{"id":3062,"date":"2024-11-07T18:21:55","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T15:21:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gatedxb.ae\/?p=3062"},"modified":"2025-01-16T16:33:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T13:33:09","slug":"dubaj-is-a-dinamic-force-uplifting-those-who-adore-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gatedxb.ae\/en\/2024\/11\/07\/dubaj-is-a-dinamic-force-uplifting-those-who-adore-it\/","title":{"rendered":"“Dubai is a dynamic force, uplifting those who adore it.”"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the Key Players in the Restaurant Business, Now in the UAE: A Conversation About Gastronomy, Dubai, and Life<\/strong><\/p>\n

Owner of renowned lifestyle Telegram channels SysoevFM and “Main UAE News,” a passionate explorer of Dubai’s culinary scene.<\/em><\/p>\n

I asked you to choose a place for our meeting. Why did you suggest Teible?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s quiet here, even when it\u2019s busy. The food is delicious, the coffee is great, and the atmosphere (for some reason) reminds me of Oslo. I used to love sitting near the Opera there, enjoying the scenic view of the water. Since we\u2019re doing an interview for the first Russian-language lifestyle publication about Dubai, I thought it was important to meet here.<\/p>\n

Many people who visited Dubai 7\u201310 years ago still perceive it as a “plastic city.” But it seems like things have changed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

They definitely have. I can easily understand Europeans who choose to move here. Once you immerse yourself in the city\u2019s culture\u2014which takes about six months\u2014you realize there are an incredible number of cozy spots that nobody seems to know about. Dozens of places can completely change your perspective on the city. Today, we\u2019re in one of them. This is the kind of Dubai that attracts people to stay long-term.<\/p>\n

Your background is fascinating: you led marketing for the “Afisha-Restaurants” service, served as the marketing director for the Saint Petersburg-based World Class network, and worked with online retailers like Names.ru and Aizel.ru. You\u2019re an investor and a business angel, and you run over 20 Telegram channels. Forbes and RBC have both asked, \u201cWhat should we call you?\u201d and I imagine you\u2019re tired of that question. So, I\u2019ll ask this instead: How does your daughter describe you, apart from calling you “Dad”?<\/strong><\/p>\n

To her, Dad is just \u201cat work.\u201d She even thinks I sit in an office\u2014I have no idea where she got that impression! In reality, Dad doesn\u2019t go to an office. Dad doesn\u2019t even have one (laughs).<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Michelin-starred restaurant Teible<\/strong>, where the interview took place.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sasha Sysoev on Food, Dubai, and Building a Global Guide<\/strong><\/p>\n

It feels like you\u2019re always on the move. Why can\u2019t Sasha Sysoev stay in one place? Is it part of your character, a desire to do it all, or pure ambition?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think 10\u201315 years ago, you could work in marketing and just stay comfortably in that field. Today, the world has entered a phase where nothing is guaranteed, and sticking to one profession feels a bit odd. Of course, there are foundational fields like medicine and architecture, but even there, professionals often branch out into adjacent areas. For instance, a great doctor might also mentor younger doctors or create B2C courses.<\/p>\n

I used to like the Russian saying: \u201cDon\u2019t put all your eggs in one basket,\u201d but 20 years ago, I didn\u2019t fully grasp its meaning. Back then, I thought it applied only to financial literacy\u2014like not keeping all your money in one currency. Now, I see it differently: it\u2019s better to develop several interrelated directions simultaneously, ones that aren\u2019t dependent on external factors.<\/p>\n

Take COVID, for example. Many restaurants shut down, but there was a huge spike in media consumption. People read the news more and explored online museums.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m drawn to everything related to the entertainment industry: coffee shops, restaurants, clubs, and beaches. This also includes projects that genuinely help people make decisions about how they\u2019ll spend their free time. For instance, GreatList<\/strong> was entirely my idea. I wanted to create a link I could send to people when they asked, \u201cWhere should I go in city X?\u201d The project turned out well\u2014it\u2019s now a leader among affluent audiences in Russian megacities. We\u2019ve launched it in Dubai, too.<\/p>\n

