WO’GOA something is always brewing…November 2014 Issue

‘ W GOA O

NOVEMBER 2014

something is always brewing

FERRAN ADRIÀ

The Culinary Legend

EXPLORE THE REAL GOA FLYOD CARDOZ

Adding Spice to New York

WO’Curious

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CONRAD MALDIVES RANGALI ISLAND Tropical Paradise

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World’s Best Restaurants Luxury Hotels & Resorts Fine Dining

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Baron Wolman will be on hand to celebrate the opening of his debut show in Goa, India.

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Editor Fabian deCastro Lifestyle Editor Doug Singer Editorial Consultant Teotonio R. de Souza Culinary Consultant Andrzej Andy Zyla Contributors Jasmine Chopra Selma Carvalho Dielle D’Souza Pamela Flores Photographers Jasmine Chopra Rohan Mayenkar Andrzej Andy Zyla Creative Design Studio FJM design Publisher

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Company registration number U22100GA2011PTC006731 Web Administrator Joel Savio Nazareth Marketing & Advertising Joel Savio Nazareth Call: +91 832 246 3234 E-mail: joel@wogoa.in WO’GOA™ New York Head of Operations - North America Doug Singer 404 East 66 Street, Suite 2E New York, NY 10065 E-mail: doug.singer@wogoa.in © IZZY Publishing Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. Editorial material and opinions expressed in WO’GOA™ digital publication do not necessarily reflect the views of IZZY Publishing Pvt. Ltd. WO’GOA™ and IZZY Publishing Pvt. Ltd. cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies or errors and do not accept responsibility for the advertising content. All contents are strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Production in whole or part is prohibited without prior permission from IZZY Publishing Pvt. Ltd. © 2014 WO’GOA™ All rights reserved.

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Cover Image Credit Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

‘ GOA W O ™

something is always brewing

In this exciting issue, we go into epicurean overdrive as we celebrate the world of food by featuring culinary genius Ferran Adrià and his powerful legacy including a showcase of some of his protégées. We will explore Andoni Luis Aduriz’s Mugaritz, Chef Eneko Axta’s three Michelin-starred Azurmendi, as well as the number one restaurant in the world today, Noma.

You will certainly be enlightened by WO’Curious Q&A’s with Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin, which is widely considered to be the top restaurant in New York, and Jereme Leung, the creative powerhouse who brings balance on a plate with Shanghaiese and his innovative style of cooking ‘New Chinese Cuisine.’

We will be logging some serious travel miles as we introduce new contributors Dielle D’Sousa who shares the experience of chic Burmese fusion at Goa’s own Bomra and Pamela Flores as she takes us on a trip to the Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana. Here we will explore a fine array of exciting dining including Relais & Chateaux’s 60th Birthday Dinner with Michelin-starred Chef Michel Rostang and the stellar beauty and comfort of Eden Roc Cap Cana Hotel - a sprawling property with golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus.

Delve into luxury stays at the leading business, leisure and entertainment destinations of Asia - the Marina Bay Sands Singapore, Paradise in the Indian Ocean at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, the Rosewood Abu Dhabi and Conrad Dubai.

South Africa is our destination as we visit The Test Kitchen with Luke Dale-Roberts and then back to Bangkok with Gaggan Anand, who shares details of his approach to reinventing Indian Food in a rather progressive format.

The issue would not be complete without exploring fine dining destinations in Singapore, Maldives and Dubai featuring Daniel Boulud’s DB Bistro Mordene, a contemporary twist on the classic steakhouse menu at CUT by Wolfgang Puck and the sociable ambience of Dubai’s dining scene at Marco Pierre White Grill.

We will have feet on the ground in New York City as we see what life is like these days for Floyd Cardoz, the Goan who is busy adding spice to the lives of a wide array of culinary travellers, locals and celebrities.

Finally, WO’GOA will unveil its new look later this month - our revamped website.

Something Is Always Brewing… enjoy!

Doug Singer Lifestyle Editor 9

CONTENTS

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Ferran Adrià - The Culinary Legend

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Floyd Cardoz - Adding Spice to New York

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Explore the real Goa

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Potobello Market - In search of lost loves

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500 years ago - Old Goa was New...

