Bar des Prés, Cyril Lignac’s Franco-Japanese restaurant, ensconced on the 51st floor of ICD Brookfield Place in DIFC, opened in December 2024, marking his first venture into the Middle East. The restaurant is entirely his own, a meticulous and curated extension of the culinary vision he has cultivated in Paris and London. Lignac’s expertise spans both savoury cuisine and pâtisserie, evident in the refined desserts that punctuate the menu – a continuation of his Parisian pastry boutiques, where classical French technique is refracted through invention and a subtle playfulness.
“Everything starts with a desire; centered on a particular ingredient, a feeling, or even a visual,” he observes, articulating the impulse that shapes each dish. Here, seafood and seasonal produce share equal attention with desserts, each plate composed with meticulous care, while the space itself – defined by soaring ceilings and expansive windows that frame the Dubai skyline – becomes part of the performance. Sunlight streams across the dining room, stretching the horizon beyond the table. By night, the city’s lights sweep around each course, making the first bite as ravishing as the panorama outside.
Lignac describes the restaurant’s culinary “accent” as subtle yet evocative, noting it “could be nothing more than a fusion of French and Japanese influences, sprinkled with a hint of that lilting accent we have in the south of France. It would, however, remain very subtle and elegant.”
The Crispy Avocado and Curried Crab (Madras curry) Galette embodies this ethos. “I wanted a very graphic dish. It took us several months of trials to find the perfect cut and the ideal ingredients. Visually, this dish conveys technical mastery and precision. In terms of flavour, it offers great indulgence and sensitivity,” he explains.
“All the magic of a dish lies in this balance between technique and creativity. One must master the gestures, the cooking, and the seasonings; an essential foundation for success. Creativity, in turn, brings that element of emotion,” Lignac continues. Some of the restaurant’s most compelling dishes are, paradoxically, the simplest: caramelised miso black cod, flame-seared sweet shrimp with yuzu honey and red shiso, or the Satay fillet steak – each plate leaving an impression so vivid that one finds oneself eager to return, to be reunited with the sensation of tasting it for the first time.
Innovation, he insists, is inseparable from measured risk. He recalls a vanilla-scented purée first presented at his second Paris restaurant: “It was very simple yet at the same time carefully crafted – richly buttery and delicately perfumed. All the guests were surprised to see this spice used in a savoury dish.” More than a decade later, he revived it in London: “Guests were just as amazed, and its success was still guaranteed.”
Failure, he argues, is essential to creativity. “Failures are part of a chef’s life, and even more so of an entrepreneur’s. You test, you start again, you refine, you constantly question yourself, you change your mind. Cuisine is always in motion; it evolves with its time and with the tastes of the era.”
Dubai represents a distilled iteration of his Paris and London concepts. “You’ll find the same cuisine, the same energy, with just a few subtle differences,” he notes. Desserts take a particular prominence here, reflecting both local taste and his mastery of pâtisserie. “Here, we have put special emphasis on desserts, showcasing our French expertise, as our guests are particularly fond of them. It’s a contemporary cuisine that appeals to an international clientele,” he says.
Mentorship has left an indelible mark on Lignac’s approach. He recalls his time with Alain Passard: “At that time, he was moving away from rotisserie cooking in favour of a cuisine entirely focused on vegetables. His vision was revolutionary.” He continues, “The respect for ingredients, boldness, self-questioning, delicacy… I try to incorporate a bit of everything he taught me into my own cooking.”
Asked to imagine a dish that tells his life story, Lignac says: “There would be a touch of my Aveyron roots, with foie gras for example, some Espelette pepper; my favourite spice, raw fish as a nod to my love of Japanese cuisine, and other notes from here and elsewhere.”
Bar des Prés is an orchestration of taste and desire. Each dish reflects careful thought, a harmony of flavour, texture, and aroma that resonates with every bite. Lignac demonstrates that mastery lies in discernment – in knowing what to present and how to elevate it. When the fork reaches the palate, technique transforms into pure delight: surprising, luxurious, and utterly transporting. Book here
