The esteemed Gault&Millau guide just named Al Muntaha as its Restaurant of the Year at the extravagant annual awards Gala on Wednesday, January 31 and we’re already making reservations.
The ceremony marked the guide’s third edition in the country, which has a big hand in not only recognising talent in the gastronomy industry but also changing the face of culinary excellence in the UAE and around the world.
The evening of glitz and glamour, with a focus on culinary brilliance couldn’t be held at more of an ideal location than the Burj Al Arab.
Awards ceremony
Held in the Al Falak Ballroom of the world’s “only seven-star hotel”, the awards part of the event featured 12 categories, divided into two sections: People and Venue.
An exciting new category was also added to the awards this year: Breakthrough Restaurant of the Year. The category was launched to recognise new restaurants, which opened in the past six months and made waves in the fine dining scene.
Renowned British chef, Jason Atherton’s Row on 45 won in that category, which was the restaurant foodies across the UAE were trying to get a reservation for last year.
To continue highlighting the work being done in the wine and champagne categories in the country, shortlists for Wine Offering of the Year and Champagne Offering of the Year have been expanded to 10 venues.
Here are all the categories of awards that the guide had this year: Sustainable Kitchen of the Year, Breakthrough Restaurant of the Year, Homegrown Brand of the Year, International Brand of the Year, Wine Offering of the Year, Champagne Offering of the Year, Non-Alcoholic Offering of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Sommelier of the Year, Restaurant Manager of the Year, Future Great of the Year, and Chef of the Year.
We know that a big part of the fine dining industry is about aesthetics and elegance, and this was no casual affair. Doors opened for the champagne reception at Burj Al Arab’s Gilt sky bar, known for its gilded interiors and vibrant atmosphere. For dinner, guests were served a specially curated menu, alongside paired fine wines.
Restaurant of the Year
With 2023’s Restaurant of the Year Ossiano and Al Muntaha both scoring 17.5/20 and four toques (or chef’s hats), the event Gault&Millau team has a difficult task deciding which of them would be crowned Restaurant of the Year.
However, with “incredible food, served by a truly world-class kitchen team”, it was Al Muntaha, led by chef Saverio Sbaragli in the kitchen that took the title.
Gault&Millau revolutionised fine dining
As the teams at the winning restaurants celebrate and chefs straighten their toques to prepare for next year’s guide, it’s important to note how the guide came to be what it is today.
Founded in the 1960s, by French journalists Henri Gault and Christian Millau, the guide transformed how fine dining was looked at. Not convinced by the traditional, often rigid, and formal restaurant reviews, Gault and Millau sought to create a guide that encouraged creativity and innovation in gastronomy. Their vision was to focus on the chefs and their culinary artistry rather than strictly sticking to established practices.
Their outlook served as one of the pillars of the nouvelle movement in French cuisine during the 1960s and ’70s. The idea spread around the world and gave birth to ‘Nouvelle cuisine’, French for “new cuisine” (think Dubai’s Reef & Beef or Atelier Robuchon).
It is an eclectic style in international cuisine that emphasises freshness, lightness, and brightness of flavour. The idea gave way to movements on the international culinary stage.
The guide has since launched worldwide, with its presence in 18 countries, including the UAE, which was launched in 2022.
Rating system
The Gala ceremony also announced the Gault&Millau UAE ratings for each of the 137 restaurants included in the 2024 guide. But how are they rated?
The guide prides itself in providing diners with unbiased, independent restaurant reviews based on the experiences of anonymous investigators who always pay for their meals. Using a method called the French school grading system, restaurants are rated out of 20 points. Although the points awarded are based on the quality of the food, the guide also includes comments about service, price, and the atmosphere of the restaurant. If a restaurant receives a score between 13 to 20, it is also then eligible to get one and five toques (or chef’s hats).
Interestingly, during their lifetimes, Gault and Millau didn’t award anyone a maximum score of 20, stating that no one is perfect. Only after they no longer were in charge of the guide did French chef Marc Veyrat obtain that score. He achieved the score for not only one but two of his restaurants, Maison de Marc Veyrat and Ferme de Mon Père.
Recognising individual talents in the industry is also another important aspect that makes up the prestigious Gault&Millau guide. These figures can be part of the kitchen or front-of-house staff including hosts, wait staff, and bartenders.
With the standard guides such as the Gault&Millau bring to the fine dining scene in the UAE, food enthusiasts and culinary leaders in the country continuously strive for excellence and are on the edge of their seats. Let’s see what the next edition has in store for us.
