Located in the iconic Atlantis The Palm resort, Ossiano debuted in the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 list at No.4, bagging the Highest New Entry Award, sponsored by Aspire Lifestyles, in the process. French-born head chef Gregoire Berger describes how he pours his personal experiences into dishes to unlock diners’ emotions and charts Dubai’s rapidly evolving dining scene
From the moment guests descend the sweeping staircase into Ossiano’s dimly lit dining space seemingly cocooned by the sea, they are transported to another world. Dining in Atlantis The Palm’s most upscale restaurant is an exquisite experience, but not primarily because of its aquarium setting: the key lies in chef Gregoire Berger’s culinary imagination and storytelling ability, supported by superbly choreographed service.
Born in Brittany in north-west France, Berger headed up the kitchen at Ossiano for several years before stepping away during the pandemic. Since returning in early 2022, “refreshed and retriggered”, he has pushed the Dubai restaurant to new heights, resulting in its dramatic entrance into the MENA ranking earlier this year. Below, the chef talks to 50 Best about success, romanticism and the aquarium being his ‘best enemy’.
How does it feel for Ossiano to have won the Highest New Entry Award at MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023?.jpg)
The team and I are really stunned by this achievement. We thought that to be in the top 10 would be amazing, but we were dreaming about the top five and... here we are [at No.4]! Being the Highest New Entry is a reward for many years of work and commitment to excellence. We are all so grateful and super proud of it.
Your restaurant is famously almost inside an aquarium. How does that influence what you do?
Having the aquarium has been my ‘best enemy’ over the years. From driving business and awareness at an early stage, it became a source of distraction later on when the focus should have been mostly on the food. But now we are finally linked by the spirit of the ocean and what we do would not have been possible without this natural element that is the cradle of the experience at Ossiano. Ultimately, the dining room of our restaurant is one of the most amazing and beautiful in the world, an added value for our guests and something to embrace.
Why is theatre such an important part of the dining experience?.jpg)
At Ossiano, we are serving the world: there are 15 nationalities on average every night, which brings with it so many different backgrounds, expectations and tastes. The emphasis on storytelling and theatre is a way to give context to each dish. Because of this, the world understands our message and journey. It creates a unique feeling and authenticity for our guests and provokes a lot of emotions.
What is behind your menus?
Our food is extremely personal and the menu is a romanticisation of my own life, like chapters of a book. The future will be the extension of these chapters, we are just at the beginning. For the next chapter, we will be travelling the world, as I did 15 years ago. My philosophy of ‘tales and travel through food’ aims to take people on a delicious culinary trip that surprises them – makes them feel, dream and think. Food is a bridge to unlocking emotions.
You left Ossiano for a short period during the pandemic. When you returned, did you have a different outlook?.jpg)
In life, you must leave to come back – and at that stage I needed to put myself outside of my comfort zone. Looking at my own situation from another angle has been necessary in order to see Ossiano with a fresh eye. My ambition hasn’t changed, but it is refreshed and re-triggered.
How would you like guests to feel when dining at your restaurant?
I created this culinary experience as one that, as a guest, I would love to live myself. And what I'm looking for is surprises, genuineness, amazing taste and products, creativity and love in the food, but also a bit of art and craziness, nostalgia and all kinds of other emotions. So if a client feels a bit of that, we have achieved our purpose.
You have been working in the Middle East for many years. How is the dining scene developing?.jpg)
Back in the day, being in Dubai was not seen as legitimate. There was no terroir, it was about franchise restaurants with no soul, or celebrity-chef restaurants with no celebrities cooking there... But deep inside many chefs were trying to do things correctly and, since the pandemic, the view of this region has changed tremendously.
The world has started to hear about the Dubai culinary scene, and the credit is due to this amazing city, which is relentless in its innovation and ambition. It planted the seeds for chefs to be themselves, with their own DNA, with free expression to the point of finally being respected and listened to. It means we can grow with a new food identity, with food that is consumed by the world, with the standards of the best restaurants from all around the world.
And, of course, the cherry on the cake has been having the best guides and lists coming to the region at a time when we needed that legitimacy. Because of this, Dubai already has a higher quality of guests, with many travelling for great food and dining credibility, which wasn't always the case before. The list also helps diners discover where they can enjoy great and unique experiences.
After such a dramatic entrance into the MENA list this year, what are you ambitions for the future?
Our ambition is to be in the top three next year on the 50 Best list – first spot would be the dream, obviously – and hopefully an entry on the global list as well. But, just as importantly, we will simply keep doing what we do best: bringing happiness and amazing memories to our guests. Teaching, mentoring and nurturing new talent is also a priority as we're building the new chefs of tomorrow.
Did you miss the ceremony? Catch up on the full show here:
The list of Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, was announced on Monday, 30th January at a live awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi. To stay up to date with all news and announcements, browse the website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
