Michelin-starred restaurants in Abu Dhabi: Three top venues awarded stars

The debut Michelin Guide Abu Dhabi was unveiled in a lavish ceremony at Emirates Palace on Thursday. The Abu Dhabi guide comes five months after the UAE got its first red city guide for Dubai.

A total of 42 restaurants made the cut in the capital, with three winning one Michelin star. No restaurant in Abu Dhabi was given two stars and, as with Dubai, none were awarded three stars — something Michelin bestows for what it describes as “exceptional cuisine”.

The restaurants that can now be added to culinary bucket lists are: 99 Sushi Bar & Restaurant, Hakkasan and Talea by Antonio Guida, which got one star each, denoting a very good restaurant in its category, according to the Michelin Guide.

A tartare dish at Michelin-starred restaurant Talea by Antonio Guida. Photo: Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace

“Abu Dhabi's is a rapidly evolving landscape and this is just the kick-off party, a way to ignite the dynamic and raise the bar,” Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, tells The National.

Since its introduction in 1900 by the French tyre company, the Michelin Guide has come to represent restaurants that serve the finest-quality dishes from across the world, with the focus being firmly on the taste of dish, quality of its ingredients and a mastery of cooking, rather than ambience, presentation or price.

Of the restaurants that received an honourable mention in place of a star in this latest city guide, four were also included in the Bib Gourmand category: Almayass, Beirut Sur Mer, Otoro and Tazal.

Yellowtail carpaccio at Otoro, which is one of four Bib Gourmand restaurants in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Otoro

Named after Bibendum, the Michelin Man and the group's official company mascot, the category is “not quite a star, but most definitely not a consolation prize”, says Poullennec. Rather, it recognises “just-as-esteemed establishments” that serve good food at reasonable prices.

Three additional special awards were also announced including the Sommelier Award for Marlon Nuque of Zuma; the Service award for the Li Beirut restaurant team; and the Young Chef Award for Luigi Stinga from Talea by Antonio Guida.

Fittingly, four international Michelin-lauded chefs put together the menu for the evening's celebrations. Simon Rogen, Bjorn Frantzen, Jimmy Ophorst and Cheryl Koh were joined by two chefs from Emirates Palace. The ingredients were sourced by Classic Fine Foods, a supplier of premium ingredients in the UAE, and included oysters, caviar, red snapper and lamb neck.

Restaurants are selected by anonymous food inspectors who are required to travel the world, familiarise themselves with cuisine of all types and eat 300 meals out a year. Inspectors are allowed to cast their vote only once they’ve completed a minimum of three years in the field, says Poullennec.

“The same inspector never visits a place twice, and different inspectors visit a place at different times to monitor consistency,” he explains. “Stars are then allocated based on a collective decision. And this is why for a restaurant that has even just one star, it means a lot to the industry.”

Like its Dubai counterpart, the Abu Dhabi guide is online only.

List of Abu Dhabi restaurants with Michelin stars

99 Sushi Bar & Restaurant, The Galleria Al Maryah Island
Hakkasan, Emirates Palace
Talea by Antonio Guida, Emirates Palace

List of Abu Dhabi restaurants in the Bib Gourmand category

Almayass, The Galleria Al Maryah Island
Beirut Sur Mer, Mamsha Al Saadiyat
Otoro, Al Qana
Tazal, Al Qana

