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Ossiano

Dubai

• Art of Hospitality Award 2025

Exquisitely executed seafood-focused dishes served in subaquatic spot

What makes it special? Guests enter Ossiano via a dramatic sweeping staircase that descends to a dining room situated almost inside an enormous aquarium, with everything from sharks to colourful extras from Finding Nemo gliding serenely past the floor-to-ceiling glass windows as you eat. Despite such a theatrical setting, it’s actually the exquisite dishes on the tasting menu that leave the most lasting memory, aided by beautifully choreographed service.

What’s on the menu? Delivered in ‘waves’ (aka courses), dishes are largely focused on the sea or the coast, invariably artfully plated and frequently involve a degree of table theatre. For the ‘first wave’ of the experience, each table is whisked away to a darkened room lit by bioluminescent plankton. A few courses later, diners are taken to the bar area for a palate-cleansing shot. Back at your table, there’s a melting ‘candle’ made of foie gras and a take on a croque monsieur that’s served on a large clockface to take you ‘back in time’. Other plates see slivers of jellyfish joined by sweet shrimps and nori in a dill oil emulsion; clams with yuzu are presented inside a semi-hollowed burnt leek; and the chef’s ‘bouillabaisse’ pairs red mullet with a spicy tomato dashi. While the cooking is technically advanced, the menu never loses sight of fun or flavour.

On the Pass

Chef to be appointed

Team game:  Ossiano boasts a talented and international young team including chef de cuisine Aurelien Durand and general manager Guillaume Barray. Their aim is for diners to leave with cherished lifelong memories of the experience – and they are delivering on such ambition, being crowned the winners of the Art of Hospitality Award 2025, as part of the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants.

A new era: At the end of 2024, chef Grégoire Berger left Ossiano to spend time with his family and work on a new project. A replacement chef has not yet been announced.

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