Refined French fare where detail reigns supreme…

What defines a 2 Michelin Star restaurant? As per the guide, a restaurant is awarded 2 Stars, “when the personality and talent of the chef are evident in their expertly crafted dishes; their food is refined and inspired.”

It’s with this in mind that we arrive at Stay, one of only four 2 Star restaurants in Dubai. Housed inside the opulent One&Only The Palm, Stay is the brainchild of Yannick Alleno, whose restaurants around the world boast a collective 16 Michelin Stars.

Stay is intimate – the space is filled with around 15 tables – but still oozes splendour: double height ceilings dance with huge chandeliers, a grand bar graces one side of the restaurant where bottles of wine handpicked by the sommelier sit on ice, and generous armchairs in houndstooth surround tables laid with freshly ironed tablecloths. It’s all very quintessentially French.

While there’s a concise a la carte menu, guests are encouraged to opt for one of two tasting menus – either the four-course ‘Emotion’ menu (Dhs950 food only, Dhs1,600 with wine pairing) or the six-course ‘Experience’ menu (Dhs1,250 food only, Dhs2,150 with wine pairing). We opt for the four-course menu, but switch the main course from the chicken to the Wagu from the Experience menu. It’s a welcome feeling to be able to curate our own courses.

Before we begin, neatly rolled cold towels scented with rose are presented to us, alongside crisp glasses of Louis Roederer Rosé Champagne, and a neat tartlet of sour cream topped with dehydrated beef arrives to open up our palate. It’s crunchy and creamy and leaves us hungry for more.

The attention to detail is every where. Music is soft and melodic, so as not to detract from the culinary experience. A special mention should be given to the creamy, salty, golden butter, sourced from a small farm in Burgundy of just 20 cows, that supplies all of Alleno’s restaurants worldwide.

The next course, an amuse bouche of blanc-manger with almond, arrives in a martini glass, with a side of neatly diced fresh peach and a citusy blackcurrant vinaigrette. The blanc-manger is a little tasteless, and while the peaches are juicy, the course combined isn’t particularly memorable.

Our first course arrives and fares much better, a steamed cheese soufflé that’s light and spongy, the subtle cheese flavour of the soufflé giving way for a rich Albufera sauce. It’s topped with two squares of foie gras for added indulgence, and it’s a high-impact and flavour-filled dish and we use a spoon to ensure we finish every mouthful.

As we move through the courses, the service is standout. Our dishes are placed on the table in sync, and cleared away at a welcome pace, and the wine pairings by sommelier Danijela Tesic are unique bottles we’ve largely never tried before, but enhance each dish.

Next up, fresh and meaty chunks of blue lobster are given added flavour with a bone marrow crust, and the white wine sauce is a welcome addition to the flavour combination.

Our main is an outstanding demonstration of Stay’s chef de cuisine Ilya Evdokimov’s true culinary skill. Fifty layers of portobello mushroom and wagu beef layered into a delicate mille fuielle are presented in front of us, given added wow-factor when chef Evdokimov arrives table-side to swirl it with a parsley puree.

Dessert is sweet and delicious, and the pastry team’s prowess is firmly on show with the ‘monte bianco’, a mountain-shaped meringue and ice cream served with a cognac jelly.

The entire dining experience takes around two-and-a-half hours, which feels like a well-timed tasting menu experience, and while we leave full, we leave feeling like we’ve truly tried some of the city’s best – and most unique – dishes.

Verdict: Fabulous food and slick service make this a restaurant’s that sure to Stay on the Dubai dining scene.

Stay by Yannick Alleno, One&Only The Palm, West Crescent, Palm Jumeirah, 6.30pm to 12am, Tues to Sun. Tel: (0)4 440 1010. @stay_dubai