Competition is hotting up in the Dubai dining scene. With so many\u00a0choices out there, restaurants are pulling out all the stops to be different and impress,\u00a0but this is not without consequences. Yes, they may be able to deliver a shark swimming past my head as I tuck into a tenderloin, but can they deliver the food to the correct table or present\u00a0the right\u00a0bill? This worried me a little when I was asked to review a restaurant called \u201cPlay\u201d. \u00a0Strange images came to mind\u00a0of having to\u00a0defeat the chef at Snakes and Ladders to earn a starter, or being tossed pancakes like frisbees and having to catch them in my mouth like a hungry dog.\u00a0None of that happened, but I’m sure someone is working on that concept as we speak.<\/p>\n
Play is all about the experience.\u00a0Executive Chef Reif Othman\u2019s concept slaps all of your senses into a heightened state before punching you full on in the chops with a creative fusion of flavours and ingredients. As you would expect, Play\u00a0is\u00a0first and foremost all about having\u00a0fun. I found myself smiling and even laughing during this culinary adventure \u2013\u00a0in a good way!\u00a0I might have to be a little harsh on Play and try my best to pick a few holes, not because I disliked it but\u00a0purely because it was so good, i\u2019m worried about running out of superlatives.<\/p>\n Executive chef Reif Othman<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The restaurant is way up on the 36th floor of this\u00a05-star hotel, however you’re not expected to find your own way there,\u00a0which is good because I had already managed to get lost. Instead, it has its own\u00a0dedicated lift:\u00a0an impressive start.\u00a0I had just enough time in the lift to glance in the mirror and decide that I might be\u00a0a little underdressed before the doors opened leading me into the vast and sprawling\u00a0restaurant and bar area. There are\u00a0elevated private dining areas, stylish Art Deco interiors and floor to ceiling windows making the most of their high-rise viewpoint. Pleasingly, it was also just about dark enough to hide my slightly questionable jeans.<\/p>\n At this point I can pick a couple of those little holes:\u00a0the seats were a little\u00a0too low to be comfortable and me and my date\u00a0were so close to our neighbours I could have helped myself to their breadsticks; not the intimate dining\u00a0experience I was looking for.\u00a0Our waiter was excellent though,\u00a0explaining the concept and the rather confusing menu. I won’t\u00a0put too many spoilers in here with regards to the menu though as the restaurant likes to keep it under wraps –\u00a0you won\u2019t find it on the internet too easily.<\/p>\n Virtually everything we sampled was perfect, with the food brought out as and when it was cooked then put in the middle of the table for sharing.\u00a0In keeping with the sense of fun,\u00a0I loved that each dish came\u00a0with its own uniquely designed receptacle to compliment each dish. The highlights from our particular choices include the Wagyu Pita Surprise with (add superlative here) beef and soft and decadent truffle butter hidden away in the pita; it was like a savoury chocolate eclair and\u00a0simply delicious.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wagyu Pita Surprise<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Seared Tuna<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Seared Tuna was loaded with flavour and married well with the aged balsamic and the crunchy croutons that seemed to be infused with parmesan. My main dish, called\u00a0\u201c76 Hours\u201d, was Takumi Wagyu ribs with\u00a0spicy Goma dressing and a spring onion salad. This was a plate of food that\u00a0dreams are made of –\u00a0and definitely not for sharing. The meat, 76 hours in the making as the title alludes, disintegrated with just a light touch from\u00a0my fork –\u00a0I could easily\u00a0have eaten it with a spoon.\u00a0The sauce was sweet, salty, sticky and (insert another superlative here);\u00a0the salad, bless it, didn\u2019t get a look in. A particular nod should go to the presentation:\u00a0I loved that\u00a0all the meat had been carefully removed from the bone but a bone\u00a0was still kept\u00a0on the plate for decoration. Even the sides we ordered were fabulously luxurious:\u00a0the salty fries were dripping with parmesan and truffle shavings and the asparagus, equally as indulgent, were smothered with truffle butter. There was, dare I say it, perhaps too much truffle…which seems a particular #DubaiProblem if ever there was one.<\/p>\n Parmesan Fries and Asparagus with truffle butter<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n “76 Hours” Takumi Wagyu ribs.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n “Fish in a\u00a0Bag”.\u00a0Japanese Red Snapper<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n After the elegant simplicity of the previous dishes, the desserts were somewhat surprising;\u00a0I love my puds and can\u00a0usually destroy two all in the name of food reviewing\u00a0research, but not even\u00a0I could\u00a0finish these. The\u00a0Horlicks-flavoured mousse was\u00a0a fun\u00a0dessert,\u00a0incorporating foam,\u00a0sugar work and\u00a0soft\u00a0candied bananas, with the Horlicks bringing\u00a0a touch of nostalgia for\u00a0late night sweet treats from\u00a0when I was young.\u00a0We\u00a0also tried\u00a0the Cannoli, two pastry\u00a0sticks filled with mascarpone\u00a0with\u00a0popping candy sprinkled across that exploded in our mouths and certainly\u00a0made us smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n Horlicks flavoured dessert<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Cannoli with Hazelnut ice cream<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Play\u00a0is certainly enjoying a renaissance as the new\u00a0place to see\u00a0and be seen. And\u00a0the accolade\u00a0is\u00a0justly\u00a0deserved \u2013\u00a0there are simply so many things that they\u00a0get so right. I\u00a0love the concept, which is so strong here, and it’s\u00a0achieved\u00a0without forgetting the ever so important\u00a0rudiments. Would I eat here again? Oh yes.\u00a0The menu has\u00a0so much choice and just as many reasons to come back for more.\u00a0We were well fed but didn\u2019t even touch on the \u201cRaw\u201d section, the Tempura or many of the very tempting little sharing platters. The good news is that\u00a0even though this is a 5-star hotel, we didn\u2019t find the prices too scary,\u00a0especially considering the quality: you can enjoy\u00a0a main\u00a0for around AED130 and the starters and desserts are\u00a0around AED50.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t want to cross your legs (you can\u2019t), love a sizeable dessert and want an evening that’s going to be a lot of fun,\u00a0you should hurry up and get your good selves booked in! Enjoy.<\/p>\n![\"Snip20160206](\"https:\/\/cloud.lovindubai.com\/images\/uploads\/2016\/02\/_blogWide\/Snip20160206_18.png?mtime=20160206183907\")
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