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Quem viu Goa escusa de ver Lisboa

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Southern River Adventures

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WO’Curious Q&A with Shane Ó Néill

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WO’Curious Q&A with Eric Ripert

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WO’Curious Q&A with Jereme Leung - New Chinese Cuisine

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Goa & Beyond - World’s Best Restaurants

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WO’Curious Q&A with Gaggan Anand - Indian Food Reinvented

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The Crown Jewel of Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana

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Goa & Beyond - Luxury Travel

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Chic Burmese Fusion

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Signature Dishes

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Goa & Beyond - Fine Dining

‘ GOA W O ™

something is always brewing

Over-Water Spa cover image credit CONRAD MALDIVES RANGALI ISLAND 11

contributors

Doug Singer is a prolific Luxury Lifestyle writer and entrepreneur whose body of work includes being the founder of Daily Food & Wine, Metropolitan Report and Urban Billionaire, as well as Travel Editor for the ultraexclusive Jetset Magazine.

Dielle D’Souza - From scribbling on walls to typing furiously, for Dielle, it’s always been about bringing images to life with words.

She was born and raised in Goa, but is a student of the world. After studying journalism at a top postgraduate institution in Bangalore, she went on to work for Britain’s Press Association with her work published in leading British newspapers - the Independent, Daily Mail, the Guardian and the Daily Express. If travel is her inspiration and motivation, the written word is her best friend.

With a significant entrepreneurial background that includes owning five different companies spanning three countries, his knowledge base is considerable. Doug’s recent work includes being a prolific food writer, co-authoring a cookbook with a prominent celebrity chef of Indian origin, an on-camera spokesman for interviews with Sony TV, FOX News, and M.C. for a wide array of culinary events and competitions. This along with traveling the world in search of the finest accommodations and Teotonio R. de Souza - An Indoexperiences for his readership Portuguese historian, researcher and columnist. Fellow of the keeps him rather busy.

Portuguese Academy of History As the CEO of Singer Media and Sociedade de Geografia de and Consulting, he leverages Lisboa. Founder-Director of the many of his own publications Xavier Centre of Historical Research in developing opportunities (1979-1994). Head and Chair, and awareness for emerging Dept. of History, Universidade companies within the categories Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisboa (since 1996). in which his expertise lies.

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Jasmine Chopra - Mumbai born, Goa raised, Konkani speaking Anglo-Indian Jasmine returned to India after 10 years in the UK pursuing her studies in Tourism.

During her time in the UK she developed a flair for writing and photography. Her passion took her deep into the indigenous rainforest of Costa Rica on community work. She divides her time between England, France and India but Goa, according to her is where the roots are.

Chef Andrzej Andy Zyla is the Executive Sous Chef of DAMAC Hotels & Resorts Mgt LLC, Andy’s cuisine is simple and delicate which he shares with WO’GOA readers. Andy has applied his culinary expertises at hotels such as: Chelsea Arts Club in London, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Maldives, Earl Spenser, London, The Address Montgomerie in Dubai, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Palm Jumeirah Dubai and Watatsumi at Le Méridien Mina Seyahi.

Aquatica Resort & Spa Ashvem, Mandrem, Goa. M ~ +919923484977 www.aquaticagoa.in, www.integralholdings.in

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Aquatica-Goa (Rooms, Restaurant, Bar, Yoga and Spa)

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Photographer Maribel RuĂ­z de Erenchun 14

The Culinary Legend

by Doug Singer

the seeds © Photographer: Francesc Guillamet

Ferran Adrià 15

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ecessity is apparently the birthplace of opportunity, as it was his need of money for a vacation on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza that led Ferran Adrià to take a job as dishwasher at a French restaurant in the Hotel Playafels in Castelldefels, Spain. This was the genesis of what would become culinary legend—a man who later would be referred to as “the best chef in the world.”

Chef Adrià was certainly fortunate that the chef at this restaurant would take an eager-to-learn dishwasher and introduce him to the classic culinary techniques with El Practico, the Spanish equivalent of Escoffier’s Le Guide Culinaire.

