Bentley’s taste for luxury and opulence was on full display when it celebrated the Middle Eastern launch of the new Continental GT. Instead of going the traditional auto show route, the British automaker chose to celebrate the Continental GT’s launch in the market by opening a fine-dining restoring atop Jebel Jais, the tallest mountain in the United Arab Emirates, at an altitude of almost 6,400 feet above sea level. World-renowned chef Colin Clague was also brought in to help create the restaurant’s menu. Plague combined traditional British and Middle Eastern cuisines in creating a five-course meal that was served to the restaurant’s guests. About the only downside to the restaurant was that it closed down after only seven days of operation.

You almost never see an automaker go to these lengths for the sake of a car launch, and yet, this is Bentley we’re talking about here. There’s nothing normal in the way the British luxury car brand operates. This is the same company that has outfitted hotels, lodges, and private luxury homes with a signature British style that has stood the test of time, money, and influence.

In my head, somewhere over in Crewe, England, somebody suggested the idea of opening a fine-dining restaurant atop the Jebel Jais, and after careful deliberations, the company’s decision-makers signed off on the idea with the caveat to turn the restaurant into a full-blown spectacle. So the automaker decided to align the restaurant idea with the launch of the Continental GT, a fitting synergy considering how important — and popular — the Continental GT is in the Middle Eastern market.

From there, the focus turned ton actually building the restaurant and tapping somebody to run it. On that end, Bentley didn’t just hire any chef for the job. Chef Clague was up to the task, creating a five-course meal that fuses traditional British and Middle Eastern cuisine.

As expected, the once-in-a-lifetime chance to be involved in this project was too good of an opportunity to pass up. “Working with Bentley on such an innovative project has been a very unique experience,” Clague said. “Over the course of my career I’ve worked in many kitchens in many countries across the globe, but I’ve never served dinner in a completely bespoke restaurant on the highest mountain in the UAE. It’s certainly a moment I will never forget.”

Unfortunately, the restaurant isn’t taking any more reservations because Bentley already closed it — seven days after opening it. That’s the sad reality here. The restaurant was a pop-up boutique that was built to help celebrate the launch of the new Continental GT. It was never meant to be a permanent, self-sustaining, fine-dining restaurant because, really, who would go there in the first place?

Intentions notwithstanding, the short-lived, fine-dining restaurant atop Jebel Jais accomplished its mission of introducing the new Continental GT to the Middle Eastern market. Bentley probably didn’t have to go that far to get the message across, but since when has this brand settled for anything less than a spectacle?

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2018 Bentley Continental GT.