Reif Othman, director of culinary at R.A.W Galadari Holdings & Absolute F&B Facilities Management will next month launch intimate private dining concept, The Experience by Reif Othman.
The all-you-can-eat, luxury chef’s table concept will be located directly upstairs from Othman’s latest venture, Play Restaurant & Lounge, on the 37th floor of H Hotel on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road.
Othman, who was previously regional executive chef Middle East & Turkey for London-founded Japanese concept Zuma Restaurants, says that the outlet will have a capacity of just 12 seats, catering to one group at a time.
“I will personally cook for you; it’s my house, my home and everyone is my guest,” Othman told Catering News during an exclusive interview.
Echoing the idea of a chef’s table, but with a more intimate, homely setting, Othman promises to remain true to his objective of bridging the gap between chef and consumer, and will have just three or four staff helping him in the venue, including a sommelier.
“You sit down with your friends and you enjoy your dinner until you tell me to stop; you won’t know how many courses you’re getting,” he says.
“A lot of chef’s tables are in kitchens, which isn’t so nice – I want to steer away from that. For me it will just be like a private space, like an apartment. All the big chefs just go off and do their own thing but I don’t like that; cooking is my passion.”
There is no menu for the restaurant, with dishes prepared on the spot by Othman to make the experience engaging and interactive.
A touch of molecular cooking, which Othman practiced at Zuma, will also be on offer.
Scheduled to open in April, the operating times will be on request, so that guests can book The Experience for lunch, dinner or even late night.
Following dinner, guests will also be able to enjoy the venue’s private lounge area.
Othman also has plans to open a casual pan-Asian concept at the end of the year in Jumeirah, combining Japanese, Taiwanese and Chinese cuisine, and in DIFC, a Japanese steakhouse is being earmarked for 2017.
A full interview with Reif Othman will be available in the March issue of Catering News Middle East.
