Nick Alvis, Viktorija Paplauskiene and Scott Price on Folly's terrace, overlooking the Burj Al Arab.
“We have a table for two upstairs as well, which Viktorija said will be the most romantic table in town. We’re going to block it off and have the table on its own so you won’t be able to see it, but it will give the two people complete views of the Palm and the Burj Al Arab. It’s amazing; great for proposals or romantic meals, and we can do a bespoke menu. We have a lot of things going on to keep people interested,” Price reveals.
Folly, which was supposed to open last month but is now set to open in February, doesn't have an official launch date yet, and - when Caterer met with Avis, Price and Paplauskiene, there was still a minor amount of recruitment to take care of.
Asked about who they have on-board working with them in the kitchen, Alvis says: “We’ve got all our main guys — we have our senior sous chef who’s been with us since we opened Table 9 and was a head chef at Taste Kitchen. We’re going to be in the kitchen for quite a while ourselves; the plan is for us to be there everyday for at least 18 months to get Folly exactly how we want it. It’s going to take a lot of effort — we want it up there with the best. And you need to be in the kitchen to get it right; you can’t just write a menu for someone and then go in one day [to show them how to do it], and expect them to do it how you want. They can do it their way, of course, but it’s our menu and our food and we’ve got to be there to make sure it happens [how we want it to].”
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An experience that helped Alvis and Price get plenty of practice was a short stint at Oman’s Six Senses Zighy Bay a few months ago — a Gates Hospitality property. “Doing the first 14-hour day in the kitchen I’d done in a while wasn’t easy — I really felt it. But it was great because we started with the menu and it developed and improved. It’s a good feeling,” says Alvis.
Price agrees, adding: “It was great to be able to go to Zighy Bay and do a pop-up because it’s really one of the best places in the Middle East.”
On the subject of Gates Hospitality, the chefs revealed that they, together with Paplauskiene, had been talking to the company for about 18 months, and that the Gates team understands what the trio wants to do.
“They believe in young local talent and bringing out local brands, and it’s really good because there’s not a lot of people in town who are really comfortable doing that. It’s easier to bring in a brand from London or New York. Gates has a great track record and they really support us with everything that we need. We have signed a long-term partnership with them to work with them exclusively,” says Alvis.
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