Yallah Yallah the new buzzword in great cuisine
“YALLAH” is an Arabic word, which diverse meaning, when translated, in context, has several interpretations, like; come, hurry, quick, or modernly expressed, as move it.
JOHANNESBURG – The slogan, “Come Together . . .” is so meaningful according to the delivery of service that the new restaurant has to offer. In other words, we encourage our patrons to “Come together”: to eat, to drink, to socialise, to dance, get entertained and to puff-up, a Hubbly . . . Yallah Yallah Mediterranean Restaurant and Hubbly Lounge (with DJ on decks and entertainment available on Fridays and Saturdays), opened its doors for business on September 18, 2014 in the S P Pavilion Shopping Centre, Amanda Road, Gleneagles (near the Glen Shopping Centre), South of Johannesburg CBD.
The opening of the restaurant was had, over a period, on three consecutive nights, due to public demand. Seven hundred-and-seventy-eight patrons filled the house to experience an offering in new yet great cuisine . . . Yes! It is cuisine that is distinctly different, with a Lebanese Menu that will whet the appetite, for many an enthusiast. The menu extends its offering to cuisine from the other shores of the Mediterranean. Several patrons are already hailing the grill sector, as the best of its kind. Well to say the least, the opening went off extremely well, as patrons acclaimed the restaurant in saying that it was for them “Home, away from home. . .”
The atmosphere is overall, awe inspiring . . . taking cognisance of one of the greatest views experienced, through the windows and verandah of the restaurant, overlooking the Bassonia and Glenvista hills during the day, and the overwhelming sparkle of lights that complement the dark of night.
This family-inspired business was established by four siblings, namely Tarryn, Tyra, Mark-Anthony and Martyn Farah, whose parents, Anthony and Valerie, are involved in mentoring the youngsters in the field of cuisine after having run their own catering business for over 15 years. “Experience is meaningless, if you learn nothing from it,” Dad expresses confidently.
The restaurant is open from Tuesday through to Sunday. “We all need to take the Monday off so that we can reboot to offer our patrons the best service available in this field of business,” Tarryn assures us.
The restaurant has a separate smoking area (restricted to under 16s), which has been turned into a “Hubbly Lounge”. This offering has encouraged Hubbly smokers to the venue, making it the first of its kind in the new South of Johannesburg.
Furthermore, the restaurant has the capacity (up to 220 depending on the type of event) to host big functions, like weddings, birthday parties, Christmas and corporate events (with an exclusive and extravagant corporate room for team building and corporate presentations – providing an overhead projector and electronic screen for the users of such needs). To say the least, this venue/restaurant has it all available, in terms of aesthetics and capacity, to host such important events.
“We provide for extraordinary entertainment on Fridays, Saturdays and the nights before public holidays. Belly dancers, Latin/American dancers and various singing talents are brought in to entertain our guests!” Tyra exclaims, “And of course there is a minimal cover charge in this respect,” Martyn adds. With a DJ (Martyn DJ Farah) on deck, the weekends complete a mode of dinner and dance, thus making Yallah Yallah the only restaurant of its kind in the new South of Johannesburg. “We aim to make such an impact on the public that they will line up to book in the future,” Mark-Anthony admits.
“Each family member has a defined area of responsibility,” Mom says, adding, “we have Dad in the kitchen. He calls it the heart of the restaurant. Tarryn attends to the public relations and entertainment. She calls it the needed brainstorm sector. Tyra deals with staff and administration issues, while Mark-Anthony runs the Hubbly Lounge. Martyn oversees the Bar and is our DJ. He reckons that his department is responsible for pumping up the place and bringing the oxygen back into the lungs after the ‘Hubbly smokers’ have to come up for air. Everyone brainstorms the marketing aspects,” Valerie says.
“We are still experiencing some teething problems, however ironing them out, perfection is an attribute that we aspire to, which we intend to accomplish in the short term,” Anthony confirms.
“We have had a good first month of trade, considering that we opened the business on traditional word of mouth! Now advertising will speak for itself,” Tyra remarks.
“As a family, we have undertaken to focus our attention on charity aspects, as we believe in giving back to the community,” Tarryn concludes.
Book early for the following big events, to avoid disappointment: Corporate year-end parties and lunches, (restaurant will be closed on Christmas eve December 24), Christmas Day Buffet Lunch December 25, New Year’s Eve Bash December 31 and Valentine’s Day February 14, 2015.
They will also be introducing Ladies Night on Wednesday and Karaoke Thursday evenings soon.
