Why UAE chefs want to see a 'Michelin Guide' in Australia, India and South Africa next

The Michelin Guide Dubai was unveiled on Tuesday, with 11 restaurants laying claim to the coveted stars. The guide was a long time coming to our shores, with foodies rooting for it for years on end.

Another destination that UAE chefs would like Michelin to train its sights on is Australia.

Chef Gregoire Berger of Ossiano — which won one stars as part of the first Dubai guide — tells The National: “I think it’s totally crazy it still doesn’t have a Michelin presence. For decades, Australia has been home to some absolutely stunning and very special restaurants, and the country has an endemic gastronomy scene that’s completely unique to it.”

Brae in Birregurra and Attica in Melbourne are two restaurants that Carlos Frunze, executive chef at Teible, would place his bets on. “Brae deserves a Michelin star for its philosophy of showing respect to nature by using local and seasonal ingredients. Chef Dan Hunter has his own farm on-site and all the produce is presented on the plate indiscriminately.

"Attica, too, has a special place in my heart, as its approach is like no other in the world.”

Celebrity chef Greg Malouf, who was born in Melbourne to Lebanese parents, names his country of birth as deserving of its own Michelin Guide. “The parameters are consistency, quality, flavour and technique. The major cities in Australia have no problem in capturing the essence of these Michelin-set criteria. The country is well represented by different food cultures at the highest level, and the produce absolutely shines,” says Malouf, whose latest project involved curating the menu of Bushra by Buddha-Bar at Grosvenor House, Dubai.

Akmal Anuar is another in-the-know chef who believes Australian restaurants deserve to be in the Michelin Guide. The founder of 11 Woodfire and former chef of 3Fils (which won the top spot on Mena’s 50 Best Restaurants list) says: “Australia is a self-sufficient country with its own agriculture and marine life. It constantly emphasises sustainability.

“Old-generation chefs such as Tetsuya Wakuda and Neil Perry changed the dynamics of gastronomy, most notably in Sydney, and inspired the rest of the country to use local produce, while new-generation chefs, such as Dan Hunter of Brae and Ben Shewry of Attica, showcase interesting techniques as well as incorporating seasonal produce into their menus.”

Other countries that deserve a 'Michelin Guide'

Places such as India, Mexico, Turkey and Vietnam — the cuisines of all of which are making waves across the globe — are also yet to welcome the Michelin Guide.

Other than Australia, chef Berger says he’d like to see South Africa represented in the guide. “The country has a deep-rooted culinary identity that’s extremely complex and interesting. The fine-dining scene has been on the rise over the past decade, and the country’s unique mix of cultures and fantastic produce have given rise to a cuisine I don’t think can be found anywhere else in the world.”

Meanwhile, chef Jitin Joshi, who worked at the Michelin-starred Benares restaurant in Mayfair, London, hopes the guide will eventually go to India and draw attention to the country’s diverse flavours.

“Once Michelin covers places like India and the Middle East, it will shed light on the great restaurants operating in those regions, which will further uplift their cuisines, work wonders for tourism and motivate chefs to raise the bar,” says Joshi.

Teible’s chef Frunze says he’d like to see a Michelin Guide for Mexico. “One of my favourite restaurants is Pujol, where chef Enrique Olvera offers a taco omakase using foraged ingredients and traditions to produce the most amazing meals," says Frunze.

“Another restaurant I’d vote for would be Sud777, where chef Edgar Nunez reinterprets Mexican home-cooked classics into fine dining.

“Mexico as a whole has such a unique heritage and great gastronomic history. Chefs are taking on the challenge of bringing forgotten techniques and recipes back to life and interpreting them in modern ways.”

Mena's 50 Best Restaurants list — in pictures

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What is the FNC?

The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.

Main report

Ten years on, the UAE's stateless people reflect on how life has improved and on the challenges ahead

Results

2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)

2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili

3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson

3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer

4pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Rakeez, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar

4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly

Coal Black Mornings

Brett Anderson

Little Brown Book Group

Pakistan squad

Sarfraz (c), Zaman, Imam, Masood, Azam, Malik, Asif, Sohail, Shadab, Nawaz, Ashraf, Hasan, Amir, Junaid, Shinwari and Afridi

School uniforms report

Dh1,000 for a four-year-old: private schools' uniform policy leaves families out of pocket

Results

5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,000m, Winner: Hazeem Al Raed, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)

5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,000m, Winner: Ghazwan Al Khalediah, Hugo Lebouc, Helal Al Alawi

6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Dinar Al Khalediah, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi.

6.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Faith And Fortune, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Only Smoke, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: AF Ramz, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi.

8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: AF Mass, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.

Sinopharm vaccine explained

The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.

“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.

"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."

This is then injected into the body.

"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.

"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."

The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.

Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.

“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.

On Women's Day

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Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Why UAE chefs want to see a 'Michelin Guide' in Australia, India and South Africa next

Of the countries that don’t yet have their own guide, Australia may well be the most surprising of them all

Other countries that deserve a 'Michelin Guide'

Mena's 50 Best Restaurants list — in pictures

Company%C2%A0profile

What is the FNC?

Main report

Results

Pakistan squad

School uniforms report

Results

Sinopharm vaccine explained

On Women's Day

Avatar: Fire and Ash