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Ossiano, Atlantis Dubai: One of Dubai’s Best Fine Dining Restaurants
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Ossiano, Atlantis Dubai: One of Dubai's Best Fine Dining Restaurants
Ossiano, 10-course degustation menu, 1095 dhs per person. Wine pairing supplemental 845 dhs. Ossiano, Atlantis Dubai, The Crescent, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Tel. +971 4 426 2626. Ossiano website.
Written by Liam Collens // See other restaurant reviews here
I was invited by Ossiano as a guest. This article was originally written one month before Ossiano won its first Michelin star and three Gault Millau toupes.
Ossiano’s seafood degustation menu seriously impresses; stretching beyond its Atlantis cohorts, solidifying Gregoire as one of Dubai’s best chefs. Just bring your expense account.
The Highs
The Lows
The Highs
The Lows
Ossiano lies within the Atlantis Dubai
Truth be told, Atlantis Dubai never excites me. I simmer with trepidation. A mausoleum of perplexing taste. An unrestrained mindscape. Few things make me feel older than a moment or two in Saffron’s brunch. Nobu offers a (more) sensible sanctuary. Atlantis asks patrons to suspend disbelief and pretend to be in a mythical sunken city. A coral hued wanderlust of water parks, boutiques and Gordon Ramsey. Of course he’s here.
Suffice to say, Atlantis Dubai is not my thing. Still, tourists flock — in droves.
Ossiano could succumb to Atlantis’ kitsch. A seafood restaurant immersed into the Atlantis aquarium? It writes itself. Waiters double as florists wielding Cartier ring boxes. Synchronised swimming stingrays perform Under the Sea. Every hour, on the hour. Share a limp linguine alle vongole rich with salty indifference and the remains of anaemic clams. Tourists are conditioned to be grateful. Take photos and forfeit a mortgage payment, for the pleasure.
Ossiano Atlantis boasts a beautiful dining room with a centrepiece aquarium.
Suffice to say, Atlantis Dubai is not my thing. Still, tourists flock — in droves.
Ossiano could succumb to Atlantis’ kitsch. A seafood restaurant immersed into the Atlantis aquarium? It writes itself. Waiters double as florists wielding Cartier ring boxes. Synchronised swimming stingrays perform Under the Sea. Every hour, on the hour. Share a limp linguine alle vongole rich with salty indifference and the remains of anaemic clams. Tourists are conditioned to be grateful. Take photos and forfeit a mortgage payment, for the pleasure.
Ossiano Atlantis boasts a beautiful dining room with a centrepiece aquarium.
Ossiano gives me a reason to go to Atlantis Dubai, and want to come back
Ossiano is nothing of the sort mercifully. Chef Gregoire Berger is back at Ossiano’s helm. He is a talented, technically-adept chef with a clear vision. Ossiano proclaims to be the Dubai’s best fine dining restaurant. That’s big talk. Dubai hosts many MENA 50’s Best restaurants, including fine dining restaurants.
Ossiano’s Chef Gregoire is very generous with his time meeting and greeting guests over the Metanoia tasting menu.
Ossiano’s Chef Gregoire is very generous with his time meeting and greeting guests over the Metanoia tasting menu.
Mrs EatGoSee and I left utterly charmed. Theatrics aside, this is one of the best meals I’ve had all year — and will likely have in 2022.
Ossiano’s ten course Metanoia degustation menu
The current Metanoia degustation menu is a ten-course tour de force of Gregoire’s childhood memories in Brittany. You might get twelve courses, if you’re good. The onyx legine fillet best epitomises the concept; the fish ‘crude oil stained’ beached on dark slate draws on Brittany’s Amoco Cádiz oil spill. Tragedy turns to triumph. It’s memorable, noir in colour and concept.
Ossiano’s Metanoia tasting menu lists ten courses but there’s opportunity for more.
Metanoia showcases Gregoire and the team’s technical skill but retains joy – a point occasionally overlooked by culinary anoraks hellbent on landing kitchen backflips.
A bouncy langoustine coupled with a clay-coated potato that dances on the line between cooked and raw. A plump Rade de Brest scallop and fragrant Jerusalem artichoke lie under a shattering crisp blanketed in a snow of pecorino and coupled with morel mushrooms.