\n

Why does Dubai need GreatList when Michelin is already here? And what criteria does a restaurant need to meet to be included?<\/strong><\/p>\n

First of all, Michelin was in Moscow too, and that didn\u2019t stop me from creating GreatList there. Secondly, I\u2019ve always believed any rating system can be made more interesting and objective.<\/p>\n

The problem with traditional guides is that they announce their top picks just once a year. But the culinary industry evolves so rapidly that this approach feels outdated. Last year\u2019s recommendations don\u2019t work for people who visit a city every month. GreatList is different because it updates the database in real time. If a restaurant gets a new chef, it\u2019s removed from our list. It can only return after we reassess it.<\/p>\n

We also have a \u201cNew\u201d section, where we feature recently opened venues. After six months, we reevaluate them and decide whether they\u2019ll stay on the list or not.<\/p>\n

\n

What\u2019s the decision-making process for that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I bring together people from different industries\u2014finance, IT, fashion\u2014mainly executives and top managers who travel frequently and experience diverse cuisines. What\u2019s important is that they pay their own bills. These are people with refined taste and broad exposure. I trust every one of them.<\/p>\n

\n

Are there any chefs on your team?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, because chefs don\u2019t often visit other restaurants, and their opinions can be biased due to the \u201cchef brotherhood\u201d that exists in the industry. None of my reviewers are from the restaurant business.<\/p>\n

\n

How many people evaluate restaurants for GreatList in Dubai?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Right now, 15, but we\u2019re aiming for 30. Finding knowledgeable and unbiased experts with a trained eye is challenging. I never review restaurants without consulting four or five people from my team.<\/p>\n

As for criteria, they\u2019re simple: food quality, design, atmosphere, and service. In Dubai, we\u2019re launching the guide in stages, dividing the city into areas like Downtown, Business Bay, DIFC, Jumeirah, and Palm Jumeirah. We\u2019re focusing on tourists, who primarily stay in these central locations.<\/p>\n

\n

Why did you choose Dubai\u2014at least temporarily\u2014as your base? What attracts you to this city?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m still based in Moscow, but working in Dubai is an opportunity to expand internationally. At first, I launched a Telegram channel just to \u201ctest the waters\u201d\u2014exploring new places and sharing my finds. Then I realized that Dubai attracts a massive number of tourists from Russia and the CIS, so it made sense to bring GreatList here.<\/p>\n

Later, I decided to adapt the experience of hosting the Russian Restaurant Festival, which we held in 54 cities, for Dubai. We\u2019re already working on this and plan to host Dubai Gastronomic Week<\/strong> this year.<\/p>\n

\n

I get why Dubai is good for business, but what about living here? What do you enjoy about it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d call myself an active consumer, and this city matches Moscow\u2019s high standards for quality. There are no issues with deliveries here. Even the banking system, which causes headaches in Europe, works perfectly here.<\/p>\n

For me, Dubai is also a comfortable place to implement ideas and launch exciting projects. I live for my ideas, and this city welcomes creativity with open arms.<\/p>\n

Over the past three years, Dubai has become one of the world\u2019s capitals, in my opinion. Launching a project here immediately attracts international attention. If your project makes it into the top 10 in Dubai, you\u2019ve caught the world\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n

\n

Top 5 favorite spots in Dubai?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always loved hotels. In St. Petersburg, I used to go to hotel lobbies to work or hold meetings. They felt like hubs where millions of people\u2019s paths crossed.<\/p>\n

