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The National
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Meet the Indian-Syrian chef duo behind Manao, a Michelin-starred Thai restaurant in Dubai
Earning a Michelin star within just five months of opening is a rare feat, even more so when there isn't a celebrity chef leading the kitchen. Yet, that's exactly what Thai-inspired restaurant Manao did in May, becoming part of the 2025 Michelin Guide Dubai. Helmed by Indian chef Abhiraj Khatwani, 30, Manao is a reflection of his multicultural upbringing and a shared culinary vision with his mentor and business partner, Mohamad Orfali, the acclaimed Syrian chef behind Orfali Bros in Dubai, which also has one Michelin star. 'Honestly, it hasn't even fully hit me yet,' Khatwani, who was also awarded Michelin's Young Chef Award during the ceremony, tells The National. 'It feels more like a relief – for the team, for everyone who's supported us. But we're just doing what we set out to do, which is serve good food and make people happy.' Born in Jeddah, raised in Dubai and educated in Montreal, Khatwani says his path to the kitchen wasn't straightforward. But food, he adds, was always a part of it. 'We always had people over ... 20, 30 people every other day,' he recalls of his childhood. 'My mum cooked everything, so hospitality was a way of life.' After university in Canada, Khatwani chose to study culinary arts at a school outside London, which led him to working kitchens in Denmark as well as Thailand, where he began to develop a deep appreciation for Thai flavours. In 2018, after returning to Dubai, he opened The Yellow Monkey, a casual Thai eatery in JBR, which quickly earned a dedicated following. It was here that he first met Orfali, already a well-known TV chef then. 'I wasn't a big fan of Thai food,' Orfali tells The National. 'But after tasting Abhiraj's food, I fell in love. It was different – creative, balanced, exciting.' The Covid-19 pandemic lead to The Yellow Monkey shutting in 2020. The chefs' paths crossed again two years later. Orfali, who had already taken Orfali Bros to great heights, including earning its own Michelin star, was looking to expand his culinary empire and took Khatwani under his wing. Their mutual admiration evolved into a business partnership, and Manao was born, opening in December last year to immediate acclaim. An ode to Thailand, food at Manao is served via an 11-course tasting menu, shaped by Khatwani's expertise in the country's cuisine and the Orfali Bros formula of refined cooking techniques. You won't find your traditional green curries or pad Thai noodles here, but rather modern interpretations that blend flavours masterfully. Made in Dubai, for Dubai In many ways, the city of Dubai helped birth Manao, Orfali says. 'We wanted to add something new to the scene, something elegant but accessible,' he says. 'Thai at its soul, but with layers of global influence. 'We always say: 'If something works in Dubai, it can work anywhere,'' he adds. 'Dubai has one of the most diverse, demanding audiences in the world. If they approve it, it means something. 'Manao will only ever exist in Dubai. It's made for this city.' Like Orfali Bros, with its fresh take on Mediterranean cuisine, Manao is not supposed to be flashy. Even its location, in Jumeirah, close to Orfali Bros, was deliberately chosen and not intended to be a fine-dining destination. Chasing people, not stars Orfali Bros recently retained its Michelin star on the 2025 Michelin Guide Dubai. It also topped this year's Mena's 50 Best Restaurants list and earned a spot in the coveted annual listing's global ranking, coming in at No 37. 'We didn't set out to earn a Michelin star,' says Orfali. 'We're cooking for people. Our guests are our priority, and our team is our family. The stars come when you focus on what matters.' Orfali, who works alongside his brothers Wassim and Omar, is putting the finishing touches on his a new restaurant concept, Three Bros, set to open soon. As he has done with Manao and Khatwani, he wants to turn his attention to young chefs, giving them a platform to shine. 'That's my investment plan for now, to do more by giving an opportunity to other chefs from the team, and replicate the concept like what we're doing with Abhiraj,' says Orfali. As for Khatwani, he's staying grounded. 'We want to keep innovating, keep improving,' he says. 'I think we just have to keeping doing what we're doing.' But Orfali, who calls Khatwani 'the fourth bro', might have something more up his sleeve for him. 'I want to push him to do something Indian,' he teases. 'He'll kill it.'
