The definitive guide to fine dining in Dubai

Are you baffled by the bewildering and ever-expanding choice of fine dining restaurants in Dubai? Then help could be on the way in the form of the city's very own Michelin Guide.

The distinctive red books have helped gourmands find the best bouillabaisse, lobster thermidor and moules á l'escargot since the first was launched in France in 1900.

The guides now cover 20 countries in Europe plus cities in the US and Tokyo. Michelin's first Chinese guide, focusing on Hong Kong and Macau, is due out in December.

The books, with their famous star rating system, are regarded by many as the definitive authority on the dining world. They cover both high-end restaurants and more humble establishments, and the 86 inspectors are full-time Michelin employees who operate anonymously and pay all their bills.

Chefs swear by the guides and many believe it is only a matter of time before a Dubai edition appears – and the publishers have told Emirates Business the city is definitely on their radar. Dubai has 10 restaurants run by Michelin-star chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Gary Rhodes and Matsuhisa Nobu, with more set to open. And more than 30 chefs with experience at Michelin-star restaurants work in the city.

"It's true there are good restaurants in Dubai and it is an option in the coming years to have inspectors there," says Michelin Guides' Director Jean-Luc Naret. "But for the time being it's much too early to say when.

"Dubai has very good restaurants offering high quality food. Also several renowned chefs have opened restaurants there, so it is an interesting place as far as food is concerned."

Uwe Micheel, President of Emirates Culinary Guild and Executive Chef at the Radisson SAS Dubai Creek, says the culinary scene has transformed in the 16 years since he moved to the city. He came to the InterContinental Hotel Dubai Creek – now the Radisson SAS – and was initially the only chef in Dubai to have worked at a Michelin-star restaurant.

"In the first two or three years I had George Blanc and Alain Ducasse – both multi-Michelin-star chefs – at the hotel and it was talked about for the six months," he says.

"Recently I had two Michelin-star chefs and no one talked about it. People are used to celebrity chefs coming to Dubai."

At the moment Dubai has the Time Out and What's On guides as well as restaurant reviews in the local press. Micheel says these are important but a Michelin Guide would set new standards for the industry.

"I am pretty sure that before long the Michelin inspectors will come to Dubai because now there are many chefs opening restaurants here who have one, two and three stars in other countries," he adds.

"Dubai is a very cosmopolitan and international hub, a lot of people here travel and have experience of good restaurants around the world. Having a Michelin Guide will put pressure on the top places to get better with a lot of owners working harder to win a Michelin star. This would improve the quality of restaurants, which will in turn attract investors." Micheel was chef de partie at Le Soufflé in London's InterContinental Hotel under Peter Kromberg when it was awarded a Michelin star in 1985.

"It was a great experience and a very big motivator for the team. We had three chefs who wanted to leave but we all stayed."

One of the first candidates for recognition here is likely to be Gordon Ramsay's Verre at the Hilton Dubai Creek, the first restaurant in the city to be opened by a Michelin-star chef.

Luca Gagliardi, restaurant manager at Verre, says: "We are all aware of the economic boom and forthcoming developments in Dubai as well as the demand for more restaurants. I expect we will be seeing a lot more refined restaurants in years to come.

"I am sure Verre would be Michelin's first priority given Gordon Ramsay is a renowned Michelin-star chef and Verre was his first restaurant venture outside the UK.

"Other stand-out contenders would be Reflets par Pierre Gagniere, Rhodes Mezzanine by Gary Rhodes, Café Chic, Le Classique and other big names that have recently opened such as Nobu, Santi Santamaria, Giorgio Locatelli and the soon to be opened Le Caprice Holdings, which runs the world-renowned Ivy and Le Caprice in London's West End."

Gagliardi says the Michelin Guide is very important as it is a trusted name worldwide and can lead to an increase in business.

He says: "It would put Dubai on the map with Europe and New York. It would also pose a challenge to chefs to up their game and raise the standards higher than they already are today.

"It involves the highest levels of commitment, hard work, passion and an investment of time and money."

Christian Gradnitzer, executive chef at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, says training is an important part of the fine- dining sector. "Dubai has young, talented chefs who have clearly demonstrated their skills and we will continue to train them in-house," he says.

"Dubai is going to be ready for the Michelin inspectors and we would be very excited to have a Michelin Guide for the city. It would mean a lot to the chefs but would also mean an increase in customers and therefore be better for business in general."

Yet having a constellation of stars is not always a passport to success. Gordon Ramsey opened Amaryllis in Glasgow in 2001 to rave reviews but closed it in 2004 after losing £480,000 (Dh3.2m) in just three years of trading.

Georgio Locatelli is the latest Michelin-star chef to open a restaurant in Dubai. He says it would be a natural step for the guide to come here. "This is something Michelin would consider when they are looking for a new place," says the Italian.

Locatelli says that giving chefs a chance to win a Michelin star is like an athlete getting Olympic gold.

But Micheel has a word of warning for chefs in Dubai hoping to one day experience that dream. He says: "It is more difficult to keep a star than to get it."



Michelin-star chefs in Dubai 

- Twelve-star chef Gordon Ramsay, Verre, Hilton Dubai Creek

- Six-star Gary Rhodes, Rhodes Mezzanine, Grosvenor House

- Three-star Santi Santamaria, Ossiano, Atlantis The Palm

- Three-star Nobu Matsuhisa, Nobu, Atlantis The Palm, with partner Robert De Niro

- Three-star Pierre Gagnaire, Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire, InterContinental Hotel, Festival City

- Two-star Philippe Gauvreau, Café Chic, Meridien Hotel

- Two-star Giorgio Locatelli, Ronda Locatelli, Atlantis, The Palm

- One-star Vineet Bhatia, Indego, Grosvenor House, Dubai Marina

- Former three-star chef Marco Pierre White, Frankie's Lounge and Grill, Al Fattan Marine Tower

- Matthew Pickop, Executive Chef, Verre – worked with Gordon Ramsay at Claridges

- Olivier Biles, Head Chef, Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire

- Christian Gradnitzer, Executive Chef, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, served at a Michelin-star restaurant in Austria

- Nourdine Akalai, chef at Almaz by Momo, Mall of the Emirates

- Rainer Becker, chef and restaurateur who opened Zuma at DIFC in September – began career at Michelin-star restaurant in Munich

- Stephane Buchholzer, head chef at Tang, Mina Seyahi has worked at five Michelin-star restaurants in France

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