SHANKAR Dyal is the owner of Play Land American Italiano Restaurant, located at Lot 90 Park Street, Enterprise, East Coast Demerara. As an American trained chef, he has been titillating the taste buds of many for the past 25 years. Today, he cooks Italian seafoods, steaks, pasta, salads, soups, sides, entrees/main dishes, appetizers, hot subs, sandwiches, hot dogs, pizzas, burgers and desserts.
Dyal told the Guyana Chronicle that he was cooking since the age of 15. Coupled with his years of travelling while working as a manager attached to a paper plant in the United States, and being in a restaurant business for many years, he has decided to open his own place in Guyana.
A Guyanese who lived abroad for some time, Dyal’s step-mother is Italian and his wife is Puerto Rican. It was easy for him to adapt to their styles of cooking, and he was truly inspired to do what he did best…cooking.
Dyal added that Italian food is romantic, classy, and preferred everywhere; and having lived in Spain for a while, he specialized in Spanish cooking over the years.
He also lived in Puerto Rico and Ecuador for some time, and did a lot of food tasting, where some ideas were conceptualized; and he is pleased to bring good quality and classy cooking to Guyana, where the ambience is quite suitable, especially with the butterflies’ concept and the very appropriate décor of flower curtains, dishes and furniture.
Almost all the ingredients are imported, Dyal disclosed, except for chicken and prawns; and meals are prepared fresh, based upon the customers’ request when they order.
He noted that his restaurant is a cut above the rest; the location is ripe for quality and standard; and keeping it small is ideal, since he employs mostly males.
Whenever one dares for something different as it relates to food, even Jamaican cuisine he can handle; plus the restaurant has a high definition (HD) 3D movie theatre to accommodate 25 persons.
The pleasant atmosphere is a nice getaway from the city, and one can even bring one’s own wine, since, given the décor, one would prefer drinks after or before a meal, given the fabulous service provided by the capable young staff.