Sawt Falasteen - 'Dinosaur tartare' and holograms: Dubai AI chef sparks awe and ire

The Emirati city has become increasingly known for its growing culinary scene, with thousands of restaurants on offer from luxurious Michelin-starred eateries to greasy spoons serving up bona fide street food from across the Middle East and Asia.

But at Woohoo, the brains behind the menu is not a person but an AI programme -- known as chef Aiman -- trained on thousands of recipes and decades of culinary research and molecular gastronomy.

Chef Aiman can also optimise menus and balance flavours, according to the establishment.

The real work of preparing and serving the food, however, remains in human hands, for now.

"AI is going to create better dishes than humans maybe in the future," said the restaurant's Turkish co-founder Ahmet Oytun Cakir.

While Woohoo's menu is mostly comprised of international fusion dishes, some AI creations stand out.

This includes a "dinosaur tartare" meant to recreate the taste of extinct reptiles.

The restaurant did not reveal the dinosaur tartare recipe, which was created using DNA mapping.

Priced at roughly 50 euros ($58), the dish tastes like a combination of raw meats and is served on a pulsating plate to appear as if it were breathing.

"It was a total surprise. It was so delicious," said customer Efe Urgunlu.

Along with AI-generated holograms and sci-fi animation, the heart of the neon-lit venue features a giant cylindrical computer -- presented as the digital mainframe powering the restaurant's lights and smoke shows.

- 'I don’t believe in it' -

Woohoo's Turkish chef Serhat Karanfiloversees the cooking and the final presentation and admits that he does not always agree with the AI chef's choices and selections.

"If I taste it, for example, and it is too spicy, I talk to chef Aiman again. After we discuss, we find the right balance," he said.

Cakir has high hopes that chef Aiman will one day become "the next Gordon Ramsay -- but AI".

Not everyone in Dubai's vibrant food scene is convinced.

For Michelin-starred chef Mohamad Orfali, "there is no such thing as an AI chef".

"I don't believe in it," the Syrian Dubai-based chef told AFP.

His Orfali Bros restaurant snatched a Michelin star last year, after Dubai became the first Middle Eastern city to join the prestigious guide in 2022.

Cooking requires "nafas", or soul, Orfali explained, using the Arabic term that describes a cook's personal flair for food and their ability to conjure up exceptional meals.

"Artificial intelligence lacks feelings and memories; in short, it has no nafas... It can't imbue it into food."

- Dubai ideas -

Orfali said he limited the use of AI in his own establishment to administrative tasks like setting the kitchen schedule and providing additional research.

"We use it as a kitchen assistant, but ultimately, it won't cook," he said.

Nonetheless, Woohoo has resonated with customers accustomed to the lavish offerings of Dubai, a tech-forward megalopolis with a proclivity for extravagance where AI has its own minister.

"Everyone is supporting these ideas here in Dubai," said Cakir.

The restaurant has also created a social media buzz, with an Instagram account dedicated to the AI Chef that features chef Aiman's avatar in videos sharing tips and recipes.

Dio, a customer who didn't give her last name, said she visited the restaurant after seeing the craze around it.

"It is such a creative concept, so I thought I must experience it myself," she said.

"The dishes were extraordinary."

C.Hamad--SF-PST