List of restaurants selected for the Michelin Guide Abu Dhabi

Al Mrzab, Al Mushrif
Butcher & Still, Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island
Byblos Sur Mer, InterContinental Abu Dhabi
Cafe James, Shams Boutik
Cafe Milano, Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island
Catch by St Regis, The St Regis Abu Dhabi
Cipriani, Yas Island
Coya Abu Dhabi, The Galleria Al Maryah Island
Dai Pai Dong Restaurant, Rosewood Abu Dhabi
Finz, Beach Rotana
Fishmarket, InterContinental Abu Dhabi
Fouquet's, Louvre Abu Dhabi
Grand Beirut, The Galleria Al Maryah Island
Hoi An, Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri
Li Beirut, Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers
Li Jiang, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal
LPM Abu Dhabi, The Galleria Al Maryah Island
Market Kitchen, Le Royal Meridien Al Markaziya
Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi, Emirates Palace
Mazi, The St Regis Al Saadiyat Island
Meylas, Al Muneera
Mijana, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal
Moksh, Etihad Towers
Namak, Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi
Niri Restaurant and Bar, Mamsha Al Saadiyat
Oak Room, Abu Dhabi Edition
Oii, Al Qana
Paradiso, Yas Bay
Punjab Grill, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal
Shang Palace, Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri
Silk & Spice, Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche
Tean, Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort
VaKaVa Pan Latin Grill and Lounge by Richard Sandoval, Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers
Villa Toscana, The St Regis Abu Dhabi
Zuma Abu Dhabi, The Galleria Al Maryah Island

Scroll through the gallery below to see the Michelin-starred restaurants in Dubai

Company%20profile

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHakbah%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENaif%20AbuSaida%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E22%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-Series%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGlobal%20Ventures%20and%20Aditum%20Investment%20Management%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

Read

Exclusive: Notebook found in Raqqa prison reveals ISIS's thirst for blood

Ban lifted on UK sending evidence about ISIS 'Beatles' to the US

Spate of mystery killings add to insecurity for Raqqa residents still living in fear

Teri%20Baaton%20Mein%20Aisa%20Uljha%20Jiya

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amit%20Joshi%20and%20Aradhana%20Sah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECast%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shahid%20Kapoor%2C%20Kriti%20Sanon%2C%20Dharmendra%2C%20Dimple%20Kapadia%2C%20Rakesh%20Bedi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

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.”

PROFILE OF SWVL

Started: April 2017

Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport

Size: 450 employees

Investment: approximately $80 million

Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani

UAE%20athletes%20heading%20to%20Paris%202024

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEquestrian%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAbdullah%20Humaid%20Al%20Muhairi%2C%20Abdullah%20Al%20Marri%2C%20Omar%20Al%20Marzooqi%2C%20Salem%20Al%20Suwaidi%2C%20and%20Ali%20Al%20Karbi%20(four%20to%20be%20selected).%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EJudo%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMen%3A%20Narmandakh%20Bayanmunkh%20(66kg)%2C%20Nugzari%20Tatalashvili%20(81kg)%2C%20Aram%20Grigorian%20(90kg)%2C%20Dzhafar%20Kostoev%20(100kg)%2C%20Magomedomar%20Magomedomarov%20(%2B100kg)%3B%20women's%20Khorloodoi%20Bishrelt%20(52kg).%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECycling%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESafia%20Al%20Sayegh%20(women's%20road%20race).%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESwimming%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMen%3A%20Yousef%20Rashid%20Al%20Matroushi%20(100m%20freestyle)%3B%20women%3A%20Maha%20Abdullah%20Al%20Shehi%20(200m%20freestyle).%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAthletics%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMaryam%20Mohammed%20Al%20Farsi%20(women's%20100%20metres).%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

More from Rashmee Roshan Lall

US VP candidate Kamala Harris and the complexity of racial identity

Beirut blasts: What do we do with the world's ammonium nitrate?

How the pandemic is testing the solidarity of the European Union

When it comes to peace, is the EU really a great power?

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.

The%20specs

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E680hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E800Nm%20at%202%2C750-6%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERear-mounted%20eight-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E13.6L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Orderbook%20open%3B%20deliveries%20start%20end%20of%20year%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh970%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 582bhp

Torque: 730Nm

Price: Dh649,000

On sale: now

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Company profile

Date started: December 24, 2018

Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer

Based: Dubai Media City

Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)

Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech

Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year

Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020