Here in Dubai, I like the Edition Hotel in Downtown. There\u2019s a great, quiet caf\u00e9 called Thia with a pool and a view of the Burj Khalifa.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a city kid, so I love the layout of DIFC, with its art installations. When you treat the city as a living organism and keep exploring, you\u2019ll find dozens of incredible places that tourists don\u2019t know about but locals adore. Take Em Sherif, for example\u2014it looks like a regular caf\u00e9 but serves, in my opinion, the best Lebanese food in the city. Or there\u2019s Margo, a villa that looks like nothing special from the outside but houses a flower shop run by owners who moved here from Marseille.<\/p>\n

If I had to name specific spots, I\u2019d say Toby\u2019s Roasters, a coffee shop with a Singapore-inspired aesthetic\u2014sleek marble combined with rough concrete. For Japanese food, there are excellent options like Ho\u0304seki, Sumosan, Itadaku, and Uchi.<\/p>\n

I also admire the Rikas Group; their venues feel aligned with my style (Mimi Kakushi, 105, Eugene Eugene). There\u2019s also Fundamental Hospitality from Evgeny Kuzin (Gaia, Alaya) and The Guild by EatX\u2014a place unlike anything I\u2019ve ever seen, with multiple concepts under one roof.<\/p>\n

Where can people usually find you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d say you\u2019ll often find me in two areas: One Central and Design District. I like working there with my laptop, sitting on a bench.<\/p>\n

\n

If you had unlimited funds and the opportunity to open any business in Dubai, what would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It would be a hotel\u2014perhaps even a chain in Russia and Dubai\u2014where I\u2019d blend modern and classical art. The design would feature fine woodwork alongside smart home technology. Ideally, it would be located in Downtown, boutique-sized with around 40 rooms, offering impeccable service and a top-tier concierge.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d live on the ground floor and personally interact with guests, acting as that friend who knows everything about the city. It would be a speakeasy-style hotel, accessible only to a select few. Guests would need to fill out a short application, answering the question, \u201cWho are you?\u201d Only those who positively impact the world\u2014architects, marketers, IT professionals, and so on\u2014would make the cut. I wouldn\u2019t accept slackers.<\/p>\n

\n

What would you name this hotel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t thought about it yet. Maybe something short\u2014like the building\u2019s address. I\u2019m not ambitious in this regard and don\u2019t aim for it to be named after me, like “Alexander Sysoev\u2019s Hotel.”<\/p>\n

\n

Speaking of names, it\u2019s said you like projects to carry your name. Is that true?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not really. It just happened once when we named a Telegram channel as a joke, planning to change it later. But somehow, it stuck.<\/p>\n

\n

You already have five Telegram channels about the UAE. What\u2019s the most surprising news you\u2019ve come across that made you think, \u201cWow, is this even possible?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three years ago, when I was just getting to know the city, I heard about Kerzner Group\u2019s plans. They announced the names of chefs they\u2019d signed contracts with for their restaurants in Atlantis The Royal and One&Only. When I imagined Michelin-starred chefs like Heston Blumenthal, Bj\u00f6rn Frantz\u00e9n, and David Mu\u00f1oz working under the same company, I was blown away. In the culinary world, they\u2019re like the gods of Olympus.<\/p>\n

It amazed me that people could think on such a scale. It aligns with what Sheikh Mohammed once said in an interview: \u201cWe want to be the best.\u201d When the journalist asked, \u201cIn the region?\u201d he replied, \u201cNo, in the world!\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the mindset of so many companies here\u2014they genuinely think on a global level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the Key Players in the Restaurant Business, Now in the UAE: A Conversation About Gastronomy, Dubai, and Life Owner of renowned lifestyle Telegram channels SysoevFM and “Main UAE News,” a passionate explorer of Dubai’s culinary scene. I asked you to choose a place for our meeting. Why did you suggest Teible? It\u2019s quiet…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-interview"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gatedxb.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gatedxb.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gatedxb.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gatedxb.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gatedxb.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3062"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gatedxb.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3063,"href":"https:\/\/gatedxb.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3062\/revisions\/3063"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gatedxb.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gatedxb.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gatedxb.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gatedxb.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}