- Stewart leads Liberty past Lynx to level WNBA Finals
- England return to winning ways in Nations League, Austria thrash Norway
- UN chief says attacks on UNIFIL 'may constitute a war crime'
- Ravens outlast Commanders while Bucs batter Saints in NFL
- Dozens hurt in Israel as Hezbollah claims drone strike
- England deserve 'world class' coach: Carsley
- Burkina Faso win to become first qualifiers for 2025 AFCON
- AC Milan's Pulisic among five out for USA match in Mexico
- France's Amandine Henry retires from international football
- Centre-left set to win pro-Ukraine Lithuania's vote
- India's World Cup hopes in Pakistan hands after Australia defeat
- Zelensky says NKorea sending troops to Russian army
- England beat Finland to get back on track
- King and Lewis propel West Indies to T20 triumph over Sri Lanka
- Pre-Halloween 'Terrifier' lands atop North America box office
- 'I still plan to compete and play next season,' says Djokovic
- Harris, Trump seek advantage in knife-edge election battle
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record in Chicago
- Kamindu and Asalanka power Sri Lanka to 179 against West Indies
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record as Korir wins in Chicago
- Spain send injured Yamal home 'to prioritise player's health'
- In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Iraq walks fine line with pro-Iran factions to avoid war
- Race four abandoned after New Zealand breeze into 3-0 lead in America's Cup
- West Indies win toss, put Sri Lanka in to bat in first T20
- Sudan rescuers say air strike killed 23 in Khartoum market
- Netanyahu tells UN to move Lebanon peacekeepers out of 'harm's way'
- Bangladeshi Hindus defy attack worries to celebrate festival
- Kiwis three up in America's Cup as Ineos pay for time penalty
- In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Dominant England crush Scotland at Women's T20 World Cup
- Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
- Israel fights Hezbollah on the ground, pounds Lebanon from the air
- Sabalenka outlasts local hero Zheng to win third Wuhan Open title
- Bangladeshi Hindus shrug off attack worries to celebrate festival
- Former Pakistan captain Azam dropped for second England Test
- 'Opportunist' Dupont dazzles on Toulouse return
- Australia replace injured Vlaeminck with Graham at Women's T20 World Cup
- Sinner wins Shanghai Masters to deny Djokovic 100th career title
- Ubisoft fears assassin's hit over falling sales
- Israel hits Lebanon from the air and fights Hezbollah on the ground
- China's Yin has 'goosebumps' as she romps to LPGA win in Shanghai
- Pakistan to re-use Multan pitch for second England Test
- Blair and King Charles hail Salmond's 'devotion' to Scotland
- Vietnam, China hold talks on calming South China Sea tensions
- SpaceX will try to 'catch' giant Starship rocket shortly before landing
- England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgery: reports
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgey: reports
- Israel widens Lebanon strikes as troops fight Hezbollah along border
Glitzy Dubai hungry for culinary fame
French chef Renaud Dutel never thought his career would take him to the United Arab Emirates' glam hub of Dubai, but has found there a culinary capital in the making.
Five years since he was offered a spot at a fancy restaurant in the Gulf financial and tourism hub -- better known for its skyscrapers than its food scene -- Dutel is delighted to have "taken the risk".
"I believe Dubai is at the beginning," he told AFP as lobster cuts were sizzling on a skillet beside him at STAY, a Michelin-starred restaurant specialised in French cuisine on the city's signature Palm Jumeirah man-made island.
"But (Dubai) is on the way to becoming one of the best destinations in the world to come to dine."
Boasting about 13,000 restaurants and cafes, some of the city's eateries are already making global waves.
Last year, 11 Dubai restaurants were awarded the Middle East's first Michelin stars, with more joining the prestigious club this year.
Some like STAY by Yannick Alleno clinched two stars, but none made it to three -- Michelin's highest honour.
"Dubai's gastronomy scene has transformed the city into one of the most diverse and dynamic food hubs in the world," said Issam Kazim of the local government's tourism and economy department.
- '100 percent Dubai' -
The UAE, a five-decade federation of seven emirates along the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, lacks the rich culinary heritage of other Arab states.
The meat-heavy Emirati cuisine is strongly influenced by historic trade ties with present-day Iran and India.
But it did not see the "gastronomisation" that culinary traditions in much of the West did, according to Loic Bienassis of the European Institute for the History and Culture of Food.
Still, it "can be done", he told AFP. "And political will can play a role."
Instead, with expats largely outnumbering the local Emirati population, the city's rich cultural mix has yielded a unique culinary identity.
Moonrise, a rooftop restaurant which offers a Middle Eastern-Japanese fusion and only seats 12 people at a time, is a prime example.
Solemann Haddad, Moonrise's head chef and co-owner, described the food as one-third European, one-third Japanese and one-third Arabic, "but it's 100 percent Dubai".
Haddad, born in the city to French and Syrian parents, won a coveted Michelin star last year at the ripe age of 27.
His dishes reflect the cosmopolitan spirit of Dubai, he told AFP, combining elements such as date syrup with a chutney of saffron and pineapple.
Having established itself as a business and luxury hot spot, Dubai is now also attracting some of the world's leading culinary names including Alleno and fellow Frenchman Pierre Gagnaire.
- Desert-sourced -
Britain's Gordon Ramsay, Japan's Nobu Matsuhisa and Italy's Massimo Bottura have also joined the roster of celebrity chefs with a presence in the city.
But beyond importing top talent, Dubai is also fostering local stars, said Habib Al Mulla, an Emirati lawyer and culinary blogger who has reviewed more than 700 establishments worldwide.
"A new, young generation of homegrown chefs are coming up," he told AFP.
"Many of them are winning... worldwide recognition."
Dubai's rising culinary stars include not only chefs but also restauranteurs such as Omar Shihab, born and raised in the UAE to a Jordanian family.
The restaurant he founded, BOCA, was awarded the Michelin Green Star for sustainability this year.
Shihab sources a bulk of his produce from the UAE -- a feat in a country that imports more than 80 percent of its food needs.
"Let's face it, we live in the desert," he told AFP.
"But through our sourcing policy, we prioritise local ingredients."
Some 30-40 percent of fruit and vegetables served at BOCA come from hydroponic Emirati farms, and up to 80 percent of the fish sourced from the UAE or nearby shores, said Shihab.
"We do not have any local or regional suppliers" for meat and chicken, he said.
"But we make sure that the farms we rely on, we know their names, we know a little bit about their practises, no matter where they are in the world."
P.M.Smith--AMWN