Eventually Adria did make it to Ibiza, where he had a brief stint working at Club Cala Lena in 1981-1982 prior to being drafted into military service where he worked as a cook. At the age of 22, Adrià ventured to the coast of northern Spain, and it was here, at the beach on the Costa Brava, north of Barcelona that he joined the kitchen staff of El Bulli as a line cook. He was quickly recognized as an innovator and within eighteen months became head chef, ultimately leading El Bulli to a record five wins in the “world’s best restaurant” awards.

Before the arrival of Adrià, El Bulli, then a French restaurant, was relatively unknown. When Adrià joined the staff, his manager recommended that he travel throughout France to find fresh ideas. This was done with vigor as Adrià journeyed to some of France’s top restaurants where he acquired a massive collection of techniques from many of the great culinary masters.

Over the years, El Bulli was transformed into a world-class restaurant featuring modern Spanish cuisine and despite

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white asparagus in different cookings and temperatures with egg yolk shots Š Photographer: Francesc Guillamet

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spherical raviolo of peas and minty pea salad Š Photographer: Francesc Guillamet 18

carrot air with bitter coconut milk Š Photographer: Francesc Guillamet 19

spherical balloons of rose water with touches of lychee and lychee soup Š Photographer: Francesc Guillamet

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its extremely remote location at the end of a narrow, winding mountain road in the small town of Roses, ultimately received 3 Michelin stars. Add to that being ranked as the best restaurant in the world by Restaurant Magazine and topping the influential San Pellegrino list of the World’s Best Restaurants a remarkable five times between 2002 and 2009. And it was not just writers that lauded this iconic chef—he was widely considered to be the finest chef in the world by many of his peers. At its height, El Bulli received over 2 million requests per year for reservations (it could only accommodate about 7,000 of them).

There are few restaurants in history that have had the type of measurable impact provided by El Bulli and for that matter, Ferran Adrià. In the late 1980’s, Adria began performing cooking experiments which would forever change El Bulli’s place in culinary history. This was one of the launch pads for what is now referred to as Molecular Gastronomy (the application of science to culinary practices and cooking phenomena). His creations have always been designed to surprise and delight his guests, but the importance of spectacular taste has always been the ultimate goal. One thing that is now being used on a global scale is his creation of “culinary foam.” Culinary foam consists of natural flavors (both sweet and savory) mixed with a gelling agent. The designed mixture is then placed in a whipped cream canister where the foam is then forced out with the help of nitrous oxide—just one more contribution to the world culinary stage from this dynamo.

It takes a man of this sort to be at the helm of a restaurant such as this and to the surprise of many, abruptly in 2010, announced that he was transforming his restaurant into a foundation that explores culinary creativity. So on July 30, 2011, Ferran Adrià voluntarily shut the doors of El Bulli,

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nitro-caipirinha with tarragon concentrate Š Photographer: Francesc Guillamet 22

© Photographer: Maribel Ruíz de Erenchun

“the Salvador Dali of the kitchen” Ferran Adrià, the world’s greatest chef is best known for creating “culinary foam”, which is now used by chefs around the world.

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the most famous restaurant in the world, and started work on his next lofty goal, a foundation for the advancement of culinary understanding.

Fast forward a few years and the over-the-top creativity that defined El Bulli now lives on—except you can stay right in Barcelona to experience some of what they had to offer. Ferran Adrià and his brother Albert (who spent 23 years working at El Bullli and rising through the ranks) are now running five dynamic restaurants in the city, each offering a different experience with a sixth planned for the near future.

Albert, (an extremely highly esteemed chef in his own right), the younger brother who has in the past remained in the background, has taken the lead in this emerging empire while Ferran plays a supporting role in between traveling, teaching at Harvard and following what appears to be his true passion—building his foundation.

The foundation, now coming up on four years in the making will all be housed in the former restaurant’s premises—in a nature reserve overlooking the Mediterranean in Roses, a two-hour drive north of Barcelona.

With the opening imminent, the anticipation in the industry is palpable. It will consist of three parts, including an exhibition on the history of cooking entitled elBulli 1846, a cooking research “laboratory” called elBulli DNA and the “Bullipedia,” a “gastronomic encyclopedia” including a database of recipes and ingredients.