Eater
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Overheard at the 2025 California Michelin Guide Ceremony
Chefs and restaurant folks from across California gathered at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center in Sacramento on June 25 for the 2025 presentation of the Michelin Guide California. At the annual ceremony, the Michelin Guide awards restaurants Michelin stars, as well as green stars, which recognize sustainability practices. The lobby of the performing arts center was abuzz with potential awardees and their staff taking in drinks and bites for more than an hour until the doors opened. Just before the start of the ceremony, Eater LA broke the news that Somni had been awarded three stars, the highest designation, and the first time a restaurant in the city had received it. Later in the ceremony, Providence was finally upgraded from two to three stars, coinciding with chef Michael Cimarusti and business partner Donato Poto's 20-year anniversary. Other winners included Korean tasting menu spot Restaurant Ki, which received its first star, as well as its chef Ki Kim, who received the Young Chef Award; sushi destination Mori Nozomi, which received a star; and Silvers Omakase in Santa Barbara. Lilo took home its first-ever star, giving chef Eric Bost and partner John Resnick their second after their other restaurant, Jeune et Jolie, both in Carlsbad. Bib Gourmands were also released on the evening of June 25, with LA's only additions being Komal in South LA, Rasarumah in Historic Filipinotown, and Vin Folk in Hermosa Beach. Here are some conversations from the event, both before and after the ceremony. 'This is the first year that I'm just enjoying it. I'm not nervous. I'm very excited. I think with Pasta Bar [in Encino], the team is amazing.' — Margarita Kallas-Lee, Pasta Bar 'We're trying to get two stars with Pasta Bar. We're trying to get a green star, trying to get all those things. A year ago, we planted a legit quarter-acre garden. If my brother [Lennon Silvers Lee of Silvers Omakase] gets a star, we'll be the first brothers in America to both own separate starred restaurants, only the second time that's happened in the world, and the only ones current. If the stars align…' — Phillip Frankland Lee, Pasta Bar (They eventually did and Silvers Omakase received a Michelin star.) 'I'm super happy to be here, happy to have the crew with us, happy to be in town for a night. Feel good, some butterflies. Nobody knows what they're getting.' — Eric Bost, Lilo and Jeune et Jolie 'Super, super nervous. I didn't think I'd be this nervous, but my heart's clutching right now. I don't know what I'm getting. I'm very thankful and grateful. I'm here with my entire team. I'm fortunate to have a team that's very easy to work with, and fortunate to have a space that is ideal and designed for us to be in. I would like to take more credit and say that I intentionally did all this, and coincidentally and gratefully, things are working out. In life, we always have plans, but life never goes as planned. When it actually goes as planned, it's crazy — it's amazing.' — Ki Kim, Restaurant Ki 'This is my first time, I'm so excited.' — Nozomi Mori, Mori Nozomi 'It's nice to be back after five years. It's nice to see people that we know and see people get recognition in the industry. I know how privileged I am to be here, I know I'm an immigrant with privilege, and was able to come in a different way. I want to make a voice not only for me tonight but also for people that weren't in my position. They have the same talent as me but they will never be here, so I want to make it for them, too. These people are also working hard, they have dreams, and they still keep the faith to move on. So I want to make it for that.' — Aitor Zabala, Somni 'It's an exciting time to be with restaurant people. The last year and a half in LA has been the greatest stretch of fine dining openings that I can remember. Starting with the re-opening of Vespertine and Somni, plus Seline, Restaurant Ki, Nozomi Mori, Marea, and the forthcoming Jaca, Maydan, Sushi Noz LA, and Lielle. It's exciting to start seeing them recognized. But LA restaurants need help. The bottom dropped out of the market in the fourth quarter last year after multiple years, and before that, it was anemic growth. Sales per location were down 13 percent in the fourth quarter (of 2024) and over 10 percent in the first quarter of 2025. On a per-location basis sales are now lower than they were pre-pandemic. This is not sustainable.' — Saul Cooperstein, inKind Hospitality Ki, Mori Nozomi, Silvers Omakase, and Lilo were given new stars for Southern California. And notably, Somni and Providence were awarded three stars, the first time any restaurant, let alone two, had been given the highest mark in Los Angeles history. 