A Brittany Brown Crab canopied in a rich, sweet biscuit lattice — derived from the crab shells — that thrums with the cumin-warmth of kari gosse (a nod to Gregoire’s wife’s Moroccan origins). Both a joy and an enigma, we postulate, flail and study. A light foam blankets the crab-like a duvet. The bouillabaisse jelly – so rich – it’s easily mistaken for a veal or meat consomme. Did I taste diced carrots? Maybe a little fresh anise perfume? C’est posible Gregoire?
Ossiano’s Metanoia tasting menu featuring the Brittany brown crab, langoustine with sea lettuce, Rab de Brest scallop with Jerusalem artichoke and the oil spill-inspired legine.
Dubai restaurant service rarely impresses, but Ossiano’s proves to be exceptional. Adriana eloquently charmed us. I could talk about their knowledge of dishes, wine – even ingredients. But what stands out is simple: Ossiano addresses my wife directly, equally and with sincerity. Mrs EatGoSee is often lumped under “ma’am sir” like some accessory of mine as if her dining interests are a mere extension of my will. She’s a strong woman, with her own mind. Just one reason why I love her. We both note how rare and, sadly, refreshing it is for her to be asked questions before me with eye contact and genuine interest. Take note Dubai, and do better.
Ossiano’s Chef Gregoire is very generous with his time meeting and greeting guests over the Metanoia tasting menu.
Adriana guides us through the more whimsical courses. An ash-mottled marshmallow is lightly toasted until that much gooier. A burnt leek – served in a mould of Gregoire’s hands – is a supple sweet allium layered with yuzu jelly and clams in a supporting role. Kelp-shaped crackers from the Snacks of the Sea reach up like fingers. The “Truffle” doppelgänger, conspicuously dusted with chocolate, hides a truffle-scented cheesecake. A pre-dessert that settles you, like a parachute, into the malty sweet buckwheat, apple and caramel dessert. Fine dining often lacks fun, but these moments of levity relieve what could otherwise be boringly formulaic.
Ossiano’s Metanoia tasting menu featuring the marshmallow, burnt leeks with clams, Snacks of the Sea made from anchovy and chicharones and the Truffle truffle.
Good girls and boys receive two additional courses: jellyfish with caviar and a crystalline ‘seawater broth’ spiked with pools of verdant dill oil. Courageous use of a notoriously pernicious sea creature. The second offers a peek into Ossiano’s industrious kitchen where Gregoire regales his Brittany childhood over a geranium sorbet spherified in white chocolate. You do not need either course, but you’ll be very glad you did.
Ossiano’s Metanoia tasting menu has off-menu options like this jellyfish and prawn course; also features seaweed butter, a favourite.
Fine dining (and at this price) does invite highfalutin nit-picking. It’s churlish to quibble whether the garlic-forward gremolata (my word) over the langoustine should be dialled back two notches for such a delicate protein. The Snacks of the Sea featured an unagi tartlet whose finely-diced gelatin left me wishing I stayed with the chicharrones and anchovy-laced crackers. An arguably superfluous raw cauliflower sliver distracted from the utterly elegant and assertive trout and caviar.
Ossiano’s Metanoia tasting menu includes this unagi tartlet and this smoked trout and caviar.
I glided over an important detail. You may have spotted it. Ossiano’s Metanoia menu is 1095 dirhams. Per person. Call that US$300 a head. Without alcohol or a sip of Antipodes mineral water. Still or sparkling. Benchmarking internationally, Ossiano plays in the big leagues. Worth it? Dining inside the aquarium still puts a smile on my face. Mrs EatGoSee and I left utterly charmed. Theatrics aside, this is one of the best meals I’ve had all year — and will likely have in 2022. Ossiano is for very special occasion dining. I recommend it for those moments in life.
Fine dining lovers, degustation fans, seafood enthusiasts. Bettors that Ossiano will be on MENA 50 Best 2023 Restaurant List, a Dubai Michelin Guide — or both.
Ossiano’s Metanoia tasting menu lists ten courses but there’s opportunity for more.
Metanoia showcases Gregoire and the team’s technical skill but retains joy – a point occasionally overlooked by culinary anoraks hellbent on landing kitchen backflips.
A bouncy langoustine coupled with a clay-coated potato that dances on the line between cooked and raw. A plump Rade de Brest scallop and fragrant Jerusalem artichoke lie under a shattering crisp blanketed in a snow of pecorino and coupled with morel mushrooms.