El Bulli defined avant-garde cuisine during its 25year life span. It pioneered concepts like “fusion” and “deconstruction” and spawned a generation of highly influential chefs that continue to provide a new road for culinary exploration and enlightenment.

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Albert Adrià and Ferran Adrià © Photographer: Maribel Ruóz de Erenchun

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Adding spice to New York Floyd Cardoz brings his bright, flavorful cooking to White Street, a new dining destination to Manhattan that’s ideal for a casual bite or a celebratory meal.

Floyd’s menu highlights seasonal produce and reflects his experience working in top kitchens in New York and abroad. Dishes such as hamachi tartare with hearts of palm and homemade cider, spiced braised short ribs with mustard purée, grits and fresh horseradish, seared shitake mushrooms with braised fennel, and spiced squash purée and sunflower sprouts demonstrate Floyd’s refined technique and distinct approach to flavor.

WO’GOA’s Lifestyle Editor and New York Correspondent Doug Singer catches up with Floy Cardoz at White Street.

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WO’GOA: Take us through your culinary journey, when, where and how did it begin?

Floyd Cardoz: I grew up in Bombay India and I started cooking almost as a second career, I was studying to be like chemist and while I was in undergrad school, I read a book called Hotel by Arthur Hailey, and I was very impressed with the whole hospitality world, and I thought hmmm… this could be something that I could do and decided to go to hospitality school after I finished. When the hospitality school not realizing that I would end up loving the kitchen as much as I did, I decided to go in to the kitchen because I had this talent to cook, and I enjoyed it, did my first internship at the Taj group of hotels in Bombay, in the kitchen absolutely loved it, cooked, peeled 200 kilos of onions on my first day there, and you know after that, I just kind of, after I graduated I got selected by different chefs training program, thus shows the one that I wanted to do, finished that up, worked for a bit, went to Switzerland, had to go to school again, and landed up in United States in 1988. And things just started to look up for me after that.

WO’GOA: How do you keep yourself abreast of current culinary trends?

Floyd Cardoz: Unfortunately, I am not a trend person, I believe that good food and good cooking is something that comes from the soul and yeah there’s a lot of science that goes into it, and it’s important to have, to understand why vegetables turn olive green when you blanched them or why meat reacts a certain way to a mild reactions, those things I love. I love cooking from my soul and cooking with things that inspire me, so I will cook within freshness in the market, I’d go out and eat a lot. The trends that I tend to follow are more new cuisines that I’ve never seen before like, when the new Japanese food like when I came to this country learned about Italian food, learned about Mexican cuisines and then I tried to incorporate those flavors those foods into what I do.

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Shaved Greenmarket Vegetables Photo Noah Fecks

WO’GOA: Has there ever been an ingredient that you weren’t able to master and have given up on and why?

Floyd Cardoz: There has not been an ingredient that I haven’t been able to master. I’ve pretty much enjoyed cooking with everything, I’d say one that I choose not to master is bananas, because I can’t stand them, so I’d say that is one ingredient that has beaten me.

WO’GOA: In your book One Spice, Two Spice, you’ve rid the mysteries of Indian food and flavors and then add Indian spices to American cuisine.

What inspired this book?

Floyd Cardoz: When I came to the United States, I found that Indian food was not as popular as it could be. Indian food was not as good as it could be, and Indian food was not as widespread that it could be and I did a little research into that and I found out that many people were afraid of Indian food, the Indian food that was available wasn’t very good and not a good representation of the food in India. People either loved it or hated it. And the people who loved it, they loved it because it was way too spicy, and the people who hated it, hated it because it was too spicy. Indian food is a very balanced, flavorful, textural, seasonal cuisine which varies from city to city, from state to state, from one religion to the next, and that was not represented. In One Spice Two Spice, I kinda of took of being kids in the United States, I kind of started adapting ingredients to Indian food and adding spices to it, so if I made a burger, I would add spice to it because I wanted more flavor. And that’s pretty much why I did it because I didn’t want to have plain food, I want to have food with flavor and I found that adding spices to it could make your food taste really good for one and you didn’t need to add butter and cream to make it taste good.

