'Michelin Guide' is coming to Abu Dhabi in November

The Michelin Guide is officially coming to Abu Dhabi.

Less than three months after 11 restaurants in Dubai were awarded Michelin stars, the guide is expanding its UAE reach to include Abu Dhabi.

The list of restaurants will be announced in November, officially under the Michelin Guide Abu Dhabi 2023.

We don't yet know if the capital will have a selection of Bib Gourmand, one, two or three-starred establishments. One Michelin star is awarded to restaurants for “high-quality cooking that is worth a stop", two Michelin stars for “excellent cooking that is worth a detour", and three Michelin stars for “exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey".

Scroll through the gallery below to see chefs' predictions on which Abu Dhabi restaurants deserve a place in the 'Michelin Guide'

Indian restaurant Ushna at The Souk at Qaryat Al Beri. Photo: Philip Cheung / The National
Aloo channa chat at Ushna. Photo: Philip Cheung / The National
Talea by Antonio Guida. Photo: Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace
Nolu's, which has various outlets in Abu Dhabi, serves a mix of Afghani and Californian dishes. Photo: Fatima Al Marzooqi / The National
Japanese restaurant Otoro at Al Qana. Seen here, tempura prawn maki, Photo: Otoro
Japanese restaurant Niri at Mamsha Al Saadiyat. Photo: Khushnum Bhandari/ The National
Yakitori dishes at Niri. Photo: Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Zuma at The Galleria Al Maryah Island. Photo: Zuma Abu Dhabi
Dynamite spider roll at Zuma in Abu Dhabi.

Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list refers to restaurants that provide “value-for-money three-course meals”, that is, venues where diners can enjoy several courses under a certain amount (which varies depending on a city’s cost of living).

"Everywhere in the world, our inspectors are constantly on the field to monitor the evolution of the culinary scene and that is the case for Abu Dhabi as well; our inspectors have been working on the ground here for more than six years," Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, tells The National.

Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the 'Michelin Guides', and Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General for Tourism at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, at the 'Michelin Guide Abu Dhabi' launch on September 6, 2022. Photo: Michelin

His focus on "local, casual eateries" could suggest that Abu Dhabi will have a number of Bib Gourmand entries and that regional cuisine will be in the spotlight.

"Our inspectors are monitoring the evolution of the quality of the restaurants. They have found very creative restaurants run or operated by renowned chefs, as well as more and more local, casual eateries offering a great food experience at an affordable price, especially offering Middle Eastern cuisine."

The Abu Dhabi list is not finalised, and won't be until just before the list is released. "It's a never-ending process," says Poullennec. In a message aimed at the capital's restaurateurs, he joked that they should "watch out" as the inspectors are still on the ground and will be "among their regular guests".

"Our inspectors are always open-minded, we do not have set numbers or a quota, so they are assessing the quality of restaurants, whether they are luxury or local and casual, to be able to put a spotlight on the most talented teams and restaurants," he says.

When asked what makes Abu Dhabi's food scene distinctive from Dubai's, Poullennec gave a guarded response, saying: "It is too early to say, but each destination is adding its own personality to the world food scene."

The Michelin Guide Abu Dhabi was announced at an event on Tuesday held at Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort. When asked if hosting the event at a Jumeirah venue suggests we could see outlets run by the hotel chain on the list, Poullennec said: "It means absolutely nothing, our inspectors are fiercely independent."

Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General for Tourism at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said of the Michelin Guide Abu Dhabi launch: “Abu Dhabi offers an incredibly rich and diverse culinary scene, representing flavours from around the world.

"Therefore, we are proud and excited to discover the first edition of Michelin Guide Abu Dhabi this November, which will strengthen our growing reputation as an emerging centre of culinary excellence. By sharing Abu Dhabi with the world this way, we can also introduce an array of inspiring, exciting and restoring experiences that visitors can find at their own pace.”

The guide's selection will be made according to Michelin's methodology applied all over the world, based on its universally applied set of five criteria:

Quality of the ingredients
Mastery of cooking
Harmony of flavours
Personality of the chef through the cuisine
Consistency both over time and across the entire menu

Like the Dubai guide, it will be digital, meaning the full selection of restaurants will be available to see for free on the Michelin website and app. When asked if a merged UAE guide was a possibility, Poullennec explains the app flags Michelin restaurants based on your location. So the lists will, for now, remain distinct, but the app will have a more holistic restaurant recommendation approach.

Michelin-starred restaurants in Dubai — in pictures

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Tamkeen's offering

Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
Option 2: 50% across three years
Option 3: 30% across five years

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.	United States
2.	China
3.	UAE
4.	Japan
5	Norway
6.	Canada
7.	Singapore
8.	Australia
9.	Saudi Arabia
10.	South Korea

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Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting

- Don’t do it more than once in three days

- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days

- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode

- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well

- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days

- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates

- Manage your sleep

- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting

- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem

Rating: 4/5

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