If you have never been to Atlantis Hotel, The Palm and have not had dinner at the gourmet restaurant Ossiano by Santi Santamaria, then you do not know what a real fish restaurant is. And not because fish and seafood are cooked here so that at first glance it is sometimes impossible to guess what it is on your plate, but also because the whole meal takes place almost in the underwater kingdom, surrounded by a host of sea inhabitants. However, first things first.
Honestly, when we stopped at the entrance to Ossiano, for a moment it seemed to me that an immersion on the seabed would begin. In a way, it happened. We went down the spiral staircase of sparkling black marble to the restaurant hall, decorated as a decoration for the film "Sadko". The ceiling, walls and columns were a huge underwater cave, the light was scattered, and colorful fish and marine reptiles of all stripes frolic in the giant aquarium of Atlantis Hotel frolic in the giant "windows". Slowly and majestically, surrounded by four reef sharks-bodyguards and schools of smaller, brilliant fish, a huge whale shark glided across the surface of bright blue water ... A bewitching sight, I tell you. Even supper at some point got sick. Quiet unobtrusive music and restrained tones of the interior complemented the feeling of mystery and unreality of what is happening. However, the amiable head waiter was quite earthly and politely led us to the table.
Before you start trying and then describing the delicacies served for dinner, it should be noted that the Ossiano restaurant is the brainchild of the owner of several Michelin Stars, the chef from sunny Spain Santi Santamaria. And, of course, all the extensive menu he developed is simply saturated with the Spanish sun, mood and traditional spices. Making an independent choice from all the variety of dishes offered in Ossiano is almost impossible. But a remarkable feature of any gourmet restaurant is that every waiter knows by heart everything about specialties, and at the time of his story, which helps the restaurant visitor to find their way out, completely out of nowhere, a sommelier appears noiselessly, who is immediately ready to advise a wine ideally suited to your choice. In order not to go far away from food towards wines, I note that the wine cellar of the Ossiano restaurant is very rich, but the main emphasis is on the best wines from Spain, which, however, is not surprising.
Yes, back to the food. Now my description is to turn into a become a “byword” a story about pickles on the table of “shy Alchen” from Ilf and Petrov’s book “Twelve Chairs”, beginning with the words: “Try what God sent. But God sent today ....”. Do not be ironic, because even the names of the dishes served sounded like music. So, as an appetizer, or if in Spanish, then "tapas" were served: onion puree with radishes and cucumbers in confiture (moderately sweet and delicate in taste), a duet of oysters with two different sauces, black caviar and transparent a slice of green apple (exquisitely), a king crab salad with grapefruit (just a delight!), Wagyu beef carpaccio with green asparagus (not very clear, but tasty). The portions, as is customary in gourmet restaurants, are microscopic, for a “one bite”, but what pleasure is the quality, not the quantity of food, that you begin to understand by the time the waiters simultaneously start serving the main course. In our case, there were three “main dishes”: a monk fish with saffron bouillabaisse (a delicate and very beautiful orange cream soup with the aforementioned fish), blue lobster with wild mushroom sauce (a subtle and unique combination of flavors), Spanish sea bass with Jerusalem artichoke with truffle sauce (unimaginably delicious). For each dish, the sommelier picked up wine, which was served in glasses of different volumes and shapes. After the sea bass, I lost count and stopped focusing on drinks, when suddenly the waiters served a dessert. Moreover, as it turned out, it was not the final dessert, but the so-called “preliminary”, which was a light fruit passion fruit soup made from passion fruit and a couple of exotic fruits from panna cotta (cream cheese souffle) in the center of the plate. The dessert was served sweet wine, similar to Madeira, which reinforced the sophisticated taste of "soup". And finally, the "finishing touch" of the meal was solemnly made - a white chocolate soufflé with rhubarb ice cream. And coffee! There was no strength to admire, but it was impossible not to note the unsurpassed skill of the team of cooks led by Santi Santamaria. Bravo! Bravissimo! Likewise, it was impossible not to ask a few questions to Chef Santi himself, since we took advantage of his kind invitation and visited Ossiano.
Santi, tell me when and why you decided to become a cook?
I decided to become a cook as a child, as my parents always cooked and loved good food. In our family, it was customary to enjoy food and share it with all friends.
You got your first Michelin Star in 1988, and the second in 1990. Do you still remember these achievements, and what did they mean to you then?
The first Michelin Star was a great achievement for me. This, by the way, allowed me to start working with the best products and get to know the best suppliers.
What is the Red Forks Award? If I'm not mistaken, do you have four “forks”?
Yes, I am the owner of four "forks", and this means that the restaurant has a high level of quality of prepared dishes, a very good atmosphere, historical traditions and harmony of all these elements.
You are the author of several cookbooks used by renowned chefs in the world. Will a new book be released based on your experience at Ossiano?
Yes, I'm writing a new book in which I talk about my first 30 years in the world of cuisine, where I explain how my style was born and developed, in which there is a Dubai experience too.
Why did you decide to open your first author's restaurant outside of Spain at Atlantis, The Palm?
In fact, this Atlantis hotel chose me. I was offered to open a restaurant here, and I flew to Dubai from Spain for the first time.
How would you describe the main culinary trend of the Ossiano restaurant?
Ossiano's kitchen is focused on clarity, character, lightness and simplicity. She strives for the ideal that is so rarely seen today. The Ossiano menu reflects not only the culinary traditions of your homeland of Spain. It contains many traditional Russian ingredients, such as caviar.
How long have you been working on this menu? How often do you supplement or change it?
Preparing a new menu requires at least two months of work, and usually we change it every season, as we try to cook with seasonal products. Yes, there is caviar in our menu, but this is not only because we focus only on Russian guests. The famous Spanish writer Cervantes wrote many years ago about this amazing product in his book Don Quixote.
What dishes do you like most in Ossiano? What preferences do Ossiano visitors have?
My favorite dishes are Galician octopus, Catalan fish roast and confiture lamb. These are very simple and delicious dishes.
Which country cuisine do you prefer?
I love the classic, traditional cuisine based on seasonal products.
What is your favorite drink?
I really like gin and tonic and wine.
Do you love to travel? What is your favorite destination?
I like to discover new countries. Therefore, I love traveling around the world.
Want to wish something to our readers?
I wish them excellent health and well-being, so that they always have the opportunity to share good food with each other and open a bottle or two of good wine.
Saying goodbye to Chef Santi, we looked at the giant whale shark for the last time and waved her hand at her. As it turned out, indeed for the last time, because this ocean miracle has already been released into the wild, and now it plows the vast expanses of the real sea. So, you won’t be able to dine in such a company, but to pay tribute to the genius of Chef Santi and his team - at any time convenient for you. The fabulous underwater world of Ossiano is waiting.
