Where Restaurateurs Eat: Column 15
Ariana Bundy, the chef and owner of Ariana's Persian Kitchen shares her favourite restaurants.
Newcomers to my Substack tribe - welcome 😋 You may like to check out previous Where Restaurateurs Eat columns to paint a picture and give you some context.
I always welcome nominations for aspirational female restaurateur-entrepreneurs. They might not be on my radar - and could land themselves a feature here.
Google Maps link here with the UAE restaurant recommendations from our power ladies - populated as each column is published. All interviews are linked HERE.
And now let’s hear from…
Ariana Bundy. Where does the chef and owner of Ariana’s Persian Kitchen at Atlantis The Royal dine out?



Her top three go-to, favourite restaurants in the UAE. She actually squeezed in four!
Zuma is my number one go-to restaurant in Dubai. I can eat its Japanese food every single day.
Trèsind Studio is incredibly inventive, flavourful and magical. Chef Himanshu is uber talented.
Bait Maryam is a restaurant with heart and no seed oils, which I particularly love. The Palestinian and broader Levantine food is comforting. I really feel the soul of the female chef (Salam) in this kitchen.
Comptoir 102 because I know I’m eating clean, freshly prepared food that makes me feel so good afterwards!
One home country restaurant:
DIG at the boutique Manouchehri Traditional House Hotel in Kashan, a city in Iran’s Isfahan province. It serves the most delicious Persian food reflecting of this city, yet modernised, under the arches and domes of a 200-year-old home.
One restaurant located elsewhere internationally. She sneaked in an extra spot!
Chez L’Ami Louis in Paris is a restaurant I have frequented since I was a kid, and I know that I’m going to stuff myself with delicious French classics like perfectly roasted chicken, foie gras, super crunchy fries and mousse au chocolat. Unbeatable.
Le Palais Oriental in Montreux, Switzerland. A close relative’s Persian restaurant. The best kabab I’ve ever had in my life, even better than mine!
Resources and links…
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