Is Dubai ready for its own Michelin Guide?
Fine cuisine restaurants are attracting attentions from foodies
DUBAI is a foodie’s paradise. From delectable fine dining to scrumptious street-food offerings, you can eat your way around the city and still find space for dessert. So what is missing? A Michelin Guide of course. Rumors have been swirling that the city is set to get its very own Michelin rating system, sparked by comments made by Michael Ellis, international director of Michelin Guides, at the Global Restaurant Investment Forum last year. Ellis said his company was on its way to creating a guide specifically for Dubai, but remained tightlipped on the details.
Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants of outstanding quality in what is known as the Michelin Red Guide, with one star awarded to restaurants with very good cooking in their category, two stars for restaurants with excellent cooking, and the coveted three stars going to restaurants with exceptional cuisine. Michelin awards and retracts stars annually based on visits by their anonymous inspectors, whose grading methodology is a closely guarded secret.
The prestigious French guide actually began as a handy guidebook for Michelin tire customers in France in 1900. It was the brainchild of the Michelin brothers, who sought to “provide motorists traveling through France with all the useful information to supply their automobile, to fix it, where to sleep and eat, and which means exist to communicate, by mail, telegraph or telephone,” according to Christie’s auction house, which put a set of guides under the hammer in 2016.
Fast forward to the 21st century, and food buffs the world over may have spurted out their soup in shock when two street-food hawkers in Singapore became the world’s first such eateries to gain Michelin stars. Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice And Noodle, and fellow street-food stand Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodles, were awarded one star each in the Michelin Guide Singapore.
The push eastward is relatively recent, as until 2006 Michelin’s country guides only covered Europe. The hot question now is whether the cultural and culinary melting pot of Dubai is next on the list. It is home to eateries headed by a slew of Michelin- star chefs, but the city is yet to boast a restaurant with a sparkling star of its own as they can only be awarded in places where Michelin Red Guides are published.
Although Michelin declined comment, telling Arab News they do not remark on potential development strategy, one Dubai-based restaurant critic and writer thinks the time has come for the city to be recognized for its food chops.
“The food and beverage industry in Dubai has well and truly come of age in the last two years or so. There have been noises about how vibrant the restaurant scene here is for a long time, but it’s only now that it has acquired a gravitas that’s worthy of recognition by the likes of Michelin,” Sudeshna Ghosh told Arab News.
Ghosh points to the emergence of original, high-quality, homegrown concepts, and a shift away from restaurants being run by hotels, as reasons behind the uptick in excitement over the local food scene. “However,” she cautioned, “it’s important to note that it’s early days, and it will take some time before there’s a critical mass of restaurants that offer a Michelin-quality experience comparable to, say, New York or Paris.”
The industry insider tips her head to several Dubai-based restaurants that she thinks are strong contenders for a star. “Play, and the sister venue The Experience, are definitely strong contenders. Zuma, the only venue on the World’s 50 Best list, is also a definite. Apart from that, I’d say some that are worth looking into are Tresind/Carnival by Tresind; Hakkasan; La Petite Maison; Novikov; and Aseelah, which serves up Emirati food.”