So you could use spices, you could use vinegar, you could use acidifying agents like tamarind, and kokum and vinegar and tomatoes and yoghurt just to make things better so that’s the reason why I 29

wrote that book so people would start using spices more often. My dream was to see every grocery store will have spices that you could cook with like you have soy sauce in every grocery store in the United States.

WO’GOA: What is your favorite Indian spice and is there a particular ingredient that you most like using in cuisine?

Floyd Cardoz: I wouldn’t say that there’s one ingredient that I love to use, but there are mix of them, its group them in 4-5 of them, definitely coriander seeds, I think coriander seed is so versatile, you can use it for meat, fish, vegetables, it’s great! I love cumin, I love chilies, ok, I believe that you can use chilies, and this is what I do, I use chilies as a flavoring agent rather than a heat so when it’s in a dish it won’t hit you over the head that its spicy hot, but you’ll recognize it that there’s something there that’s making this food exciting. So chilies are something I use in almost every dish I cook. I love cinnamon and clove, and unfortunately most people use cinnamon and clove only in applications for dessert, I think using cinnamon and clove with restraint can be used with vegetables again with meat makes things tastes so different.

WO’GOA: Lespinasse at the St. Regis New York, Would you say that Gary Kunz had an influence on you cooking and why?

Floyd Cardoz: I spent 7 years Photo Daniel Krieger 30

of my career with Gary Kunz and I believe that Gary was the greatest cook that I have ever seen or even cooked with, he had an immense ability to cooks flavor out of ingredients and bring the best what’s out of it and balance, so I learned a lot about balance from Grey, I still remember him telling me the first day, I cooked with him and I put a little extra chili in addition and he says it’s about balance and taste and I still remember that every single day because I think Grey he thought me a lot of restraint, he introduced me to the world of Asian and French food, something that I didn’t know about and that’s how I got to adapt my Indian food to every other cuisine now.

WO’GOA: White Street NYC menu has an excellent Japanese French touch, a great marriage between vegetables and proteins, with Goan Portuguese roots, would we see this cuisine in your menu?

Floyd Cardoz: At White Street, my food here is what I like to call international food, I believe like the United States, we are a country of immigrants, and everybody has brought something to the cuisine in the United States be the German, the Irish, the French, the Italian, the Spanish, the Indian, the Japanese, the Chinese, so we started cooking in a way where we want flavor in our food so the way I cook here is the way almost most Americans cook at home without even thinking about it.

So my cuisine at White Street has

Photo Daniel Krieger 31

influences of India, yes it has an influence of Japan and China but it’s very restrained and there’s a cross pollination if you will of ingredients from one cuisine to the next but it’s not done in a way that its disrespectful to a cuisine. I think the ingredients are put in for a reason because they work well.

WO’GOA: What is your fondest memory of eating with your family as you were growing up and do you replicate this way of cooking now with your own family?

Floyd Cardoz: I believe eating with your family is a very very important part of culture and part of our lives, a lot of my culture has come thru with my meals with my family, with meals with my grandmother, what we eat, the stories my father would tell about why we ate rice a certain way, why we eat fish at a certain time helped me understand Indian cuisine and Indian culture a lot better. When we eat at home it’s all about bringing that culture and tying in this stories, why do we cook this way, why do I use these ingredients, why do I think New Jersey tomatoes are better than New York tomatoes, why do I think New York apples are better than Washington apples, why do I think the seafood from the northeast is so good so bringing these things into cultures is very important. So when I cook at home, I cook with my family, I make things that we all like to eat for one and also like to cook with stories that are gonna tie in so my kids tell their kids about why we cook with the ingredients from the northeast and what it means to have them in our food.

WO’GOA: Is there a childhood comfort food that you think about?

Floyd Cardoz: There is a dish, when I was growing up my Mom would make food for special occasions and the 3 Goan dishes that I absolutely love and for me they are comfort food, one is called Xxacuti, which is 32

a dish of toasted spices and coconut, that is made of baby goat and every birthday I had to have it so it’s got 18 different spices about 22 or 23 different ingredients all cooked really slowly, its toasty, its super, you can at it with bread, you can eat it with rice. Second is something called Sorpotel, which every time my family slaughtered a pig they would make this dish whereby they uses the blood of the pork in it so its stewed pork with vinegar, and chilies and garlic, and its eaten with steam rice cake or rice spread called Sanna, and the third dish is my Mom’s shrimp curry that she’d make, again from Goa, Shrimp curry with steamed white rice, with green mango in there or even okra, something that till today I make at home, and when my Mom comes, I make her make and my wife makes it for my kids so it’s becoming a comfort food for my kids too.

