WORDS VARUN GODINHO
Aiming for the stars In an exclusive interview, Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, explains why Dubai was chosen as the first destination in the Middle East for the prestigious culinary guide 38
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Gwendal Poullennec
s a ferociously independent rating entity that guards the identity of its inspectors as though they were state secrets, the Michelin Guide has become a universally respected reference for restaurants around the world. Five years ago, its inspectors began to surreptitiously survey the culinary scene in Dubai. As Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, told Business Traveller Middle East recently, the same inspector never visits a restaurant twice in order to protect their identity. However, the final rating of a restaurant is also never determined by one inspector alone. “We have different inspectors visit the same restaurant repeatedly. The decision to award a Star to that restaurant is always a team decision based on the feedback of several inspectors,” says Poullennec. “What is important for us is the knowledge of these inspectors of different types of cuisines, and so they travel the
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RESTAURANTS WITH MICHELIN STARS IN DUBAI Il Ristorante – Niko Romito Stay by Yannick Alléno 11 Woodfire
THE MICHELIN GUIDE DUBAI 2022
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Restaurants with Two Michelin Stars
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Restaurants with One Michelin Star
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Restaurant with a Michelin Green Star
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Bib Gourmand restaurants
Michelin-selected restaurants
Al Muntaha
world to sample different cuisines and remain open-minded. For example, French inspectors will not only contribute to the French Michelin Guide, but will also be involved in visiting and contributing to the Michelin guides in destinations in Asia, the US and now the Middle East,” he says, adding that each Michelin inspector, on average, has 300 meals in the field every year. Michelin now has a guide for around 40 destinations around the world – some of them cover an entire country, as is the case with France, while others focus on a specific city such as a Michelin Guide for New York City. The question then arises, why did Michelin take this long to get to Dubai? “Our inspectors have been following the evolution of the culinary landscape over the past few years in Dubai. It is because of the vibrancy and diversity of its cuisine, but also because of a sharp increase in the quality of its offerings, that we decided to move forward with the first Dubai guide,” notes Poullennec.
Armani Ristorante Hakkasan Höseki Ossiano Tasca by José Avillez Torno Subito Trèsind Studio
Michelin has recommended a total of 69 restaurants in its inaugural Dubai edition revealed last month. However, only 11 of them were awarded the coveted Michelin Star. Of these, nine won a single Star and two received two Stars. One Star is awarded to restaurants that Michelin regards as those with ‘high-quality cooking, worth a stop’. The nine Dubai restaurants that won a single Star each are: Al Muntaha, 11 Woodfire, Armani Ristorante, Hakkasan, Höseki, Ossiano, Tasca by José Avillez, Torno Subito and Trèsind Studio. The two restaurants in Dubai which received two Stars each and which are therefore categorised
