From El Bulli–level precision to Dubai’s first dessert-only tasting journeys, Chef Carmen Rueda has turned pastry into theatre—where light, sound, temperature and story shape flavour.
Origins of a modern pastry auteur
Carmen Rueda’s career spans the world’s most exacting kitchens and R&D labs, but her North Star is disarmingly simple: make flavour feel. In Dubai, that ethos crystallised as BRIX Journey—a chef-led counter experience where desserts arrive as chapters, not courses, each with its own temperature, texture, and tone. Reviewers call it a trip “around the world,” guided by story as much as taste. What's On
When pastry becomes performance
At BRIX Journey, the room is part of the recipe. Guests sit at the counter while the team plates and narrates—pacing is deliberate, aromas are cued, and pairings reset the palate between bites. The newest menu direction, The Silk Road, leans into travel and trade routes, offered on select nights with a fixed capacity—an appointment with wonder rather than a casual dessert. Time Out Dubai
Seasons, told in four movements
Earlier chapters of the Journey explored The Seasons, a four-course menu that What’s On described as “multi-sensory”—taste, smell, sight, touch, and hearing working in chorus. Guests sit front-row to the pastry lab while Chef Carmen and team narrate Summer, Winter, Autumn, and Spring in little bites and sips. What's On
Recognition at the highest level
In April 2025, Carmen was named MENA’s Best Pastry Chef by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants—formal recognition of what Dubai diners already knew: hers is a rare combination of technical exactness and emotional intent. The citation lauds her ability to “stimulate all the senses” and take guests on a journey through dessert. 50B - Restaurants - GLOBAL
Beyond the harbour: collaborations & pop-ups
That same obsession with narrative scaled beautifully outside the BRIX room. In Abu Dhabi’s Empty Quarter, the 3Fils × BRIX collaboration delivered a 12-course degustation in three acts—The Odyssey, The Expedition, The Discovery—with five crafted beverages across the evening. It drew national attention for its cinematic setting and meticulous pacing. The National
Building a pastry culture for the city
Carmen’s influence reaches past the counter. BRIX Café at ME Dubai extends the craft to mornings: laminated viennoiserie, dialed-in coffee, and a pastry-first menu inside Zaha Hadid’s sculptural hotel—an everyday canvas for her team’s precision. Good Food Middle East
A flavour-first manifesto
- Less sugar, more sense. Sweetness underwrites flavour; it never drowns it.
- Pairings as punctuation. Acidity, tannin, temperature—and sometimes aroma—reset the palate so you remember each course as a distinct memory.
- Technique in service of feeling. Spherification, aeration, and controlled crystallisation show up only if they move the guest emotionally.
- Seasonal, iterative, alive. Menus evolve; returning guests still get surprised.
What diners say (in one line)
“Best dessert experience in Dubai… changed my perception of desserts.” (condensed from public reviews)
Legacy, in motion
Ask Carmen where the journey goes next and she’ll tell you: forward, but familiar. Nostalgia remains the muse; new geographies supply the palette. Whether it’s the Silk Road’s spice trails or a single, perfect croissant at sunrise, her work keeps returning to one idea—dessert can be profound when it’s built to be remembered.