WO’GOA: If you could cook for and dine with anyone, who would that be?

Floyd Cardoz: That, if I could cook and dine with anybody, who would it be? It would be a little difficult question to answer, one of them I already did, I got to cook for President Obama, that is something I wanna cook for and I would like to cook for the first lady Michelle Obama because I think what they are trying to do with the food culture in the United States is very important so I would like to bring to them my food. The other 2 people that I would really love to cook for and dine with are the Manning Brothers, Eli and Peyton because I’m a huge Giants fan and I think Eli and Peyton both come from a great family, they come from a state that I love very much Louisiana, and you know they seem to be great people too so I would love to cook and eat with them, yeah.

WO’GOA: A question which is most important, Creativity or Technique, what is more important to you and why?

Concord Grape Cremeux Photo Noah Fecks

Floyd Cardoz: It is a very difficult question to 33

answer but I wanna add trinkle to your question, what is more important, creativity, technique or passion? And if I had to rate them, I’d say passion first, two would be technique and three would be creativity. You can reinvent anything you want and it can be excellent so you can recreate a burger but if you cook that burger with passion and with a proper technique it’ll be a perfect burger every time.

But if you don’t have the passion, you could have the best technique, and the best ingredients and it’ll be never be the same every single time and wont tastes as good.

WO’GOA: What was the feeling when you received the ‘Humanitarian of the Year’, later being named as the Top 50 Most Influential Indian by GQ Magazine and winning Season Three of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters?

Roasted Cauliflower with pickled shallots, pine nuts & raisins Photo Noah Fecks 34

Floyd Cardoz: In, if I had to rank them? I would say receiving the Humanitarian of the Year from food TV was very important to me, being that, a lot of a chefs do a lot of good work for lot of charities, there’s a lot of unfortunate people and we are a very giving community so as a chef being recognized for that was pretty awesome! I also got to work with the fishermen in New Orleans, who got affected by the Hurricane Katrina, being named as the 50 Grade Influential Indians was was actually pretty damn cool, I never thought that being on the list being a cook and neither I think my father or any of my family that someone who cooks could be that but Bravo’s Top Chef was a, a surprise not that I can’t cook and not that I wasn’t expecting to win because you go into show like that thinking you could win but I went into that competition thinking that I just wanted

to do well and express myself out, which I did, winning, it was icing on the cake and it was pretty cool too because the two people that I did beat, Mary Sue Milliken and Traci Des Jardins then are the two I picked to win it so it felt great to do that.

WO’GOA: Behind the glitz, you have been involved in a number of charities. Could you tell us more?

Floyd Cardoz: I believe that, if God gives you a talent you should be able to share it and I don’t mean share it just for monetarily reasons for yourself, you should also be able to give back to your community. I love working with a few organizations, one that I am currently working is called Young Scientist Foundation as I was a scientist, I want to help young high school kids who are interested in doing internships and medical research, get an internship, raise money to pay for them. We’ve had the organization for 4 years now, and we’ve help many students do that. I’m also involved with Bicharas Strength, I believe that we have a childhood hunger problem in the United States and I think that we should eradicate childhood hunger in the United States. I’ve worked with City Harvest, City Harvest is great job in feeding New York’s hungry, I’ve worked with Cancer Charities, I always worked with kids cancer education because I think cancer is a srewedge and we haven’t figured out how to cure it and we should because being able to do that would make so many other people lives better.

WO’GOA: Your fond of quoting Robert Frost - ‘Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I choose the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.’ is there a reason behind this?

Floyd Cardoz: Yeah, I grew in a middle class family in Bombay India, I decided to go into the kitchen something that was not done, I took a road that nobody ever chose. I took a lot of risk, I left India when I was 24, to a country that I have never been to, I was going to a job that I had didn’t know what’s happening, At a risk, I opened Tabla which was risky, I did celebrate Indian food that was risky and I opened a topshop master which is risky.

