Café Boulud Kicks Off Truffle Season

The VIP dinner was hosted by Chef Daniel Boulud himself

The room felt like Paris in the capital. Marble softly lit, silver polished to a mirror, and that unmistakable perfume of shaved truffle rising from the pass. To mark the start of truffle season, Café Boulud at Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh hosted an intimate dinner with Chef Daniel Boulud in attendance, a celebration of the ingredient that defines winter luxury and a nod to the restaurant’s first year in the city.

Guests were welcomed with a quiet confidence that suits the Four Seasons address, then guided through a multi course tasting that moved from earthy black truffle to the season’s first shavings in classic Boulud style. The menu showed why the chef’s houses around the world treat truffle season as a ritual. Balance over bravado, sauces with memory, and a tempo that lets aroma lead. In Riyadh, the team’s French technique meets a local audience that understands refinement, and the result is a table that feels both global and at home.

Chef Boulud’s presence gave the night its sparkle. Between courses he greeted tables, spoke about sourcing and ripeness, and shared how he thinks about truffles across his restaurants each winter. His visit also coincides with the city’s growing Dinex footprint, including the intimate ten seat Julien experience nestled behind Café Boulud, another sign that Riyadh is now part of the chef’s seasonal circuit.

The setting did its part. Rockwell Group’s garden toned interiors and the light filled orangery made an elegant stage for a series of plates that layered texture and warmth. Service hit the sweet spot between choreography and ease, the cheese trolley drew its own applause, and the final flourish arrived under a veil of truffle that made the room go quiet for a moment. It was the kind of evening that explains why Café Boulud’s Riyadh outpost entered the MICHELIN Guide so quickly.

If you go

Café Boulud is at Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, Kingdom Centre. Truffle season menus run for a limited time each winter. Book directly with the hotel and ask about special tasting evenings and Julien’s private counter if you want a deeper dive into the kitchen’s craft.