Jamie Oliver 'excited' by Dubai restaurants bid

RESTAURANTS PLAN: Jamie Oliver is opening his first eateries in the Middle East in Dubai. (Getty Images)

British TV chef Jamie Oliver has signed a deal to open two new restaurants in residential Jumeirah Golf Estates project in Dubai, he revealed on Sunday.

The businesses, an Italian and a barbecue-inspired eatery, will both be included in the Water neighbourhood of the development.

The celebrity chef, who also personally designed each kitchen in the homes on the Jumeirah Golf project, said he was excited to be working in Dubai.

"Leisurecorp and (luxury brand) Poggenpohl have allowed me to express myself through these fantastic kitchens which I hope will inspire people to cook good food and entertain. Friends and family round the table is one of the things that I'm passionate about and these kitchens will offer the perfect opportunity to get into cooking and have fun," he said.

Oliver described Dubai as an "amazing" place to open his first Jamie's Italian.

"In the UK, people really love the high-quality, affordable, and authentic Italian food and I know it will be the same in Dubai. The BBQ restaurant will be a new concept and it's something that we'll be developing over the next few months."

Jumeirah Golf Estates is owned by Leisurecorp, a unit of the Dubai government. Leisurecorp was established by Dubai World in July 2006, to identify, acquire and develop sport, leisure and lifestyle-related investments in Dubai and across the world.

In May, Leisurecorp agreed to pay $108m to acquire Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.'s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland to expand its sports unit.

Leisurecorp is planning the world's richest golf championship in Dubai next year with a $10m prize as the climax to the European Golf Tour as the Persian Gulf emirate seeks to attract 15 million visitors a year by 2015. The top 60 players on the European Tour's Race to Dubai will qualify for the tournament in November.

Leisurecorp also owns South Africa's Pearl Valley Golf Estates and shares in Scottsdale, Arizona-based Troon Golf, the course management and marketing company.

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