In a serious Dubai foodie faux pas, I had only previously visited Play<\/a><\/strong> as part of the Foodiva’s dine around<\/a> (about this time last year). During our visit, I was impressed by not only the food but also the design and overall atmosphere of the restaurant and lounge (as I recall it was the middle of the week and packed with patrons). Thus, when seated next to talented chef (and winner of Time Out Dubai’s Best Restaurant 2017 and Best Asian Restaurant 2017) Reif Othman at the recent pop up with Gaggan at the One & Only Royal Mirage last week, I was super excited to talk to him about all his recent successes. While he’s a fun dinner companion (and very patient when it comes to foodie friends who take 9,000 pictures of their plates), it’s also clear that he’s entirely dedicated to his food (and his diners). While I’m still making plans to try The Experience, brunch seemed like a great place to start.<\/p>\n For the recently launched ‘Play by Day’ Friday brunch, with no real timings posted, we arrived promptly at 12:30, only to find apparently, the brunch had started a few minutes previously (?). Now, as a professional bruncher, I like to know how to get my money’s worth out of any meal I attend, so I do think it’s helpful for guests to know when things get started (but maybe I’m just taking things too seriously). Anyway, after the remainder of our group arrived, we were shown to our seats (much to our delight — the circle table that spins around <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/a><\/p>\n Would I go back to this brunch? Eh… While the food is incredible, I think I would skip brunch for awhile (until they get their service issues sorted) and go for dinner instead (where I would have to hope the service was better oriented towards looking after its guests). Should you be interested in trying ‘Play by Day,’ pricing runs 340AED (soft drinks) for the Playground package, AED440 for The Supper Club Package (unlimited grape beverage and spirits), and AED540 for the Sea of Bubbles option (champagne).<\/p>\n Have you been to Play yet? What’s your favorite dish?<\/p>\nbecause we are all twelve-year-olds<\/del>), and the brunch began.<\/p>\nPros<\/h1>\n
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Cons<\/h1>\n
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I Wonder<\/h1>\n
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The Food<\/h1>\n