My Review of Two Michelin Star Restaurant STAY by Yannick Alléno

My trip to Dubai was filled with many wonderful dining experiences, and one of fine dining restaurants we had dinner at was at a two Michelin star restaurant called Stay by Yannick Alléno, found in the very popular The Palm Jumeirah Resort Hotel! This restaurant is known for their French base and according to the Michelin Guide – “takes a ‘less is more’ approach to some outstanding ingredients.”

We booked all of our fine dining, Michelin star restaurants a month or so in advance because these places are very popular, so if you’re thinking of dining here, I recommend booking a month in advance.

The Palm Hotel is a very beautiful resort. Its found on the end and slightly to the right Palm Islands (but essentially in the back center), ironically enough, and you really can’t miss it when you’re driving there. The entrance is breath-taking and it gave off a sort of Mediterranean and middle eastern blend vibe.

The entrance to the restaurant is in front of a small fountain of water surrounded by these floor lamps. (I have similar ones in my home and I love them! They’re very elegant!) It gave a nice glow, perfect for an evening dining experience!

Upon entering, you’re brought to the inside portion of the restaurant first (see second video above). This whole restaurant just felt so grand and opulent to me. There was so much detail and screamed elegance. I honestly felt like I was a bit undressed and kept questioning my posture as I was walked through the restaurant to our table outdoors.

We walked through a set of large glass doors and walked out to their beautiful patio area. I felt like I was on an episode of White Lotus! It was very opulent and felt like I was on some rich billionaire’s backyard.

Their setup is a bit interesting and it took me a while to figure out why some people were walking back and forth between tables and seating areas. Apparently there is a smoking area so if you’re in the middle of your dinner and want to switch to a more lounge space for a quick smoke and wine, there’s a section for that. Then once you’re done, you simply walk back to your table.

We were seated at a table closest to the garden area. Our waiter was a French accented woman who handed us our menus and explained a bit about the restaurant’s cuisine and a little history about the chef.

We were given some menus to look at. Michael and I always look at the menu prior to going to the restaurant so that we can see whether it’s worth going there or not. We both like picking out our potential appetizers and main courses so that we’re ready to order and eat right away!

Here’s a peak at what our menu looked like while we were there:

The restaurant started us off with a small bite and some bread and butter while we looked over the menu and admired the scenery:

We were pretty stuffed from our prior dinners and hotel breakfast spreads that we decided to stick to a-la carte instead of their “Emotion” and “Experience” Tasting menus. That would’ve been way too much food for us that we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy much of it.

For our appetizers, we each ordered their “Steamed Cheese Soufflé” which contained Foie gras, and the Pan Seared Foie Gras dish. My favorite of these two was the Soufflé. It was pretty cheesy and had a good amount of foie gras.

But both appetizer dishes were great and I highly recommend you try at least one of their foie gras appetizer dishes (after all, it is a French staple cuisine!).

It took a little while between the appetizers and the main dishes but we were comfortable at our table, enjoying the view. Also, our waiter(s) and our main French lady waiter (I think she was the manager for that night at the restaurant) were all incredibly kind and accommodating. They even refilled our bread basket while we waited for our mains to arrive.

I usually order the sea bass main if a restaurant has it as it is one of my favorite dishes. Here I ordered their Sea Bass “Aiguillettes”, while Michael ordered the Wagyu Beef and Mushrooms Mille-Feullie.

Both were served and uncovered for us at the same time making the experience quite elegant however not uncommon for a Michelin star dining experience.

My seabass arrived as two small pieces and a scoop of mashed potato. I found the presentation of it to be quite nice. I loved the color. To me it resembled something like marble or a mille fiore glass.

The presentation and the portion size of both mains were as expected, however I found mine to be a bit too salty and not as tasty as I thought it would be, especially given how decorated it looked with all the spices and seasonings on top.

Michael did mention that the Wagyu beef was pretty decent and just OK for his very cultured and expansive palette (haha). He’s had quite a few different dishes of wagyu beef from all over the world so an OK to him means he’s had better!

After the mains, we were given a separate dessert menu to look over. By now we were full but we were willing to try a few of their dessert for sure!

We opted for their Cocoa Puff Pastry with Barley Ice Cream which was recommended to us by our waiter. This includes Cognac, maple syrup and mushroom foam.

In the video below you can see our waiter placing the caramelized maple strips on top of the ice cream.

It was too adorable to eat but we were eager to try it!

And lastly, after we finished our dessert, we were brought a small plate with little pastry bites. Except these weren’t sweet but made with a special in-house whip that the restaurant uses for some of their dishes.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the name or what the whip consisted of, but I did find them to be tasty. It was like a salted, whipped butter in a airy cracker. I think it was meant to look like small bird eggs.

In addition to the small bites, we were given a special, “final” dessert. This was an experimental dessert by the chef. Our manager waiter explained that the small pie was made with a beer ingredient. I could definitely taste and smell the beer as I ate the dessert, however, Michael said he couldn’t taste it at all.

Would I rate this a 2 Michelin star? Yes, I would! The service to be very professional, the restaurant to be well decorated, very ornate and elegant. It was also intimate and comforting to dine in (very spacious with both and indoor and outdoor option), and I also found the servers and staff to be well informed of all the dishes. I can also say that their English was pretty good and not difficult at all to converse with them.

The food itself was ok, however I loved their foie gras dishes Given that they are a French-inspired restaurant, I was not surprised that they nailed their foie gras dishes. The main dishes (at least the ones we ordered) lacked some flavor but their presentations were wonderfully put together! Our experience here at STAY, we did not do the tasting menu but instead tried their a-la carte menu and their portions did not disappoint! I’d recommend if you are going as a pair to opt for the course where you pick two main dishes instead. This way each of you can pick two different ones and then share amongst each other. We were full by the end our our main dish, going into our dessert, but we still had room in our stomachs enough to enjoy them! In addition to the food, the restaurant gave us a bunch of other free finger-food dishes and bites for free!

Don’t forget to check out my other Michelin Star restaurant reviews from other parts of the country & world!

Overall, I do give this a two star myself and if you’re traveling to Dubai, UAS, please check out the STAY restaurant while you are there! Hope you enjoyed my STAY by Yannick Alleno Restaurant Review review and that it entices you to dine there one night!