Taste of the World, Riyadh welcomed a stunning line-up of chefs and restaurants for its opening night at Digital City, delighting Riyadh’s cosmopolitan citizens.
Commissioned by the General Entertainment Authority, this bespoke edition of the festival, created especially for the Riyadh Season, features 14 of the world’s best restaurants from around the globe, boasting an impressive combined 13 Michelin stars.
The restaurant line-up, which includes appearances from the culinary visionaries behind the eateries, includes:
• Tom’s Kitchen, from London, with renowned two Michelin-starred British chef Tom Aikens, serving British favorites and comfort food classics.
• Olmsted, from New York with one of the city’s favorite chefs Greg Baxtrom, with a seasonal, creative and palate-pleasing vegetable-forward menu.
• Maison Yaki also from New York by the multi-award winning chef Greg Baxtrom who playfully slips Japanese touches into unmistakably French dishes.
• Club Gascon by Michelin-starred chef Pascal Aussignac. The Michelin-starred eatery specializes in imaginative cuisine from the South West of France.
• Arcane with multi-award-winning chef Shane Osborn. From the bustling streets of Hong Kong, the two Michelin-starred restaurant is serving modern European cuisine.
• Restaurant Sylvestre Wahid at Hotel Thoumieux- a must-visit brasserie from Paris, serving mouth-watering French cuisine with no added salt, and no added sugar.
• Elystan Street from ‘chef’s chef’ Michelin-starred chef Philip Howard, serving pure, seasonal, ingredient-led, gimmick-free dishes which are full of vitality and flavor.
• Paul Ainsworth at No. 6, with Michelin-starred chef Paul Ainsworth himself from the south coast of England serving the very best Cornish produce with a menu of modern, British cookery.
• Roganic from London with chef Simon Rogan, one of the pioneers of the farm-to-table movement.
• Ritage by chef Maroun Chedid, bringing delicious Arabic food from his Riyadh-based eatery.

Each of the 14 restaurants features a menu of three dishes, served in taster-size portions – two of each restaurant’s signature dishes, as well as a Saudi-inspired dish that the chef has exclusively designed for Taste of the World, Riyadh.
As well as the restaurant line-up, the festival was buzzing with activity at the Fire Pit, where local star chefs Areej Al Sharif, Abdelelah Bin Jarid and Fahad Bokhari led cooking demonstrations and tasting sessions alongside international chef Simon Rogan. The Fire Pit was hosted by Saudi culinary star and presenter, Rakan Al Orafi. At the Music Stage guests enjoyed a jam-packed schedule of live music, while sipping on mocktails from the Taste Mocktail Lounges.
Visitors looking for a more exclusive experience were delighted in the Taste Residence – a unique private 4-course dining experience with two-Michelin starred chef James Knappett from London’s Kitchen Table. This special experience is hosted by MBC’s Top Chef star Ammar Albarakati.
Multi-award-winning chef Shane Osborn, from two Michelin-starred restaurant Arcane in Hong Kong, expressed his excitement being in Riyadh and shared: “My wife lived in Riyadh in the late 80s and she has always talked fondly of it. I’ve met incredible people at the local restaurants and souks – everyone is really keen for us to try their ingredients, and they’re proud to show us their country. It’s really a pleasure to be a part of this experience. I especially love the architecture – it’s just so different to everything I’ve ever seen.”
“For our menu this week at Taste, all three dishes have a base in Asia, with a Middle Eastern influence. For example, the hamachi is a dish we do in Arcane, Hong Kong – it’s a fennel salad with a soy, ginger dressing. We would usually put an Asian fruit with it, such as pomelo, but we’ve added a Middle Eastern touch this week with dried apricots. I’m also especially excited about our Exclusive Taste dish – it really is Asia meets the Middle East.”
Taste of the World, Riyadh is running until Saturday 2 November at Digital City. Food lovers in not just Riyadh but across the Kingdom are invited to come celebrate with friends and family over exceptional creations. Tickets to Taste of the World, Riyadh are available online at https://www.ticketmx.com and on the gate. More information about the event can be found at www.tasteoftheworldriyadh.com and on Facebook and Instagram. Tickets are limited and selling fast – guests are encouraged to secure their places now.

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