Jason Atherton is flying high. We’re in the middle of AlUla, home to a UNESCO World Heritage site and more than 22,500km of desert, oasis and mountains, and he grabs his phone to show us a video he took from a helicopter, flying over his most ambitious restaurant yet – Maraya Social.
“I have to show you this,” he beams. “I was looking at Maraya Social and I was thinking ‘how am I the person who is going to open a restaurant in somewhere as important as that?’. It’s just quite insane. I never take it for granted, I’m always humble to experience things like this and it’s a big responsibility”.
A British chef (and one from Sheffield, no less) might not be the first person who comes to mind for one of Vision 2030’s grand projects. It makes sense, however, as Atherton has been cooking up a storm in London, Hong Kong, Greece and, of course, Dubai.
Exciting expansions across the Middle East
Atherton is no stranger to the Middle East – in fact, his first restaurant outside of the UK was Marina Social in Dubai in 2015. Now he’s bringing that same drive to Saudi Arabia. He recalls: “Over the past 20 years, I’ve spent a lot of time in the Middle East. When I opened Gordon Ramsay’s Verre restaurant in Dubai, I just fell in love with the region. I went back to London and would visit on holiday, I missed it that much.”
In Saudi, Atherton’s Maraya Social will serve international fare, mixing British, Mediterranean and Arabian flavours. While the menu draws on that of London eatery City Social, it gives it the AlUla twist.
“You’re not coming to Maraya Social to get mezze with local bread or spiced rice. They’ve been cooking it for thousands of years, how am I going to improve that? We’ve done an adventurous spin on it with desserts, and have a lot of fun with the local citrus and dates. We’re also working on making a date soufflé with baklava ice cream.”
Whoever said nothing grows in the desert clearly hasn’t visited AlUla. Not only is Atherton using local ingredients, but he’s keen to cultivate the land. “We have the chance to have our own chicken farm and our own land. Every single vegetable we need for this type of project, we should be able to grow. Yes – we can get a lot of basics now, but I’m looking at the future and the next two years. It would be my dream to get this sustainable.” Farm Social, anyone?
Inside the dazzling Maraya Social
Maraya Social is located inside Maraya Concert Hall. Photos don’t do this dazzler justice. The mirrored structure looks like it’s just landed in the desert from outer space. There are an impressive 9,740 sqm of mirrors covering the outer wall – shimmering away in the desert.
The night before we meet, Atherton hosts a launch party for the restaurant and we get to see the space in action. The venue is like a box of tricks, shifting moods from one room to another. Inside it’s a sophisticated setting with white tablecloths, emerald-coloured sofas and plants hanging like chandeliers. While outside is where the magic happens, as the mirrors reflect the surrounding beauty, from the night’s sky to the soaring rocks.
With a dedicated DJ booth the finishing touch, this is inner-city sophistication in one of the world’s most untravelled archaeological landscapes. Atherton smiles: “You’re in the middle of nowhere, man. Come and enjoy it. The music is cool, the décor is cool. The outside terrace at night time with all the lit up mountains – come on, it’s history. Dining under the stars has never been so cool.”
Creating a dining destination
As Maraya Social is slap-bang in the heart of the desert, it’s not exactly going to get casual footfall or camel stops. Instead, it’s aiming to become a destination restaurant (think Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck or Ferran Adria’s El Bulli, but on an epic scale). Right now, the place is only open from Wednesday to Saturday. As live concerts resume in Maraya Concert Hall, the team are hoping that hungry customers will find their way upstairs.
Nowadays, many diners want food (and big-name chefs) to come to them, but a niche group are ready to travel for a dining experience. Since it is located 1,100km from Riyadh (or a one-hour 45-minute flight from the capital, to be precise), one of the biggest challenges must be getting bums on seats.
“I’ve got a captive audience, however, to spellbind with my service. It’s such a different thing to what we’ve done before, it’s very difficult to predict, but that’s what makes it more exciting.
“Do we even know if anyone is going to come? You look at it and think, you’ve got to be mental to open a restaurant here.”
A new Saudi spirit
Atherton is now spending more time in Saudi and loving it. Once Maraya Social is running smoothly, he’ll be returning to AlUla every couple of months. “Everyone is so welcoming, they want to show us their traditions and culture. I had these images of oil fields, big roads and massive cities in the middle of it all. I didn’t believe that it could be so beautiful.
“When I speak to people in Saudi, they are so friendly and proud to be Saudis. There is this new Saudi spirit and it’s exciting to be at the beginning. I’m happy for the people of Saudi Arabia that they get to show off their country to the world. For the young kids, they’ve got a golden opportunity to show the world how amazing Saudi Arabia can be.”
When Atherton is not running his food empire, you can find him boxing in the gym from 5am. He trains with Kevin Mitchell, a British former professional boxer. “I’m fifty years old, married with three kids, so I’m not working out to go to a beach to impress a load of ladies. Boxing gives me self-confidence. I am boxing mad, I love it,” he laughs.
When he hangs up his chef whites for the day, his passion for food doesn’t stop. “When I’m on holiday, it’s all about where the next meal is, whether it’s trying the next amazing coffee or searching for little tiny street vendors”.
Atherton’s already checked out Riyadh’s dining scene, visiting the likes of ROKA, but has chosen Jeddah for his next opening, to which he’ll bring the same energy. “Some chefs get bored or it’s just about building a brand. I don’t really care. I’m crazy about food. You have no idea. I always will be until the way I die.”
Open Wed-Sat 6pm-midnight. Maraya Concert Hall, AlUla, marayasocial.com.
