In a city where chicken ramen is dime a dozen, Singaporean chef-owner Reif Othman wanted to stand out.
“Many people prepare ramen by just throwing in a chicken bone and stock and cooking for a couple of hours before they season it with chicken powder and add an egg. But my ramen is done the traditional way. I prepare chicken stock the way I was trained in a French kitchen: we wash the bones and remove any blood, skin, and fat, just to get a clear chicken stock. I think that’s very intense,” explains the chef of REIF Japanese Kushiyaki in Jumeirah’s Dar Wasl Mall, the contemporary Japanese restaurant that received a Bib Gourmand distinction in the 2022 edition of the MICHELIN Guide Dubai.
“After tasting many ramen dishes at different restaurants across in Dubai, I would say that mine is much more detailed,” adds Othman, who has lived in Dubai since 2005.
The ramen underscores Othman’s distinctive style of offering Japanese fare with Italian and French cuisine fundamentals.
The chef first moved to Dubai to work at Burj Al Arab’s Al Mahara restaurant and then at Zuma, but soon found a gap in Dubai’s gastronomy scene. While many Japanese restaurants are on offer in Dubai, he wanted to steer away from common Japanese staples like sushi by diving deeper into this Asian cuisine and showcasing its vibrant diversity.
Inspired by Japanese street food that he had sampled on his trips to Japan, Othman opened his eponymous restaurant in August 2019 and decided to focus on kushiyaki, or skewered and grilled meat and vegetables in Japanese – something that he introduced to the emirate’s dining scene.
Its main philosophy: being creative and original while always guaranteeing quality and consistency.
“Japanese cuisine is much more than maki rolls and sushi. Even our chicken ramen is different, as we serve the ramen with chicken kushiyaki on the side,” he explains.
A Leap of Faith
Both Othman and his business partner took a leap of faith and funded the eatery with their own savings because they didn’t want to rely on anyone’s financial assistance. “We wanted to make it right, so we started small to gradually grow bigger. We are hands-on. I run the show as a chef, and my partner takes care of marketing,” says Othman.
It didn’t take long before the concept started gaining traction. The restaurant had experienced very long queues since its inception before Othman and his partner expanded into the eatery’s currently space to accommodate increasing demand. A licensed outpost of the Bib Gourmand eatery followed at Time Out Market Dubai in Souk Al Bahar in April 2021, and the brand is now taking the kushiyaki concept further locally and regionally. The first global franchise of REIF Japanese Kushiyaki opened in Cairo in December 2021, and the first licensed REIF Japanese Kushiyaki outlet will open around the end of the year in Dubai Hills, in addition to another franchised location due to open in Riyadh.
Delivering a Personal Touch
To get up close and personal with his guests, the people-loving chef created TERO, or The Experience By Reif Othman, a chef’s table concept that sits only four people and serves eight or 12 courses at the heart of the dining room of REIF Japanese Kushiyaki.
This allows guests to enjoy a tasting menu of surprise dishes prepared by the chef, but every TERO edition is different than the other, so diners will never experience the same tasting menu twice. “It’s important for me to know my guests, because once you get closer to them, you break the ice and establish a connection – and food is all about connection. At TERO, all dishes are completely new, and if people like them, we add them to the special menu,” confirms Othman.
What to Order at REIF Japanese Kushiyaki
At the Bib Gourmand restaurant, you’ll find an array of creative dishes in which the Singaporean chef levels up classical Japanese fare with his own touch. The Wagyu Katsu Sando – “a double trouble of beef” as Othman calls it – is a must-try signature made from Australian Wagyu fillet coated with charcoal panko and topped with a thin layer of Australian Wagyu striploin.
If you’re a truffle lover, sample the Angus Beef Kushiyaki With Truffle Mayo, consisting of Wagyu flank marinated overnight then grilled, finished off with a homestyle truffle mayonnaise made from mayonnaise, garlic, chopped truffle, fresh truffle, and truffle oil, and finally topped with crispy shallot.
Lastly, Othman recommends the super light 18-hr Ramen, in which the stock is cooked for about 18 hours and which has ginger chicken broth, bok coy, and egg. The dish is served with a chicken breast kushiyaki with sweet den miso sauce.
Have a look at all 14 Dubai restaurants that were awarded a Bib Gourmand in 2022 here.
