With the launch of the fourth edition of the MICHELIN Guide Dubai, our famously anonymous Inspectors reveal their favorite dishes from restaurants they visited around the city. From fine dining to casual, Indian to Peruvian, these are diverse dishes that left a lasting mark!
Read the list below to find out more.
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Trèsind Studio's meaty finger of pure white turbot came topped with some finely sliced crisp cauliflower florets, and a truffle dahl.
Turbot and black truffle
Trèsind Studio
Three MICHELIN Stars, MICHELIN Guide Dubai 2025
Inspector’s notes: The first of the two fish dishes influenced by the south of India. A meaty finger of pure white turbot, lightly cooked and glistening. It came topped with some finely sliced crisp cauliflower florets, a truffle dahl, and an array of crispy flower petals and stamens. The sauce alongside took influence from cauliflower varuval, a lovely smooth and creamy texture, almost ashine and a real defined spice flavor and warmth. The spicing seemed to go up a gear here and, at this stage in the dinner, it worked; and indeed, the fish was more than able to absorb some heat too.
This multilayered dish is inspired by a festive meal that is shared by farming communities after the first harvest of the season in southern India.
Inspiration ‘Sadya’ Celebration of flavors
Trèsind Studio
Three MICHELIN Stars, MICHELIN Guide Dubai 2025
Inspector’s notes: A cleverly thought rendition of the festive meal that is shared by farming communities after the first harvest of the season in the south of India. This took the shape of a clockwork ballet, where almost all the team comes to add an element on our plate, resulting in a refined and precise construction. One delicious crispy papadum and a complex, multilayered dish with mostly a spiced, pickled pineapple ring filled with a rice curd, black lime chutney, banana vinegar and coconut ice cream. It delivered intricate and delicate flavors: sweet and savory, with an exceptional balance between spiciness, acidity, creaminess, juiciness, crunchiness, you name it. And another mouthwatering broth, to be sipped along; again, so delicate and truly uplifting the experience.RELEVANT: An exclusive look into a MICHELIN Guide Inspector's dining experience at Trèsind Studio
Crystal toast with salmon from Dragonfly came topped with some shiny slices of raw salmon and was fun to eat.
Crystal toast with salmon
Dragonfly
MICHELIN-Selected, MICHELIN Guide Dubai 2025
Inspector’s notes: This is a signature of the restaurant. A nearly clear, yet hollow rectangle achieved by blending potato and kuzu starch with water. The 'toast' is all about the brittle texture and sensation that it delivers while eating it. This version came topped with some shiny slices of raw salmon, an almost melting quality, which added some welcome flavor. No doubt, it is fun to eat and technically a dish to be admired too.
Langoustine, koshihikari rice and ginger course is best enjoyed by picking it up from the tail and dipping into a smooth ginger-flavored buttery emulsion flavored gently with ginger.
Langoustine, koshihikari rice and ginger
FZN by Björn Frantzén
Three MICHELIN Stars, MICHELIN Guide Dubai 2025
Inspector’s notes: The sheer size and quality of this Norwegian langoustine really did illustrate the quality and luxury of the produce they use here. The sushi rice is molded around the base of the fish before being gently deep-fried in oil, just enough to add a wafer-thin, crunchy layer devoid of any fatty deposits. Encouraged to pick up from the tail and dip into a smooth buttery emulsion flavored gently with ginger, topped with chive powder. Given the natural sweetness of the langoustine, the ginger only needed to be subtle. This was a dish all about the quality of the main ingredient. It was memorable, the other diners either side extolling the same praise.
An inspiring Karari kale chaat from Khadak plays with color, plenty of texture and flavor.
Karari kale chat
Khadak
Bib Gourmand, MICHELIN Guide Dubai 2025
Inspector’s notes: An interesting take on the classic chat. It takes verdant leaves of kale, then coated in a light batter, deep fried until crispy and then sandwiched together with drizzles of smooth creamy yoghurt, tamarind, micro leaves and pomegranate seeds. A riot of color, plenty of texture and flavor. Very inspiring!
Moonrise's Sarookh & Turbot had personality and a notable sophistication.
