Somebody Feed the Bulls
In the span of one week, we travelled to 3 different countries. Dubai, Doha and Singapore. Not only did we go to these 3 countries, we also went to 3 Michelin star restaurants. A Michelin star is awarded to restaurants by the Michelin guide to show the restaurants are of top quality. Restaurants can receive One, Two or Three stars on this rating system. However, In my head I see a Michelin star as an extra ranking above the typical 5 star restaurant. I feel that a Michelin star should be awarded in a case that the restaurant is too good to be confined to the limits of 5 stars so a 6th, 7th or 8th star should be awarded. But since that is not the case, I decided to come up with my own ranking system that follows these rules, The Bull-chelin stars. I'm using this system to tell you about the Michelin star restaurants we went to and what I would rank them on the Bull-chelin star scale.
The Orfali Brothers: Dubai
The Orfali brothers had one Michelin star and was the first restaurant we went to during the week. This restaurant was founded by 3 Syrian brothers in 2021 and was awarded the Michelin star in 2024. The restaurant was also ranked number one in MENAs 50 best restaurants of 2024, and was featured on Somebody Feed Phil which is how we found out about it. The restaurant is small and has a nice cozy atmosphere. When we arrived we were greeted and sat at a table and shortly after we met our server. The entire experience felt very personal due to the small size of the restaurant and the fact that we got our own waiter. The thing that made the restaurant unique was that he asked if we wanted to be served a selection of food instead of picking for ourselves. To this we said yes because we wanted to get the full experience. Mia and I however stuck to picking our own items and trying the food that was brought out for the parents. Most of the food served were small one or two bite pieces that were packed with flavour. A Caviar Bun, Corn bombs, Oh la la foie gras, and Umami eclairs were only some of the brought out. The restaurant claims to have a “World Famous burger” and with a claim that it was so big, how could we not try, and i can safely say that it was one of the best burgers i've ever eaten. We also got to try a selection of six delicious desserts. My favorite one being the ferrero rocher. I still sometimes find myself mouth watering over the thought of that dessert. Overall, we greatly enjoyed our time eating here. On the Bull-chelin star scale I would give this a 6 star, meaning it did in fact deserve the michelin star. If you ever find yourself in Dubai wondering where to eat, this would be my biggest recommendation.
Nobu Sushi - Doha
Nobu Sushi is a popular sushi restaurant with branches all across the world. However the Doha location was awarded a Michelin star specifically for their brunch. The food was a buffet with a menu to order off of as well. The buffet offered a large variety of different sushi along with other Japanese cuisine. And from the menu there was a selection of different meat, fish and more sushi. They also had a large range of desserts including ice cream and a lava cake. The space itself was nice, however one of the things that bothered us was the noise. The restaurant was very noisy and
The music was very loud. It almost felt like the atmosphere of a nightclub rather than a fancy restaurant. Overall I would give this restaurant 4.5 stars Bull-chelin stars. The food was good however the noise and the atmosphere dropped the rating for us. I also found the restaurant not as personal as the other two were.
COTE - Singapore
The 3rd and final restaurant that we visited was COTE Korean Steakhouse. This restaurant however had just opened up and didn't actually have a Michelin star. However the NYC location does so we counted it anyway. The restaurant was very pretty and we sat in a booth that had its own personal grill. We ordered the set menu that was a collection of different steak cuts. including Waygu A5. At first I was skeptical because how different and tasty can a meal of just steak be? But I was wrong. All of the steaks had their own unique flavours and textures. We also got different Korean side dishes and toppings to go with the steak that provided such a great variety. Along with this, we also got a chef for our table who would cook the steaks right in front of us and tell us about the steak we are eating along with recommending how and what to eat it with. They also had an excellent Sommelier who according to the wine drinkers of the family, didn't disappoint on a single recommendation. To top it all off they also served amazing vanilla soft serve with caramel drizzle that both me and my dad had seconds of. This restaurant took me by surprise, we had great food, were in an excellent environment and shared a few laughs. This restaurant gets 7 Bull-Chelin stars and was not only a favorite restaurant but also a highlight of our trip. I'm sure when Michelin gets around to reviewing it, it will be given a Michelin star.
