Chef Gregoire Berger kicks off a season of world-class culinary collaborations for the progressive fine dining restaurant Ossiano with Michelin two-star Chef Paco Morales of Spain’s dazzling Al-Andalus Arab restaurant, Noor.
Taking place for two nights only, on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th May, this once in a lifetime dining collaboration will see two of the world’s leading culinary talents unite to serve an unforgettable 10-course menu. Titled “Origin”, the duo’s collaborative efforts will comprise Berger’s modernist approach to cuisine with dishes that tell the story of his travels around the world with Morales’s notoriously avant-garde style, reinterpreted from the Al-Andalus Arab heritage.
Each evening, diners are invited to embark upon an immersive journey, focusing on a story specially crafted by the creative duo. Every chapter of the story is interpreted through the culinary lens of each chef, with surprises at every turn. Diners can expect oceanic-inspired dishes from Berger, including geranium rosat, jellyfish and seaweed snow, scallop andouillette, puffed buckwheat with spring salad and tequila grapefruit with jalapeno and yuzu sorbet. Morales’s interpretations include marinated shellfish in cucumber dressing, chickpea hummus with kefir snow and squid, vegetable stew and mole poblano and carob bean with its bark.
Part restaurant, part cultural project and nestled just outside of his hometown in Córdoba, Spain, Morales of the Michelin two-star Noor is famed for the exploration of Al-Andalus cuisine (or medieval Muslim Spain), which has had a significant impact on modern Andalusian gastronomy. Morales joined forces with food writer Rosa Tovar, a Spanish cookbook author and food scholar, as well as a team of culinary historians to access centuries-old recipes, which he now incorporates into three tasting menus of varying lengths.
Described as a ‘culinary Indiana Jones’ and highly regarded as one of the most exciting chefs in the world, Dubai diners have the unique opportunity to sample Morales’s interpretation of the evolution of the Andalusian legacy. Sampling flavours, aromas and subtleties of dishes from the 10th to 15th century, all ingredients used are 100% true to the period of the dish. (Any product which didn’t arrive in Europe with Christopher Colombus’ discovery of America in 1492 cannot be used, including cacao, maize, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, and much more).
Offering a progressive fine dining cuisine, Ossiano pays homage to the riches of the ocean and coastal land. Guided by Berger’s memories of travel and his childhood in Brittany, each dish embodies the chef’s lifelong respect for seasonality, terroir and sea foraging, with all ingredients sustainably sourced from the oceans or within 50km of a coastline. At 34 years old, Berger has already made waves on the global culinary stage with his cutting-edge, unconventional dishes refined with traditional French technique that has become his signature. The youngest and only chef in the country to be featured in the top 100 in the Best Chef Awards for five consecutive years, Berger has set himself apart in the busy Dubai dining scene with his visionary approach to pairing ingredients and application of beauty and art to food.
Located in Atlantis, The Palm and seating just 50 guests per evening, Ossiano is regarded as one of the country’s most unique and beautiful dining destinations. Taking diners a world away from the moment of arrival, guests descend into the subterranean dining room, submerging themselves 10 meters to the bottom of one of the world’s largest aquariums. With the unique dining environment as its muse, Ossiano transports guests both visually and sensorially to the depths of the ocean.
May’s culinary partnership with Chef Paco Morales is the first in a series of exciting and debut collaborations between Chef Gregoire Berger and some of the world’s leading chefs. Taking place from May through December, Dubai diners can expect the biggest names in culinary to take to the Ossiano stage.
Gregoire Berger, comments “I’ve been following the work of Paco Morales for many years, and I have always appreciated his talent, technique, and style of cuisine. I have always been curious and extremely fascinated with the way he crafts his dishes. It’s very unique and I feel there is great synergy between Noor and Ossiano in terms of storytelling. It just makes sense. This is going to be an unforgettable culinary experience”.
Paco Morales, comments “I was very impressed when I tasted Gregoire’s fabulous dishes a few years ago in Dubai. It was spectacular and unforgettable. So, I am really excited about our collaboration and I’m sure this event is a perfect synergy of two culinary visions. One not to be missed’.
Gregoire Berger X Paco Morales will take place on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th May from 6:00 pm-10:00 pm. The menu is priced at AED 1250 per person. Seating is extremely limited, and early reservations are highly recommended. To find out more about or to make a reservation, log onto www.atlantis.com/dubai/
