Four Dubai restaurants awarded new Michelin stars

Four restaurants in Dubai were awarded new Michelin stars last week in the guide’s second year issuing awards in the city.

Tresind Studio received two Michelin stars, while Avatara, Moonrise and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal received one, bringing the total number of starred restaurants in Dubai to 14, up from last year’s 11. None of the winners from last year lost stars.

The list reflects an elevated food scene in the Dubai, which used to be dominated by restaurants that licensed concepts from celebrity chefs. Lately, however, chefs have opened original concepts to acclaim.

Investment from the city’s tourism and economy agency has amplified those efforts. Dubai sponsored Michelin’s arrival here last year in a boost to the city’s appeal to tourists and potential residents. The amount paid by Dubai was undisclosed but was close to what other locations have paid, according to a person familiar with the matter. (Tourism agencies in Florida paid a reported US$1.5 million, or about 52 million baht, to sponsor the guide.)

Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce

Marketing, sees investment into — and recognition of — the restaurant scene as a virtuous circle.

“If this is going to help me create that scene and elevate it to another level, it’ll encourage more people to invest in Dubai, and then those brands will attract more people in,” he said. “If I can give them more reasons to come here every weekend, why not?”

The big winner to come out of this year’s awards was Atlantis the Royal, the splashy new hotel that hired Beyoncé to play at its grand opening party in January. The resort, which uses its celebrity-chef helmed restaurants as a major selling point, is hosting this year’s ceremony and gala.

Five of its restaurants received honours from the guide, including Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, which received one star. Additionally, Dinner’s Arturo Scamardella won the guide’s sommelier award, and chef Ariana Bundy won an award for opening of the year for Ariana’s Persian Kitchen, the first restaurant for the cookbook author and TV presenter.

“Do you know how important it is for us as Iranians to get this award?” Bundy said. “An Iranian woman, an Iranian chef, Iranian food, with what’s happening in the world right now, especially in Iran? It means so much to us, to our ancestors, to everything.”

Chef Himanshu Saini also did well. His Tresind Studio moved up from one star to two, and his Passion F&B group’s Avatara, which is fully vegetarian, received one star.

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Dubai only reached “selected” status; which means recommended but not star-worthy. In Florida’s recent Michelin awards, the outpost there received two stars, the top-ranked restaurant in that market.

This year there were 17 restaurants awarded Bib Gourmands, Michelin’s cheap eats category, including three new restaurants. In Dubai that was defined last year as a place where you can get a three-course meal for around $68.

Next year the amount of Michelin stars in Dubai could well climb higher; a gaggle of chefs with starred restaurants in other countries will open places at the upcoming One Za’abeel hotel, which is slated to open at the end of the year.

And there is some grumbling among chefs and food bloggers around the selections, with some restaurants deemed worthy not making the list.