'I had no idea. I thought we lost when the list of two-starred restaurants came out. I had no pretensions about it. We just go in and do the work, and if it comes, it comes. Thankful to be supported by an incredible team at Providence. Honestly, I think we're the best we've ever been, in the kitchen and also the front of the house. I'm happy and elated but more than anything happy for Donato [Poto], my wife, Donato's wife, Tristan Aitchison, our chef de cuisine of 20 years, our cooks, prep cooks, fish cutters, runners, bussers, servers, captains. It's difficult, it's not always as rewarding as you might hope it would be. At this time of the U.S., to be surrounded by a group of people who feel apprehension and dread every day for what might happen to them or in their community, family members, or friends, to work with people who are experiencing that right now, it's very difficult. I hope that this achievement, which they've all been a part of, brings a little pride and maybe eases their burden a little bit. I'm proud to have employed probably a team of 80 percent immigrants ever since the restaurant opened, and Providence wouldn't be Providence [without them]. None of these people in this room right now would be here were it not for immigrants, and I'm very proud to be an employer of dozens of immigrants who cook, clean, serve, and do all the very hard work day in and day out. I'm proud to be a part of this industry, representing Los Angeles.' — Michael Cimarusti, Providence 'There are a lot of restaurants in Europe that get three stars that are new. There's been a handful in the past two or three years. It's nice that it happened to two teams that everyone in the industry supports and looks up to. If you're a cook, Providence is the north star. The things we've endured this year alone in LA — 20 years is amazing.' — Jon Yao, chef of Kato 'This is big for LA — LA needed this. To see a restaurant like Providence doing it for 20 years, that's the most inspiring thing. I look at what Donato does with service, the passion, and the energy. It is hard to sustain that in our city for that long.' — Ryan Bailey, partner at Kato See More:
Time Out
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Michelin awards new stars to four L.A. restaurants for 2025—including the city's first-ever three-star eateries
Tonight, Michelin announced its list of starred California restaurants for 2025 at an awards ceremony in Sacramento, and the results for Los Angeles are now in: Two all-new one-star additions; three Michelin stars (the city's first) awarded for Somni, the most expensive restaurant in Los Angeles; and a highly coveted third star for Providence, Michael Cimarusti's longtime Hollywood fine dining institution, which has held two stars every year that Michelin has rated L.A. restaurants since 2009. (The guide left L.A. for a decade, returning in 2019.) One of the world's most famous dining guides (as well as a multinational French tire company), Michelin decides what it considers worth visiting by sending anonymous inspectors all over a given city, state, region or country. In North America, the guide's overall bias towards Japanese omakase and French fine-dining restaurants is well-known, though it also includes a variety of unstarred restaurants in terms of cuisine and price point within each edition of the guide. This year in L.A. was largely no different. The two newest one-starred L.A. restaurants for 2025 are Restaurant Ki, a modern Korean tasting menu in Little Tokyo run by eponymous chef Ki Kim (who also earned Michelin's Young Chef Award) and Mori Nozomi, a standout, female-led omakase experience in West L.A. by eponymous chef and Osaka native Nozomi Mori. Almost every other two-star and one-star eatery in L.A. maintained its standing except for West Hollywood's Sushi Ginza Onodera, which has closed. Up in Santa Barbara, Silvers Omakase earned a brand-new star designation; the restaurant is run by Lennon Silvers Lee, the brother of Pasta|Bar's Phillip Frankland Lee, whose Encino strip mall eatery also maintained its Michelin star. On the Bib Gourmand front, three new L.A. area restaurants earned recognition in the tire company's more budget-friendly restaurant rating category: Komal, a masa-centric lunch counter in Mercado Paloma run by two Holbox alums; Rasarumah, chef Johnny Lee's trendy Malaysian spot in Historic Filipinotown; and Vin Folk in Hermosa Beach, which Time Out recently wrote about as a destination-worthy bistro in the South Bay. In order to be considered for the more affordable category of the French tire company's world-renowned dining guide, Bib Gourmand restaurants must offer a full menu that makes it possible to order two courses and drink or dessert for under $49 (sans tax and gratuity). For ease of use, we've detailed L.A.'s newest Michelin stars and Bib Gourmands, as well as the eateries that lost Michelin stars, in alphabetical order (and will soon update our list of the city's Michelin-starred restaurants). All restaurants are within the city of L.A. unless noted in parentheses. Any links reflect previous coverage here at Time Out —and we've included call-outs of our own starred ratings in brackets (out of 5) if you'd like a more locally informed perspective than the concise description offered by Michelin. Time Out Los Angeles sends congratulations to all of L.A.'s newly (and not-so-newly) Michelin-starred restaurants and Bib Gourmands. L.A.'s newest three-star Michelin restaurants: Providence [5 stars] Somni (West Hollywood) [5 stars] L.A.'s new one-star Michelin restaurants: Mori Nozomi [5 stars] Restaurant Ki [4 stars] L.A.'s new Bib Gourmands: Komal [4 stars] Rasarumah [3 stars] Vin Folk (Hermosa Beach) [4 stars] L.A. restaurants that lost stars: Sushi Ginza Onodera (West Hollywood) — now closed
