Diana Rysbaeva is the founder and CEO of SHI’s popular Dubai-based Chinese restaurant, the high-end Chinese takeaway concept, JixiangDimsum, and the upcoming Moli by SHI.
Diana boasts 16 years of experience in the F&B industry and has been an entrepreneur since her late teens, amassing a diverse portfolio of companies, including pre-schools and restaurants. However, it was in 2021, amidst the post-pandemic world, that she conceived the idea to open a restaurant on the newly developed Bluewaters Island, Dubai—a place she adored and deemed ideal for her team to venture into the Dubai market with the inception of SHI Restaurant. Since its establishment, SHI has garnered numerous awards, notably the distinction of being a highly commended Asian Restaurant.
Subsequently, Diana launched JixiangDimsum at The Beach, JBR, in February 2023 and, more recently, at Last Exit in September 2023. The latter is a pioneering takeaway concept, blending fine dining with a beach takeaway experience. Diana firmly believes that fine dining takeout is an enduring trend and one she aims to lead. A hallmark of Diana’s ventures is her adeptness at presenting customers with exquisitely designed venues, structures, and products—SHI and JixiangDimsum share this commonality.
Diana’s passion for Chinese cuisine and her dedication to crafting visually appealing venues stems from her profound fascination with Chinese cultures and culinary traditions. The artful use of spices inspires her, and she firmly believes that only Chinese hands can consistently produce the high-quality dishes served at SHI and JixiangDimsum. Hence, she places great importance on meticulous talent selection for her restaurants.
Looking ahead, Diana focuses primarily on the GCC region, with high aspirations for Dubai to become a culinary destination. Her lifelong dream is to open and own a restaurant in London.
