with my father’s money, opened the first small trattoria. This is where the story of BiCE began.
How did you become a restaurateur?
Oh, I think it's in my blood. In 1976, like my father, I also went to America in search of a better life. And then he returned to Milan and began to develop a network of BiCE restaurants around the world. Today, our BiCE network has 25 restaurants, and I hope that over time there will be even more.
What brings you to the Middle East?
This is another interesting story. In 1996, I was invited to Abu Dhabi and Dubai to look at the opening location of the future restaurant. When I saw the endless desert and two cities, I said: "Goodbye! Thank you, I'm not interested." In 1999, a good friend of our family, the general manager of the Hilton International hotel chain, told me that a new hotel on the beach was opening soon in Dubai and invited me to come.
Since he previously worked as manager of the Hilton Hotel in Milan and visited BiCE almost every day, I agreed. And again flew to Dubai. And again I saw nothing interesting for myself. But since he asked me very much, I decided to do him a favor and open BiCE in the new Hilton Jumeirah hotel. But then I did not even expect that the restaurant would become so popular and would bring me profit.
So, did you agree to open the second restaurant in Souk Al Bahar right away?
Dubai quite suddenly turned from an “ugly duckling” into a “beautiful swan”! And of course, everyone today wants to get into this amazing city. We have only two restaurants open here, but we are well represented in the region, as we own BiCE restaurants in Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Qatar; a restaurant in Bahrain is under construction, and in Beirut will be opened in July this year. This market is becoming very important for us.
What sets BiCE apart from other Italian restaurants?
It seems to me that today the restaurant business is based on two main things. The first is customer expectations. Our restaurants are visited by people who do not want to experiment with food; they need a good, warm, almost homely atmosphere. Our clients are JetSetters who meet each other at BiCE in different parts of the world - in Milan, New York, Monte Carlo or Dubai. The second is food and its quality. It should be good and tasty.
I do not want people leaving the BiCE after dinner to say that it was the best gastronomic experience in their life. We will leave these reviews to honorary chefs. It’s important for me that people leaving BiCE can say: “It was a good dinner, and if I am invited here tomorrow, I will go again.” I am pleased with our new location in the Souk Al Bahar mall overlooking the Dubai Fountain and Burj Khalifa Skyscraper. This is the city center, it is very profitable to be here, however, Souk Al Bahar still needs additional promotion. The only thing we asked the contractors when we first saw the project was to provide an open terrace, which was made at our request. Now all guests of not only BiCE, but also neighboring restaurants can enjoy lunch and dinner in the open air. Not like in Italy, of course, but still.
What dishes can you name the most popular in BiCE?
All our dishes are popular with visitors, because they mainly represent traditional Tuscan cuisine - plain, hearty and very tasty. Of course, it is important for us that the food is recognizable, Italian. Therefore, a certain fusion can be traced in the BiCE cuisine between the culinary traditions of different parts of our country. We serve classic Italian dishes with our own "glamorous" accent, because the way the dish is served is also very important. Because people first "eat with their eyes", and then try the food to taste. Any food should be impressive - by its quality, quantity or how it is served.
I respect the food traditions of different nations. For example, for many years, the BiCE restaurant has been operating at the Tokyo Four Seasons Hotel. There, relying on the taste preferences of the Japanese, we had to make a lunch or dinner menu, consisting of 16 dishes. But what kind of dishes are these? One spoonful of spaghetti, one ravioli, two olives and so on.
But the Japanese like it. If the restaurant is in America, then everything is simple - one serving of salad, one main dish. Everything. We have been working in Dubai for more than 10 years, and Roberto Rella, BiCE manager at the Hilton Jumeirah, is well known in the city. He managed to create an excellent wine list and clearly guess the tastes of customers. Thus, we adapt our cuisine to the preferences of visitors.
What do your Russian customers like to eat?
There are many Russians in BiCE restaurants, especially in the USA, in Milan, in Dubai. They do not so much need all kinds of delights, but just good and tasty food. In this they are similar to Italians. Of course, these are wonderful visitors, especially the wealthiest of them, who spend a lot of money on expensive wine and excellent cuisine.
What kind of cuisine do you personally like?
I eat everything. I like a variety of dishes, any cuisine in the world. My taste preferences range from fast food to exquisite dishes of five-star restaurants. With equal pleasure I will eat a hamburger, and Russian borsch, and Japanese teppanyaki. The only condition is to give me a large portion. I do not understand the food that is served with microscopic slices on large plates. That's not mine.
What in the future?
I think a restaurant is good when it is popular. If its popularity fades away, then either you need to change its location, or change something in the restaurant itself. We are a family-owned company, and it is easier for us to respond to many changes, so in the future we will have work to open new points and improve existing ones.
So, see you later. See you, Roberto.