Eater
23-06-2025
- Business
- Eater
This Michelin-Starred Restaurant Is Making a Big Move to the Mission
Two-Michelin-starred Nob Hill restaurant Sons and Daughters is moving to the Mission District. The restaurant will take over the former Osito location on the corner of 18th and Florida streets. The lease on the Bush Street location expires in spring 2026, so the restaurant will decamp the neighborhood. The new Mission location is huge, technically two distinct spaces composed of a bar — previously Liliana and Bar Agricole — and a dining area with an open kitchen. 'We've been at our max for a long time,' Sons and Daughters owner Teague Moriarty says. 'The [new] space is beautiful, it's gonna allow us to have more staff, and continue to push Sons and Daughters to the next level.' The hope is to be operating at the Mission space before the new year. When this new location is ready, including updated furniture and design, Sons and Daughters will close in Nob Hill for good. They want to utilize that larger two-part space with the dining room to create a 'grander experience,' per Moriarty. The team hopes to find a hungry restaurateur to take over the original space, since that existing restaurant will be functional and somewhat turn-key. Sons and Daughters is one of the city's most upscale New Nordic-style restaurants. Moriarty brought current executive chef Harrison Cheney onboard in 2022 and the restaurant has cleaned up on the awards side of the industry since, though the business debuted in 2010. Cheney was named the Michelin Guide's 2023 Young Chef Award winner. He then took the restaurant's one Michelin star and doubled it in 2024. It's beloved for lavish seasonal tasting menus where Osetra caviar comes paired with Swedish bread hönökaka. The restaurant's after-dinner coffee service, with beans from the Outer Sunset's Andytown Coffee, is a stunner. The restaurant's reputation also continues to expand as alums move onto their own projects: Kiln chef John Wesley and co-owner Julianna Yang both worked at Sons and Daughters. Chef Seth Stowaway closed the one-Michelin-starred Osito on Mother's Day 2025, telling the San Francisco Standard the numbers just weren't adding up. (Meanwhile, Osito is in the midst of a farewell dinner series at North Bay's Black Mountain Ranch for June.) Stowaway told the Standard the $15,000 monthly rent was non-negotiable with the landlord. That'd be the Madelon, the same complex housing Bar Gemini and a trio of bakeries fittingly dubbed Bakery Row. Sons and Daughters, which celebrated its 15th year in business in June, will join newcomer Side A as one of the sexy new entrants in that chunk of the neighborhood. See More: San Francisco Restaurant Openings
Time Out
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
16 restaurants and two chefs from Singapore are recognised in the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide 2025
Singapore is known for its rich hawker heritage, but that's not the only form of cuisine we excel in. Our high-end restaurant scene stays winning too, with plenty of fancy fine-dining establishments receiving recognition in global culinary awards like La Liste and Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2025. Now here's another gourmet-related achievement to celebrate. The first-ever overseas award ceremony for the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide was recently hosted at Marina Bay Sands on April 25, 2025, and Singapore has an impressive record high of 16 restaurants as part of the winning line-up. Out of these, five are new entrants on the list, namely: Cassia, Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant, Peach Blossoms, Seroja, and Waku Ghin – all of which scored a one-diamond award. Peach Blossoms also bags the 2025 Annual Dish Award for its Crispy Scales Fillet of Marble Goby in Spicy Pineapple Sauce, pictured below. On top of that, two Singapore-based chefs are also named in Black Pearl's 2025 Chef Awards, with the Master Chef Award going to Sebastien Lepinoy from Les Amis – whose restaurant scores the highest rating of three diamonds in this year's Black Pearl ranking; while the Young Chef Award is bagged by Toraik Chua from three-Michelin-starred fusion restaurant Zén. The Black Pearl Restaurant Guide is helmed by Chinese tech company Meituan, and it's the first international food guide based on Chinese dining standards. See below for the full list of winners from Singapore for 2025. Three-diamond restaurants: Les Amis Odette Two-diamond restaurants: Jaan by Kirk Westaway One-diamond restaurants: Burnt Ends Candlenut Cassia (new entrant) Cloudstreet Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant (new entrant) Peach Blossoms (PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay) (new entrant) Meta Restaurant Restaurant Born Seroja (new entrant) Summer Pavilion Teochew Restaurant Huat Kee Waku Ghin (new entrant) Zén 2025 Chef Awards Sebastien Lepinoy from Les Amis: Master Chef Award Toraik Chua from Zén: Young Chef Award 2025 Annual Dish Award Crispy Scales Fillet of Marble Goby in Spicy Pineapple Sauce from Peach Blossoms Check out the full list of winners on the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide 2025.