A Brittany Brown Crab canopied in a rich, sweet biscuit lattice — derived from the crab shells — that thrums with the cumin-warmth of kari gosse (a nod to Gregoire’s wife’s Moroccan origins). Both a joy and an enigma, we postulate, flail and study. A light foam blankets the crab-like a duvet. The bouillabaisse jelly – so rich – it’s easily mistaken for a veal or meat consomme. Did I taste diced carrots? Maybe a little fresh anise perfume? C’est posible Gregoire?
Ossiano’s Metanoia tasting menu featuring the Brittany brown crab, langoustine with sea lettuce, Rab de Brest scallop with Jerusalem artichoke and the oil spill-inspired legine.
Ossiano’s service team is some of Dubai’s best
Dubai restaurant service rarely impresses, but Ossiano’s proves to be exceptional. Adriana eloquently charmed us. I could talk about their knowledge of dishes, wine – even ingredients. But what stands out is simple: Ossiano addresses my wife directly, equally and with sincerity. Mrs EatGoSee is often lumped under “ma’am sir” like some accessory of mine as if her dining interests are a mere extension of my will. She’s a strong woman, with her own mind. Just one reason why I love her. We both note how rare and, sadly, refreshing it is for her to be asked questions before me with eye contact and genuine interest. Take note Dubai, and do better.
Ossiano’s Chef Gregoire is very generous with his time meeting and greeting guests over the Metanoia tasting menu.
Ossiano’s more whimsical courses charm affectionately
Adriana guides us through the more whimsical courses. An ash-mottled marshmallow is lightly toasted until that much gooier. A burnt leek – served in a mould of Gregoire’s hands – is a supple sweet allium layered with yuzu jelly and clams in a supporting role. Kelp-shaped crackers from the Snacks of the Sea reach up like fingers. The “Truffle” doppelgänger, conspicuously dusted with chocolate, hides a truffle-scented cheesecake. A pre-dessert that settles you, like a parachute, into the malty sweet buckwheat, apple and caramel dessert. Fine dining often lacks fun, but these moments of levity relieve what could otherwise be boringly formulaic.
Ossiano’s Metanoia tasting menu featuring the marshmallow, burnt leeks with clams, Snacks of the Sea made from anchovy and chicharones and the Truffle truffle.
Good girls and boys receive two additional courses: jellyfish with caviar and a crystalline ‘seawater broth’ spiked with pools of verdant dill oil. Courageous use of a notoriously pernicious sea creature. The second offers a peek into Ossiano’s industrious kitchen where Gregoire regales his Brittany childhood over a geranium sorbet spherified in white chocolate. You do not need either course, but you’ll be very glad you did.
Ossiano’s Metanoia tasting menu has off-menu options like this jellyfish and prawn course; also features seaweed butter, a favourite.
Ossiano, picking nits
Fine dining (and at this price) does invite highfalutin nit-picking. It’s churlish to quibble whether the garlic-forward gremolata (my word) over the langoustine should be dialled back two notches for such a delicate protein. The Snacks of the Sea featured an unagi tartlet whose finely-diced gelatin left me wishing I stayed with the chicharrones and anchovy-laced crackers. An arguably superfluous raw cauliflower sliver distracted from the utterly elegant and assertive trout and caviar.
Ossiano’s Metanoia tasting menu includes this unagi tartlet and this smoked trout and caviar.
Ossiano, Would I Come Back?
I glided over an important detail. You may have spotted it. Ossiano’s Metanoia menu is 1095 dirhams. Per person. Call that US$300 a head. Without alcohol or a sip of Antipodes mineral water. Still or sparkling. Benchmarking internationally, Ossiano plays in the big leagues. Worth it? Dining inside the aquarium still puts a smile on my face. Mrs EatGoSee and I left utterly charmed. Theatrics aside, this is one of the best meals I’ve had all year — and will likely have in 2022. Ossiano is for very special occasion dining. I recommend it for those moments in life.
Ossiano, Who Should Come?
Fine dining lovers, degustation fans, seafood enthusiasts. Bettors that Ossiano will be on MENA 50 Best 2023 Restaurant List, a Dubai Michelin Guide — or both.
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