DUBAI, November 30, 2025 – At Woohoo, a new restaurant in Dubai’s tech-savvy dining landscape, an artificial intelligence system called Chef Aiman has taken center stage, generating menus that fuse molecular gastronomy with futuristic twists like “dinosaur tartare” – a raw meat dish mimicking extinct reptiles via DNA mapping.
The concept has captivated early visitors with its holographic displays and pulsing plates, but drawn sharp criticism from traditional chefs who argue machines cannot replicate the human essence of cooking.
Chef Aiman, trained on thousands of recipes and years of culinary data, designs dishes and fine-tunes flavors through voice interactions with human staff. Turkish chef Serhat Karanfil handles the actual preparation, adjusting recipes as needed.
“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,” Karanfil said.
The signature dinosaur tartare, priced at about 50 euros ($58), arrives on a plate engineered to simulate breathing, blending raw meats to evoke prehistoric tastes.
Customer Efe Urgunlu called it “a total surprise” and “so delicious.” Another diner, Dio, was drawn by the novelty: “It is such a creative concept, so I thought I must experience it myself.”
Co-founder Ahmet Oytun Cakir sees vast potential. “AI is going to create better dishes than humans may be in the future,” he said, envisioning Chef Aiman as “the next Gordon Ramsay – but AI.”
The restaurant’s cylindrical mainframe drives holographic animations and smoke effects, aligning with Dubai’s embrace of innovation – the city even has a dedicated AI minister.
Not all reactions are glowing. Syrian-born Michelin-starred chef Mohamad Orfali, whose Orfali Bros earned a star in Dubai’s 2022 guide, rejected the idea outright.
“There is no such thing as an AI chef. I don’t believe in it,” he said. Orfali limits AI to administrative tasks like scheduling, stressing that cooking requires “nafas” – soul or breath. “Artificial intelligence lacks feelings and memories; in short, it has no nafas… It can’t imbue it into food.”
Dubai’s food scene, spanning Michelin outposts to street stalls, thrives on extravagance. Woohoo’s Instagram, where Chef Aiman’s avatar shares tips, has amplified the buzz.
As AI tools infiltrate global kitchens, Woohoo tests the boundary between innovation and authenticity – a divide that may widen as algorithms challenge culinary traditions.
