Eleven restaurants in Dubai were awarded the Middle East’s first Michelin stars on Tuesday, as dozens of the city’s restaurants made it into the prestigious gastronomic guide.
Two restaurants have been awarded two stars, a further nine have one star and 14 have been awarded the Bib Gourmand for reasonably priced gourmet cuisine.
Dubai, the commercial center of the United Arab Emirates, joins a growing number of cities worldwide covered by the coveted French listings.
Inspectors spent months visiting restaurants, “from the most elegant and luxurious restaurants run by world-renowned chefs, to the simple bistros run by friendly locals,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin guide, at the announcement event at the Dubai Opera.
“This is a historic moment for Dubai and the Michelin guide,” he told AFP.
69 restaurants serving 21 types of cuisine were listed, including Italian, Japanese, Arabic, French and Indian.
Il Ristorante – Niko Romito and STAY by Yannick Alleno, located on Dubai’s Palm development of man-made islands, were the two-star winners.
“I think that should be a game changer,” Firas Fawaz, founder and managing partner of featured restaurant The Artisan, told AFP.
“They have the international standard… that pushes us to go the extra mile to deliver something different from the norm.”
Created in 1900 by brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin of tire manufacturer Michelin, the guide for motorists has become a reference for foodies and is known for making and breaking careers.
Poullenec said Dubai’s 90 percent expat population of 200 nationalities has created an “Epicurian kaleidoscope” in the desert city.
Dubai’s inclusion is a recognition of the diverse nationalities “bringing their experience, background and culture to every single bite,” Issam Kazem, CEO of Dubai’s Ministry of Tourism and Trade, told AFP.
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