DUBAI: Raised on a cattle farm in rural Queensland, Australia, and starting his working life in a butcher’s shop, Ross Shonhan is a man who knows his meat.
After honing his cooking skills in Australia, Shonhan moved to the UK, working at Asia de Cuba and The Dorchester, before moving to the US, where he helped launch Nobu Dallas as executive chef.
But it was his return to London — and a shift towards modern Japanese cuisine — that was a defining point in his career, Shonhan says. As executive chef at ZUMA London, he deepened his understanding of Japanese technique, and eventually founded the Bone Daddies Group in 2011, which quickly gained a following for its ramen bars and creative approach to Japanese comfort food.
More recently, Shonhan brought his fire-driven cooking style to the UAE, founding Netsu in Dubai and Strawfire in Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental — a restaurant that blends Japanese technique with bold, open-flame cooking.
Strawfire is in Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental. (Supplied)
When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?
Trying to overcomplicate things. When you are young and eager, you want to impress, so you layer flavors, technique or garnishes, and often forget that restraint is just as powerful. Over time, I’ve learned to trust great ingredients.
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
Taste everything as you go. It sounds basic, but it’s amazing how many people season once at the end and hope for the best. Some slow-cooked foods, for example, taste better when they’ve been seasoned throughout the process.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
Acid — like citrus juice or a good vinegar. Whether it’s a splash of rice vinegar in a salad or a bit of aged balsamic, acid lifts everything. It balances richness, sharpens flavors, and gives a dish structure. It’s a critical part of the seasoning process.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
Not consciously, but when you’ve been in kitchens and restaurants your whole life, it’s hard not to notice the details.
Strawfire is in Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental. (Supplied)
What’s the most-common issue that you find in other restaurants?
The biggest issue is inconsistency.
What’s your favorite cuisine to eat?
I tend to gravitate towards simple places that execute well. I have some great Iranian restaurants near where I live and some brilliant Thai restaurants too. So, just family-run restaurants that have been going for years.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
Rice noodles with courgette, chili and fish sauce. It’s light and heathy but very tasty. It’s actually my wife’s recipe. It’s a mid-week staple.
What customer request or behavior most annoys you?
I don’t mind requests. Food is personal. But I find it tough when people don’t respect the team. We work hard to create an experience, and hospitality is a two-way street. A bit of kindness costs nothing and I think you can judge a person on how they treat their waiter.
What’s your favorite dish to cook?
Anything cooked over fire. It connects me to my childhood in the Australian outback. There’s something timeless about cooking with flame; it strips things back to instinct and makes food taste more alive.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
Creating a well-made broth requires patience, balance and discipline. It takes time and skill to develop the layers of flavor. That’s also applicable to making sauces.
As a head chef, what are you like?
I’d say I’m direct, but not constantly shouting. Firm but fair, maybe. Kitchens are intense enough without unnecessary drama. I want my team to feel supported and clear about expectations. I value honesty, effort and curiosity, and I try to create an environment where people want to grow.
Chef Ross’ spaghetti mentaiko recipe
Chef Ross’ spaghetti mentaiko. (Supplied)
For the Mentaiko mixture:
100g mentaiko
30g grapeseed oil
2g smoked sweet paprika powder
For the spaghetti:
132g mentaiko mixture
200g butter
320g spaghetti (dry)
40g parmigiana (grated)
160g cream 35%
8g salt
Juice from a half lemon
Zest from a half lemon
20g chives (finely chopped)
8g kizami nori
60g pasta water
Step 1
Place a pot with water without salt on the stove and bring it to a boil.
Then cook the pasta according to the package directions or preferences.
Step 2
While the spaghetti cooks, start with the mentaiko mixture.
The whole mentaiko comes in the roe sack which has a tough outer skin. Cut the skin in, and scrape the roe with a spoon from the skin, then add it into a mixing bowl.
Add the smocked paprika powder, grapeseed oil and grated parmigiana in and mix everything gently with a spatula and keep it on the side.
Step 3
Place a pan on the stove and add the cream, salt and butter, then heat it up slowly until the butter has melted.
Step 4
Add the cooked spaghetti to the pan with the cream and butter mixture.
Stir until the sauce is nice and creamy. If the sauce starts to curdle or thickens too much, add a little bit from the pasta water until the sauce reaches a smooth consistency again.
Step 5
Add the spaghetti and sauce to the mixing bowl containing the mentaiko mixture, add the juice of half a lemon, and mix gently. (Chopsticks or a meat fork work well for mixing this). You can add a little more pasta water If the sauce becomes too thick again.
Step 6
For serving, we recommend using a meat fork and a large spoon and twist the spaghetti into a nest then place it in the center of your plate. Distribute the chives and kizami nori over the spaghetti and grate a little lemon zest over it.
