“I have done a lot of start-ups back home in Singapore but this is my first one in Dubai, so I’m out of my comfort zone and that’s a good thing.”
Discussing what excites him most about working at Play, he tells Caterer Middle East: “It's all about me trying to expand and develop dishes that have been kept in my head for years. It’s time for me to show what I can do. I want to be the next leader, educate people on proper food and not rip them off with prices. We are not that cheap and we are not that expensive; we are in between, and guests will come back — that’s the whole idea.”
On the subject of the level of price point where the venue should be operating at, Khoury concurs, stating: “We decided not to be the most expensive place and we really studied our pricing. When you are in a place you feel is too expensive then by default you will not choose it as your frequent place and you’ll use it as a special event place, for birthdays and anniversaries. We don’t want to do this and that’s why our name goes along with our concept — ‘as comfortable as play’.”
Elaborating, he adds: “We [the team] consider ourselves at an age where this is the only time we go and play. What better fun do we have more than meeting people and talking to them? This is the game that we play every day. The comfort zone begins with the name.”
The theme of being multifaceted as a venue carries through into the cuisine, which brings together various tastes and styles to present ‘Mediterrasian’ food to guests. Othman comments: “We have Greek, Spanish, Italians, French, Japanese, and Asian, so why not just compile everything?”
Discussing how he created Play's menu, he shares: “My travels inspire me and, of course, living here I see what they have in the market. Our pita surprise and escargot are popular so far. Everybody loves the food so far, but I want to put new dishes on the menu already. We will do this quarterly following the seasons from Europe — in winter we’ll have more wintry dishes and in summer lighter, citrus [dishes]. I understand the market pretty well from the food side and I know what I want to give to the customer.”
He says his priorities lie in keeping the menu fresh, yet stable in terms of quality and meeting diners' expectations. “I have to keep on being innovative and bring new things to the table while maintaining consistency. This is very important — consistency is the name of the game. If you can’t keep the food consistent, then you’re done for. I have to make this happen and, with the team we have, I have no doubts [we will be a success].”
Of the 44 people in the kitchen, who he helped handpick, Otherman says: “I trust them and they can run the place without me around, if I step out, which is important.”
The significance of bringing Othman on board is evident, no more so than when Khoury jokes “a miracle happened” when asked how he felt about signing up the in-demand chef.
Khoury reveals: “Definitely with all the expertise of Reif on the table, we are focusing on the whole experience. If guests do not have a nice dinner, my whole concept is gone. The food in Play is 90% important and the rest comes from nice atmosphere, nice music and nice cocktails.”
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