Sarookh & Turbot 2024
Moonrise
One MICHELIN Star, MICHELIN Guide Dubai 2025
Inspector’s notes: A piece of aged Galician Turbot with an extraordinary texture: the whole fish is cooked sous-vide with skin and bones. It is then trimmed, which distributes the collagen more evenly. This innovative technique added a melting texture to the firmness of the already flaking flesh. Served with what the chef calls a Sarookh, a smoked beurre blanc flavored with ponzu, fresh herbs and thinly chopped crunchy green asparagus. Sarookh, meaning rocket, is fiery, punchy and perfectly balanced; a touch of luxury is added by a small amount of good caviar, which lengthened the taste and the umami of the sauce. On top of perfectly controlled techniques, this dish was balanced and persistent in taste. It had personality and a notable sophistication.
Sufret Maryam's labneh creme brûlée dessert with sumac and za'atar ice-cream.
Labneh creme brûlée
Sufret Maryam
Bib Gourmand, MICHELIN Guide Dubai 2025
Inspector’s notes: This is seemingly the most popular dessert. The brûlée custard made with labneh was super smooth and creamy. It has some vanilla seeds at the base, and overall, not as dense as a dairy cream custard would be. A thin layer of evenly caramelized golden sugar also acted as the anchor for several other additions, namely a smooth ice cream flavored with za'atar, releasing a gentle perfume with some sumac sprinkled over the top. This sat on crunchy olive oil biscuit crumbs along with a crisp sesame tuille as the final indulgence. Overall array of flavors and textures came together to create a memorable end to the lunch. Like all the dishes, I was unable to finish as the portion was so generous.
This strawberry gochugaro dessert from TERO - The Experience by Reif Othman precisely balances sweetness and texture.
Strawberry gochugaro
TERO - The Experience by Reif Othman
MICHELIN-Selected, MICHELIN Guide Dubai 2025
Inspector’s notes: At the base, a strawberry cream, then a good buttery shortbread biscuit, a disk of creamy vanilla panna cotta, a tartar of preserved strawberry (with a touch of pink peppercorn) that had developed some floral notes, toasted buckwheat for texture and fresh shiso cress for some earthy flavours. On top, a delicious strawberry and gochugaro chili ice cream, very balanced with just a hint of spiciness. Two wafer-thin strawberry tuiles and the passionate pastry chef poured a delicious and intense juice of compressed strawberry. There was precision in this dessert, and it was very balanced in sweetness and texture. Every element really enhanced the strawberry with finesse.
A generous portion of The Artisan's pasta alle vongole.
Spaghettoni alle vongole
The Artisan
MICHELIN-Selected, MICHELIN Guide Dubai 2025
Inspector’s notes: I chose pasta as a primo piatto and the size of the portion was perfect. Good and well-cooked spaghettoni, very al dente, perfectly emulsified mantecatura in a shellfish fumet with a lot of olive oil, a hint of garlic and chopped parsley; it was very tasty. The fresh and plenty clams were good quality and served without the shell. The waiter grated a good mullet bottarga, dry but not bitter, which finished the seasoning with an umami packed salinity.
A fragrant Emirati dish made with succulent lamb and fluffy saffron rice from Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant.
Lamb machboos
Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant
Bib Gourmand, MICHELIN Guide Dubai 2025
Inspector’s notes: An Emirati dish with warm and fluffy rice, flavored with saffron, spice and some chili. A few tiny golden raisins running through and a topping of crispy onions adding just the right balance of sweet and savory. The large pieces of lamb, which just fell easily off the bone, were succulent and sweet. There was a tomato and chili condiment added warmth, and some creamy yoghurt added richness to the dish.
MICHELIN-selected Coya's Peruvian take on a classic pavlova dessert.
Pavlova
Coya
MICHELIN-Selected, MICHELIN Guide Dubai 2025
Inspector notes: The lightest dessert of the menu was a Peruvian version of the pavlova: a perfectly cooked, round shaped meringue, carved out and filled with a good mango ice cream, which is made lighter by the addition of yogurt, and a delicious, light whipped cream flavored with passion fruit. The meringue was flavored with toasted sweetcorn, yellow corn powder dusted on top that matched with bits of gold leaves, giving it a touch of luxury. A very enjoyable light dessert, delivering particularly harmonious flavors.
