DUBAI: With three Michelin stars at their flagship restaurant Maison Pic in Valence, France, the president of Pic Group, David Sinapian, and his wife and celebrated chef Anne-Sophie Pic are on a mission to take French culinary genius to the world.

After entering a long-term partnership with French luxury label Dior to open Dior Cafes around the world — starting with two outposts in Japan in December 2024 — Pic and Sinapian have their sights set on the Gulf.

 

 

 

 

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“We have almost reached the potential for development of the catering business in Saudi Arabia, and I believe that the future holds great opportunities for the industry in the Kingdom. It is a no-brainer,” Sinapian told Arab News en Francais recently, three years after the Pic Group hosted a pop-up restaurant in AlUla.

Meanwhile, in the UAE, the group opened La Dame de Pic Dubai at the city’s swanky One&Only Zaabeel hotel in 2024, nabbing a Michelin star in the 2024 guide and being voted the World’s Best New Restaurant 2024 at the fifth annual World Culinary Awards.

“I have witnessed an evolution at a pace that continues to surprise me ... and that’s what characterizes business in the Emirates,” Sinapian said of the famously fast-paced food and beverage industry in the city.

“You can be in fashion one moment and quickly out of it the next, because the market changes, and if you can’t adapt, you’re left behind,” he added.

 

 

 

 

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The Pic Group’s international accolades are the latest in a long list of culinary nods for a brand founded in the late 19th century.  

The precursor to Maison Pic, Cafe-Restaurant du Pin opened its rather more humble doors in 1889, with Pic’s great grandmother cooking ingredients hunted and farmed by her husband. Pic’s grandfather, Andre, then took over the family restaurant and earned it three Michelin stars in 1934.

Over the decades, Maison Pic lost and gained stars with the most recent blow being dealt after Pic’s father Jacques died in 1992 — the restaurant lost its third star in 1995 before Sophie-Anne returned in 1997 to head up the kitchen. After 10 years of creating memorable dishes in the restaurant, she gained back the third star in 2007.

“We began to build an ecosystem together and expand our business by opening other restaurants,” Sinapian told Arab News of the period that followed.

In 2009, they cut the ribbon on Pic au Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“I was in charge of building the project in terms of identity, design and team building, while Anne-Sophie began to create a new menu using Swiss products,” Sinapian said, explaining their working relationship.

The Pic name then expanded its activity internationally, with openings in Paris, London, Singapore, Megeve, Hong Kong, and Dubai alongside its projects in Japan.

A new Monsieur Dior restaurant opening in Osaka, Japan, in 2025, will be orchestrated by the French chef.

“Anne-Sophie has had an affinity for Japan for a very long time, and so have I. It’s the love she has for tea, the products, and Japanese refinement,” Sinapian said.

Thai Soi is one of those hidden gems you just happen to stumble upon. In my case, I was looking for the perfect coconut green curry on a particularly chilly night in Riyadh. Lo and behold — Thai Soi popped up on my HungerStation app.

The restaurant offers diners a genuine taste of Thailand in the heart of Riyadh.

To start, the spring rolls, which are available vegetarian or with prawns, were a delightful appetizer — perfectly crispy, fresh, and bursting with flavor. Each roll was light yet packed with a savory filling, complemented by a sweet and tangy dipping sauce that elevated the dish.

For the main course, I opted for the green curry prawns, and the dish did not disappoint. The curry had the perfect balance of richness and spice, with the prawns cooked to perfection. The creamy coconut milk base, combined with the zesty green curry paste, created a satisfying depth of flavor that lingered long after the last bite.

The drunken noodles were equally impressive, although they were a bit cold upon delivery. While drunken noodles are meant to be made extremely spicy, you can opt to remove the heat.

The stir-fried noodles had just the right amount of spice and a beautiful medley of vegetables and chicken, with a savory sauce that brought all the ingredients together. They were a tad on the drier side, although not soggy, but the portion size was generous.

No Thai meal is complete without dessert, and the mango sticky rice at Thai Soi was a sweet, refreshing finish. The sticky rice was perfectly chewy and paired wonderfully with the ripe, juicy mango, making for a simple yet exquisite treat.

The restaurant is great to visit, at one of two locations in Riyadh, as the vibrant interior decor and motifs give the perfect ambience to feel like you have escaped the city for a few hours.

It is also a nice option for at-home functions as Thai Soi sells a dumplings party box with 20 pieces of mixed dumplings and sauces, and a mix starter platter with six starters and dips. The restaurant also offers a catering service for larger groups.