Everything you need to know about the Gault&Millau UAE Gala 2023
There were six courses, 13 awards and 51 restaurants that received toques.
The Gault&Millau UAE 2023 Gala and Guide Release took place on the evening of April 27 at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah.
The Gault&Millau UAE 2023 Gala and Guide Release took place on the evening of April 27 at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah.
The exclusive event saw 200 of the UAE’s finest chefs, restaurateurs and industry leaders gather to celebrate the ongoing evolution of the country’s gastronomy scene.
In 2023, for the first time, two restaurants received four toques. They are Al Muntaha at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah and Ossiano at Atlantis, The Palm. For the second year running, Atlantis, The Palm’s Ossiano has won Gault&Millau UAE’s Restaurant of the Year award. Just as in 2022, Ossiano received the highest rating in the annual guide. This year, the restaurant increased its score from 15.5 to 17.5, thanks to the continued efforts of chef Grégoire Berger and his team.
Since 2022, however, the restaurant has introduced new elements in the dining room, enhancing the overall experience, has hired more professionals to help run the team and has embarked on an ongoing mission to raise the standards in the kitchen even further.
With theatrical, themed menus from chef Berger making news around the world, Ossiano deserves its place at the top of the tree for the second year.
What happened at the Gault&Millau UAE Gala
After walking the red carpet, guests enjoyed a Perrier-Jouët champagne and canape reception in Gilt. Canapés were courtesy of event partners Wisk, who provided foie gras from Rougie, caviar from Kaviari and oysters from Cadoret, as well as Country Hill, who provided sea bass from Aquanaria, and Valrhona, who created non-alcoholic cocktails. Jumeirah’s bartenders and chefs prepared unique cocktails and dishes for the occasion.
After networking with colleagues and peers, the illustrious guests moved into the iconic Burj Al Arab’s ballroom where they were greeted by a 10-piece orchestra to accompany the beginning of the glamourous gala celebration.
The gala dinner
During the event, a six-course menu created by Burj Al Arab chefs Saverio Sbaragli of Al Muntaha, Andrea Migliaccio from Ristorante L’Olivo at Al Mahara, and the hotel’s executive pastry chef Tom Coll was served.
The menu began with two dishes from chef Migliaccio, First was a tomato tart, moving onto a langoustine dish, topped with caviar from Kaviari and paired with Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque.
Chef Sbaragli then took over with a ravioli del plin course, followed by beef tenderloin, using Angus beef from Country Hill.
A cheese course was up next, with cheeses selected by Phillippe Caillouet, Meilleur Ouvrier de France, and sourced and aged by Mons Fromager Affineur, Meilleur Ouvrier de France. Dessert was an apple tart tatin by pastry chef Tom Coll.
The dinner was paired the following wines:
- 2019 Pouilly Fumé, Baron de L, Ladoucette, Loire, France
- 2020 Chardonnay Langhe DOC, Massolino, Piémont, France
- 2019 Rossignol Trapet, Gevrey Chambertin ‘Vieilles Vignes’, Bourgogne, France
- 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Penfolds Bin 707, South Australia
- 2021 Maury Doux Expression, Mas Lavail, South of France
All the award-winners on the night
Once the awards were handed out, there was a break before the restaurants who have earned toques in 2023 were revealed.
They were :
- Sustainable Kitchen of the Year : BOCA
- Home-grown Restaurant of the Year : Trèsind Studio
- International Brand of the Year: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
- Wine Offering of the Year : Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
- Champagne Offering of the year : Clap
- Non-alcoholic Offering of the Year : Avatara
- Sustainability Champion of the Year : Russell Impiazzi, Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk
- Pastry Chef of the Year : Tom Coll, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah
- Sommelier of the Year : Samuel Lacroix, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah
- Restaurant Manager of the Year : Hervé Lorit, Pierre’s TT
- Future Great of the Year : Rahul Rana, Avatara
- Chef of the Year : Himanshu Saini, Trèsind Studio
- Restaurant of the Year : Ossiano, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah
Every restaurant that earned a toque
One toque
- 99 Sushi Bar & Restaurant Abu Dhabi, Al Maryah Island 13.5/20
- Avatara, voco Dubai 13/20
- BB Social Dining, DIFC 13.5/20
- Butcher & Still, Four Seasons Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island 13.5/20
- Carnival by Trèsind, Burj Daman 13/20
- Chic Nonna, DIFC 13/20
- Cinque, FIVE Palm Jumeirah 13/20
- City Social, Grosvenor House Dubai, A Luxury Collection Hotel 13/20
- CLAP, DIFC 13/20
- COYA Dubai, Four Seasons Dubai at Jumeirah Beach 13/20
- Folly, Madinat Jumeirah 13.5/20
- Gohan, Jumeirah Emirates Towers 13/20
- Hakkasan Abu Dhabi, Emirates Palace 13/20
- Hoseki Bvlgari Hotel Dubai 13.5/20
- Hutong, DIFC 13/20
- Il Ristorante – Niko Romito, Bvlgari Hotel Dubai 13.5/20
- Indego by Vineet, Grosvenor House Dubai 13/20
- Indya by Vineet, Le Royal Méridien Dubai 13/20
- Jun’s, Downtown Dubai 13/20
- La Cantine du Faubourg, Jumeirah Emirates Towers 13/20
- LPM Restaurant & Bar, DIFC 13/20
- Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi, Emirates Palace 13.5/20
- Mayabay, Jumeirah Al Naseem 13/20
- Mimi Kakushi, Four Seasons Dubai at Jumeirah Beach 13.5/20
- Mott32, Address Beach Resort 13/20
- NIRI Restaurant & Bar, Mamsha Al Saadiyat 13/20
- Oak Room, The Abu Dhabi EDITION 13/20
- Pierchic, Jumeirah Al Qasr 13/20
- Punjab Grill, Venetian Village, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal 13/20
- Reif Japanese Kushiyaki, Dar Wasl 13/20
- ROKA, ME Dubai 13/20
- Social, Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah 13/20
- Talea by Antonio Guida, Emirates Palace 13/20
- Trèsind, One&Only Royal Mirage 13.5/20
- Twiggy by La Cantine, Park Hyatt Dubai 13/20
- Zuma Abu Dhabi, Al Maryah Island 13.5/20
- Zuma Dubai, DIFC 13/20
Two toques
- Armani/Ristorante, Armani Hotel Dubai 14.5/20
- Brasserie Boulud, Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk 14/20
- Celebrities by Mauro Colagreco, One&Only Royal Mirage 14.5/20
- Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Atlantis The Royal 14.5/20
- Moonrise, Eden House 14/20
- Pierre’s TT, InterContinental Dubai Festival City 14.5/20
- STAY by Yannick Alléno, One&Only Palm Jumeirah 14/20
- Takahisa, Caesars Palace Dubai 14/20
- The Artisan Il Ristorante, Burj Daman 14/20
Three toques
- L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, DIFC 15/20
- Ristorante L’Olivo at Al Mahara, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah 15/20
- Trèsind Studio, Nakheel Mall 15.5/20
Four toques
- Al Muntaha, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah 17/20
- Ossiano, Atlantis, The Palm 17.5/20
