Hattan Bahadur’s Dining Experiments Are Ugly & Intimate

When the Jeddah community heard of Hattan Bahadur’s intimate dining experiments, word got around. The 26-year-old was making a name for himself after turning his love for baking into coveted social events for his friends, as well as anyone who likes to try new things - from 'Ugly' pop-ups to supper clubs and Valentine’s Day treats.

For his day job, Bahadur is a production manager at a marketing agency, with experience in graphic design and event management. But a few years ago, he worked a stint at Jeddah’s famous Social Bakery, where he built on his childhood love for dessert-making and perfected the ins and outs of the process over four months.

With this training, Bahadur baked special pastries for Valentine’s Day, like a raspberry brownie and a heart-shaped donut filled with raspberry jam. But he wished he could see people’s reactions when they tried his more unique creations, which is how he came up with the idea for an event called ‘Ugly’ in January 2024.

Despite its name, the gathering was quite stunning. “I don’t really like when baked goods are neat and refined,” 26-year-old Bahadur said when asked to explain the event's name. He prefers treats straight out of the oven in their unpolished, organic form. “Ugly in a beautiful way, you know?”

In the inaugural ‘Ugly’, Bahadur hosted a pop-up tasting experience at a cafe called GoodHood with three types of galettes: apple and caramel, peach and almond, and pecan. Everyone was given a tasting card to rate the galette and vote for their favourite. Bahadur planned to produce and sell the winner.

“And then a lot of people told me, ‘Hattan, we love the experience, we've never done something like this. Just please create more’,” Bahadur recalled.
So Bahadur scratched sales and switched gears to curation. Since then, he has hosted a total of five ‘Hattan Experiments’.

Bahadur’s favourite event was the ‘Supper Club’ where he teamed up with chef Marya Kayyal to create a menu based on the mountainous Aseer Province. All of the produce was handpicked from Aseer itself. The region’s in-season fruits and vegetables sat between white candles atop a mirror running down the middle of the table.

Bahadur has also continued to host events for Valentine’s Day, partnering with artists Raghad Al-Ahmad and Hadeel Felemban, and is planning another big one for this upcoming year. In the 2025 edition, participants made gifts for their loved ones from scratch in three different stations—a personalised tote bag, jar of cookies, or sweet message.

Born and raised in Jeddah, Bahadur wanted to connect people across the community through experimental food events that doubled as soirees. “We don't have a lot of these experiences here in Jeddah,” he said. “I started very small, very low-key. People saw it, and wanted to be part of the next one.”

Bahadur has found some of his closest friends through Hattan Experiments, and sees more friendships in its future, and not just in his classic gatherings of no more than 40. He envisions growing to larger dinners and even partnering with companies for curated launch events.
But no matter how big his name gets, he said, he will never abandon the intimate gatherings at the core of Hattan Experiments.