Self-described as a ‘celebration of the renewal of life’, Playa has carved a niche for itself with a boho edge.
As CEO of Rival Management, Daniel Khairallah launched Playa Beach Club nestled on Palm West Beach, known for its unique Japanese Peruvian concept
Overall, the concept encourages individuality with soulful music while embracing the Sun in every bite of the exquisite fusion cuisine by a Peruvian team of chefs.
The Peruvian-inspired menu features a particular focus on seafood such as Ceviche and Nikkei dripping with traditional and authentic Peruvian flavors and spices, it also offers an exquisite variety of delectable dishes.
To delve into the concept and see how it began, Emirates Man spoke to Khairallah on his journey in the F&B industry.
Talk us through your background.
I am a Law & Business School graduate with over 25 years of experience in entertainment and F&B. Food has always been a passion of mine and over the years I have culminated a strong know-how in creating menus and working on recipes that elevate a restaurant’s offering.
What led you to bring your hospitality expertise to Dubai?
My first venture in Dubai was in 2004 with a brand that went global called CRYSTAL, and the venue C Lounge located in Al Murooj Rotana (previously) operated for 7 successful years. After which I relocated to London to run the European branch. In 2012 I moved back to Dubai and in 2020 by providence, I stumbled across this location in The Palm that I already had a concept in my head for, and that’s how PLAYA was born.
Talk us through the concept of Playa Beach Club?
Playa Dubai is a beach club, restaurant, beach bar, and venue that offers the finest Peruvian cuisine in Palm Jumeirah. With our warm and inviting atmosphere, we are committed to providing you with an unforgettable modern and rich experience. Our attention to detail shows in everything we do, from the rich colours of our space and decor to the fascinating presentation of each dish. Playa offers a wide range of activities to cater to your interests. From brunches to business lunches, family pool events, body-related activities, vibrant night parties, and a stargazing night. There’s something for everyone.
Playa aims to transcend its physicality to become that feeling of renewed vigor for life, experienced through all the senses. Through our logo and visual language, we are aiming for a brand identity that stands out, that tells of a world beyond our Cevicheria or beachside location, instead focusing on the restorative power of PLAYA. Its shamanic house music moves you, its authentic cuisine features superfoods and restorative ingredients that feed the soul, its events rejuvenate, its rituals restores, its sun-filled spaces reenergise, and its sunset, its golden hour, is the climax of an experience dedicated to celebrating the sun and everything it touches.
The menu is inspired by Nikkei cuisine, how did the restaurant find the perfect balance of Japanese and Peruvian?
Due to a big community of Japanese settlers in Peru, you will find Japanese/Peruvian Cuisine where Japanese technique is used on local Peruvian produce. We have done the exact same exercise by recreating classic Peruvian dishes and infusing them with Japanese finishes making our menu eclectic, colorful & fresh; suitable for a fine dining experience as well as a casual day in our beach club.
What are the key dishes to try at Playa?
All of them! But if you had to choose: Playa Classico Ceviche, Octopus Ceviche, all the Tiradito’s , Lomo Saltado, & Of course our catch of the day Grilled Fish or Deep Fried Fish Jalea style.
The restaurant prepares dishes on the robata and josper grills – tell us more.
Robata is short for Robatayaki which is Japanese for ‘fireside cooking’ – it refers to a wide flat like charcoal grill where items are cooked at varying speeds over hot charcoal, while the Josper is an oven that uses charcoal as means of cooking. These techniques while utilizing charcoal both have different outcomes in terms of flavors and juiciness and are vital in achieving the result of specific dishes in terms of both texture and flavor.
The beach club has an entertaining line-up for the year – what are some of the main events happening over summer?
Yes, certainly and we’re very pleased with the continuous year round programs that we activate depending on the season. For the Summer for instance, along with our regular vibrant weekend entertainment, we have introduced the extended Night Swim hours where the pool stays open till 11pm, and on Saturdays our PLAYA POOL SESSIONS have hosted various guest international DJ’s. We are soon to create new activations and events that fit the coming months. On the culinary vertical, we have introduced a Summer Sushi menu that is served only on Wednesday nights after having tested these items in a teaser release during the Eid Al Adha Holiday.
We have updated our Neighbors Lunch menu which is a formula served during weekdays for an easy choice that we compile with special items from our menu. As necessary as consistency is, it is also important to keep your clients satisfied with new discoveries and creating excitement around new creations whilst keeping your signature dishes hailed continuously.
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The interiors highlight a boho edge – what’s the inspiration?
Since we are a Peruvian Cevicheria with Japanese Influences, the inspiration is taken from tapestry pieces by award winning Peruvian weaver Maximo Laura, namely ‘Abundant fruit of the sea’ and ‘Royal fish dance’. The ceiling design is broken down into 3,654 scales that start from the kitchen and flow like a wave giving energy to the whole venue, with design and branding elements translated in different colors and shapes throughout the whole of Playa. Proudly, PLAYA is the winner of the Platinum award in the Interior Design – Lounges and Bars category for the 2024 French Design Awards (IAA – International Awards Association).
The service at Playa is impeccable – how have you maintained this over the years.
After COVID, service has been a challenge to all F&B outlets, there was a birth of a need to always update serving practices and standards in order to keep up with people’s concerns, and that proved an improvement in general service. It is with constant training and testing and attention that we can keep a good standard as you can see.
What sets Playa Beach Club apart from the other beach clubs in Palm West Beach?
The Food, the Vibe, and the identity and consistency in both. Above all when you visit Playa you can inevitably get the welcoming familial sense; everyone here – clients and staff alike – has gotten accustomed to feeling like they are home and with family and friends.. It is rare to find a casual comforting energy in an upscale restaurant and that’s what we strive to maintain, we want our guests to enjoy the menu and the atmosphere hand in hand.
What’s next for Playa Beach Club?
After having had successful pop ups in Europe throughout last year, we are very excited to announce the opening of PLAYA on the Red Sea shores of Egypt, in the much anticipated Makadi Heights by Orascom Development. The partnership was announced In May of 2024 in a signing ceremony here in Playa Dubai. The concept in Makadi, along with the F&B and Beach club, includes our first boutique hotel, which will undoubtedly boost PLAYA to a new level, paving the way for the brand to be recognized as a multinational name in the industry.
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