There’s a lot to savour at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon — and I’m not only talking about the restaurant’s wide-ranging, flavour-packed iftar menu.
The DIFC outpost is part of a franchise that pays tribute to the late French chef Joel Robuchon, whose restaurants racked up an impressive 32 Michelin stars in total. With the Michelin Guide finally coming to Dubai — and with anonymous Michelin inspectors supposedly reviewing restaurants incognito — most venues are pulling up their socks.
But at L’Atelier, the impeccable service feels instinctive. A paper napkin surreptitiously disintegrating under a cool drink is whisked away by eagle-eyed staff. A food stand upended by the breeze is righted in a flash. The charismatic restaurant manager, Alexandre Tissot, stops to chat with diners at every table, even as executive chef Roberto Torre cooks up a storm in the open kitchen. And every member of staff is able to answer our many questions about the ingredients list and cooking techniques behind each decadent dish.
What to expect and where to sit
Nestled on the podium level of Gate Village 11, L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon is a stone’s throw from DIFC’s galleries, the auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s, and fellow fine-dining restaurants Shanghai Me and Cipriani. The location exudes a vibe that is at once sophisticated and artistic.
Within, the restaurant is done up in lashings of reds and browns. The open kitchen is fronted by an omakase-style counter with high chairs, while a bar dominated one length of the room. My dining partner and I take a seat on the outdoor patio, which is bordered by tinfoil-sprayed shrubbery and houses a second bar.
The menu
Diners can break their fast with a bowl of chilled mazafati dates, followed by an asparagus veloute. The lukewarm and creamy amuse-bouche is by no means bite-sized, but it’s light as air and hits just the right spot, serving to set you up for the appetiser course.
This includes a choice among four dishes that will appeal to nearly every palate and preference, including two salads: Caesar with grilled chicken, quail egg and Parmesan; and Nicoise with confit tuna.
We choose to share the crispy artichoke with creamy Parmesan and mascarpone risotto, and the chicken gyoza. The notoriously hard-to-cook artichoke is fried such that it’s crunchy on the outside yet does not feel excessively oily, while the gyoza is dunked in a sauce that blends leeks, black and white sesame, mint and, surprisingly, hibiscus. My dining partner notes that despite the last ingredient, the sauce is not cloyingly sweet, but rather has just the right amount of acidity.
For mains, I get the lamb shoulder that comes with lamb jus on the side. However, having been slow-cooked for 12 hours, the meat is so tender and juicy, I don’t dip into it once, despite my love for all things saucy.
My partner gets the salmon in sorrel sauce, to continue with the creamy flavour profile found in the amuse-bouche and artichoke starter, and the flaky fillet and classic French sauce do not disappoint in that regard.
Other options include baby chicken and spaghetti with pesto and veggies.
Standout dish
The 12-hour slow-cooked lamb is the star of the show. It’s served at an additional charge of Dh100 (more on this below), but the meaty, melt-in-the-mouth texture makes it well worth the cost.
A special shoutout must be given to the parsley butter-stuffed focaccia in the bread basket, which can be ordered as many times upon request.
Out of sheer curiosity, I’d swap the salmon for the baby chicken the next time, just to get a taste of a tandoori sauce served by an Italian chef in a French restaurant. Indeed, this is representative of the iftar menu at large; it’s not only French fare, but rather touches many different flavour profiles.
A chat with the chef
Chef Torre says the menu has been designed based on the team’s observation of what Emirati diners tend to order, notably fresh salads and hearty lamb.
Dessert has been created especially for the iftar menu, and is a fluffy pistachio souffle with hazelnut caramel sauce. However, Tissot says, the light-as-air, mildly sweet concoction has proved so popular, the pastry chefs will be charged with putting it on the permanent menu.
Value for money and contact details
The set menu is a steal at Dh250. While ordering the best-selling lamb will set you back an additional Dh100 (upping the total cost of the iftar menu to Dh350), to put that into context, that same portion size of the dish is priced at Dh250 on the a la carte menu, while the others range from Dh90 to Dh160 a pop.
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon serves its iftar menu from sundown until 9pm. Reservations can be made by calling 04 297 7729.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team
Several girls started playing football at age four
They describe sport as their passion
The girls don’t dwell on their condition
They just say they may need to work a little harder than others
When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters
The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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SPECS
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Bawaal%20
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The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
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The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Results
Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.
Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).
Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.
Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Scores
Scotland 54-17 Fiji
England 15-16 New Zealand
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2/5
Film: In Syria
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Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90 4')
Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')
Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)
Company%20Profile
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Director: Jafar Panahi
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The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
