The restaurant currently on Dubai’s lips? Play Restaurant and Lounge. Officially open on New Year’s Eve (with an over-the-top party featuring the Who’s Who of Dubai), this new food concept is lead by Chef Reif Othman, ex-regional executive chef of Zuma restaurants for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Istanbul.
Located on the 36th floor of the H Hotel, Play specializes in “Mediterrasian” cuisine infused with — you guessed it — Mediterranean and Asian influences. “I am very excited and honored to be a part of this new concept. It has given me the opportunity to spread my creative wings and curate a menu that I feel greatly appeals to the region’s tastes and palates. It is the perfect combination of East and West, applying the best from each culinary world to offer truly unique dishes with tantalizing flavors and with a recurrent theme of surprise,” Othman explains.
This homegrown concept, which has been designed by Gregory Gatserelia, comprises a gourmet restaurant with impressive views of Dubai’s skyline, a private dining area, and a specialty cocktail bar. The interiors, which are Art Deco-inspired, feature elements such as brass walls and sculptural chandeliers with crystals and pearls.
Play is the latest buzz-worthy restaurant to join the H Hotel’s nightlife lineup, with 40Kong, Okku, Delphine Restaurant and Bar, and The Black Lion also on property.