Three weeks before the 2025 list of Mena's 50 Best Restaurants is unveiled, Dubai's Ossiano has received a special award for its “relentless pursuit of excellence” and ability to create “extraordinary experiences”.
The venue at Atlantis The Palm has received the Art of Hospitality Award, which celebrates restaurants that provide exemplary service. It is one of two special awards announced by the 50 Best group. The company behind the Mena's 50 Best Restaurants list, which will be revealed on January 28, has also named Yasmina Hayek of Em Sherif as Mena's Best Female Chef.
Guillaume Barray, general manager of Ossiano, says: “We pride ourselves in genuine hospitality and service paired with an unforgettable dining experience, so to be recognised for this award is a fantastic way to start the new year.”
Ossiano won its Michelin star under Gregoire Berger, but the award-winning French chef has since left. His team are currently serving the restaurant's 10-course menu, priced at Dh1,250, which includes dishes such as spirulina-coated meringue with Sicilian purple prawn tartare; langoustine with passion fruit and jalapeno; and kokotxas with cod, black sauce and Kristal caviar; and a nori tartlet with dry-aged yellowtail with wasabi ice cream and umeboshi-flavoured sesame seeds.
The Art of Hospitality Award, however, goes above and beyond food. According to William Drew, director of content for Mena's 50 Best Restaurants, the prize “is a testament to the relentless pursuit of excellence, and highlights the team’s outstanding ability to create extraordinary guest experiences”.
It's something The National can attest to. During our visit to Ossiano, not only were the staff warm, discreet and utterly knowledgeable, but midway though the meal, we were escorted to the bar and treated to a (non-tequila) tequila shot. It's a little reminder that, when it comes to a multifaceted dining and hospitality experience, there are venues where you can expect the unexpected.
The setting, too, is a case in point. Ossiano is submerged 10 metres below one of the world’s largest aquariums, with diners directly looking out on to marine life including stingrays, sharks and rainbow fish. It is little wonder the subterranean restaurant is a popular spot for marriage proposals.
Storytelling and presentation are integral parts of the dining experience. From bowls shaped like oversized crabs to cauliflower leaves mimicking the movement of corals and potatoes disguised as lumps of charcoal, the plating at Ossiano is playful and sculptural.
The Art of Hospitality Award “acknowledges Ossiano’s ability to elevate service into an art form, creating meaningful connections with guests that turn dining into an emotional journey”, says Drew.
Tomislav Antonio Lokvicic Silva, general manager of La Mar by Gaston Acurio, the Peruvian restaurant that won the Michelin Service Award in Ossiano's sister property Atlantis The Royal, notes that while the quality of food is the biggest consideration for many diners, it is not the priority for everyone. Often the service takes precedence, especially in five-star destinations where “people expect perfection”.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
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
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
