It's a journey that has taken seven years but one that will end this month when the first Supperclub - a theatre, club and restaurant rolled into one - opens in Dubai.
The original Supperclub opened in Amsterdam 21 years ago. It quickly transformed from a hangout for painters and performing artists to a venue favoured by superstars such as Madonna and European royalty who were drawn by the fine food combined with art and entertainment. Other outlets followed in Istanbul, San Francisco, Los Angeles and London.
The newest addition to the brand, housed in Jumeirah Zabeel Saray on the Palm, will be the first in the Middle East.
"I always wanted to bring it out here," says Yassin Matbouly, the chief executive of Supperclub Mena, who believes the Middle East is now one of the most sophisticated markets in the world. "It's such a suitable concept for the region. Every time you go to Supperclub there is an element of surprise, there's something exciting. People today, their expectations are much higher. They get bored very quickly."
Mr Matbouly arrived in the UAE from Australia 16 years ago. He was born in Egypt but grew up Down Under and later in Spain - an upbringing he says that helped him watch how people's entertainment tastes grew more sophisticated.
In 2002, he founded Vibe, an events management agency, bringing some of the biggest music acts to the UAE including the Black Eyed Peas, Shaggy and Lionel Richie as well as the musical Stomp.
"At one stage, we used to do about 250 events a year - that's about four a week," he says. "During the week we used to have two, and the weekends Thursday, Friday. Then concerts from time to time."
Then in 2006 he considered bringing Supperclub to Dubai but the idea was heavily delayed by long-winded negotiations with potential venues, other ventures he was working on and of course the 2008 downturn.
Now it is here and despite the arrival in Dubai of two other theatre/club concepts, MusicHall and The Act, Mr Matbouly insists Supperclub is very different.
"We have the art element, that's very important for us," he says, adding that his venue will be open seven days a week. "We have a curator that we are working with to bring us different types of art, sculptures."
Mr Matbouly is coy about the size of the investment in Supperclub but says: "It's probably the most expensive venue in the country."
Dubai will be the second-largest Supperclub of the six, with only Los Angeles ahead.
"LA is less of a restaurant than we are," he says. "The food element is going to play a very important part."
As might be expected, Supperclub is not the only project Mr Matbouly is currently working on. While Dubai is well set for restaurants and hotels, it still lacks popular entertainment options such as musicals and shows. To help rectify this, he is developing his own show based in the Middle East that will almost certainly premiere in Dubai.
"It's in partnership with another firm out of the UK. We are consulting with some of the biggest people in the world who are working with us as well," he says, although he is not prepared to reveal who at this stage.
However, Mr Matbouly cautions other would-be entrepreneurs about setting up and operating in a market they are unfamiliar with. Just as London and New York are not easy markets - especially for restaurateurs - neither is Dubai. His recommendation is to join forces with a local partner.
As for his own success he puts it down to his belief in achieving anything he has set his mind to.
"I don't think anything is impossible; I never have and I still don't," he says. "There is a lot that can be done. I always feel I have to do a lot in that short time. Having a plan and strategy to move forward to where you want to be in the next five, 10 years is very important."
So what is Mr Matbouly's five-year plan?
"I want to contribute a lot in many different aspects," he says. "When I started the business 12 years ago I was more interested in how it's going to benefit me. In the last three years, I've been about [how] what I am building can benefit everybody else."