Gregoire sets sail after dropping Anchored

One of Dubai’s most acclaimed chefs serves his swan song and bids adieu. What does this mean for Ossiano's future and for diners wanting one last bite?

Ossiano is hardly a new opening inside Dubai’s OG Atlantis. The restaurant’s contemporary, seafood-focused kitchen churns out new tasting menus at a blistering pace, and here, Anchored—its latest incarnation—is a ten-course tasting menu and Magallen-like sojourn served inside Atlantis the Palm’s aquarium where guests are so close to the passing stingrays and sharks, they could choose from the wine list.

Anchored is and is not why Pallavi Sangtani and I are here.

The news is out: Chef Gregoire Berger is leaving Ossiano after ten years (off and on) at the helm. We booked a table for Gregoire’s final swan song. This is likely our last time seeing Gregoire in action at Ossiano’s pass and on the floor.

Gregoire’s departure raises questions.

Firstly, will I see Gregoire again? What will he do next? Will he stay in Dubai?

I have mixed feelings about Gregoire’s approaching departure. I am delighted for him. We all need to move on in life and set a course for our future. I wish him the best and hope he gets what he wants (and a break—we all need a break between jobs). Like others, I want to know his next move, his plans and whether they include staying in Dubai. I hope so.

What is the future for Ossiano?

Ossiano needs to disentangle itself from Gregoire’s legacy, as its personality and success are so closely entwined with his. If left to the wrong hands, Ossiano would be a garish tourist trap. Instagram cutouts for selfies. Maybe underwater brunches. Adopt a dolphin. Whoever takes over at Ossiano has big shoes to fill, a Star to retain, a top 3 MENA 50 Best spot and four Toques to keep. Kerzner undoubtedly knows it. Or will Ossiano simply succumb to being SeaWorld’s snack bar?

You probably just want to know what the food is like at this point.

Anchored parts company with its predecessors

Anchored notably breaks with the recent spate of Ossiano tasting menus that explored Gregoire’s French roots. It is French informed, but draws inspiration from Gregoire’s numerous collaborations over the years.

The strain to impress you is less obvious: there’s less hocus pocus, no incandescent carafe plankton and no foie gras candles. Even the widescreen TV on the back wall is dialed down.

At its zenith, the presentation is meticulous. The best dishes are gentrified comfort food where your idea of comfort involves Egyptian cotton and the feathers of geese who prefer Emirates First Class instead of flying South the old-fashioned way.

A suave seafood broth, ricocheting with spice, is inspired by a Brazilian Moqueca—a fragrant seafood stew—that makes soothing, delicious use of langoustine trimmings.

That langoustine later appears all blushing and prostrate over a light jalapeño foam with tiny curry leaves covering a Venus for modesty. A taco plumbed in dry ice smoke reminds me of Ossiano’s collaboration with Puyol almost two years ago.

Anchored reaffirms Gregoire’s versatility as a chef and the Ossiano team’s audacious approach to tackling other cuisines with sincerity. I was often surprised to find out that a collaboration dish came from Ossiano and not from the visiting chef.

One could argue whether the Anchored menu flows from beginning to end because of this, but personally I was not bothered. We chased down Austrian Riesling and Alsacean Pinot Noir as a sail ship with messenger bottles nudges us to choose between a Moroccan course of Welsh lamb (some of the world’s best lamb in my opinion as someone who lived in Wales for a few years) and one of Pallavi’s favourite Ossiano dishes, a croque monsieur generously shingled in black truffles. Petit fours and a chocolate dessert resembling a Zaha Hadid sketch sees us off into the night.

So, now what?

I always ask whether I would return to a restaurant, but we need to wait.

Ossiano’s Anchored, Who Should Go?

Ossiano is never a cheap affair. The Anchored menu is a wallet busting AED1250 per person. That’s US$340 or roughly €320 at today’s exchange. This comes before a wine pairing at AED845 per person or bottled water at AED49 a throw. Our total bill was AED3487 for two, or about US$950. It is hard not to benchmark this internationally against say Piazza Duomo (three Stars at €290) or Aponiente (three Stars at €310), or even locally, ROW on 45 is a smidge less, and probably Ossiano’s closest peer in spirit. You’ll come here for special occasions only.

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Ossiano, Atlantis the Palm, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai.

Liam is a restaurant critic, food and travel writer based in the Middle East. He owns EatGoSee and contributes to other publications. You can follow him here on Substack, Instagram, Threads or Facebook.

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