I’ve done a lot of things that are risky but I always decide to take the road less travelled not take the

safe road because when you take the safe road, safe things happen but if you do the things that are risky and challenging it can make a difference into your life and the road less taken is the one that I have taken and has made a huge difference in my life. Opening this restaurant White Street, I left the company that I was with for 17 years to go out on my own and then I joined this company and it’s looking to be pretty good.

WO’GOA: What does Floyd Cardoz do when he needs a break? How do you spend your time off work?

Floyd Cardoz: Strangely enough when I’m not working, one of the things I love to do is to cook, so I cook a lot at home. I have a garden that I grow flowers for my wife and vegetables for myself, so in the summer I’m pretty much tending that, my kids think I’m crazy that I’m spending time with those kids rather than them. I followed baseball, I’m a huge New York Mets fan and no matter how badly their doing which is always very bad, I always tend to watch them. I love New York’s Giant football so I tried to watch every single game that the Giants are playing or even go to the stadium. I love to read fiction, John Grisham is my favorite author so every single book he ever writes I always read. I love fishing, so whenever I get the chance to fish that’s what I do. And above all I love scotch, and I have a collection of scotches that I enjoy every night not the whole collection but one of them every night so that’s my passion.

WO’GOA: Where’s next for Floyd Cardoz? A new book, restaurant?

Floyd Cardoz: Ahh.. Yes, I’ve decided that having just one restaurant is not the way to go. I want to make sure that White Street is successful; I’m writing a cook book which is called “A Time To Cook” which should be released in February 2016. I’m opening a restaurant in Bombay, in January/February of next year. I’m looking to do more Indian food in the United States but another restaurant somewhere down the road, that’s what I want to do. I think Indian food is not represented well and I want to represent it well.

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Explore the real Goa The combination of the sun, sand and sea coupled with relaxed environs is perhaps what makes Goa such a popular choice for a holiday destination among Indian and international tourists. While beaches are the mainstay of tourism in the state, there is so much more in store for the tourist who is thirsty for new experiences. Goa has a side of it that’s untouched by popularity and which still makes for excellent holiday options.

Backwaters: Goa has been traditionally known as a beach destination, and this often conceals the fact that it also offers some of the most incredible backwater experiences in India. In the serene Cumbarjua canal, boat cruises will transport you far away from the daily hustle while you experience tranquility and quiet on the drifting waters. This gives a splendid opportunity to immerse oneself in the soothing ambience and untouched landscape of Goan backwaters.

The canal itself is a lush mangrove habitat and gives you a rare glimpse of some of Goa’s incredible fauna as you get a chance to see marsh crocodiles.

The cruise takes you close to the migratory and resident birds along the riverine tip of the famous Dr. Salim Ali’s Bird Sanctuary at Chorao Island.

This picturesque canal is a 15 km stretch of water that links the two most famous rivers of GoaMandovi and Zuari and takes you along the islands of Chorao and Divar and Old Goa. The boat also docks at the spice garden in Savoi/Keri where you 36

Palolem Photo © WO’GOA

will be guided on intricacies of spice production and also the famed Urak/Feni production in the nearby distillery. The cruise also gets you to venture deep into the sea to watch sea dolphins as you refresh yourself from the sea spray. The cruise is a sure way to a memorable and relaxing atmosphere and is a great chance to view Goa at its most pristine.

People who want a break from their hectic lifestyle, and nature lovers will surely appreciate what will be assuredly an enchanting and unique experience.

Goa Tourism Offerings: Since Goa is known primarily for its beaches and churches, Goa Tourism has introduced its popular packages for the churches and beaches in Goa. There are also packages for visiting temples and mosques for a more rounded spiritual and cultural experience. Along with this, Goa Tourism has focused on reinventing Goa as a 365 day tourist destination. Keeping this in mind, Goa Tourism has promoted activities beyond the conventional, such as the hinterlands, heritage, eco tourism, adventure tourism and wellness tourism. Also, Goa Tourism makes sure your stay is comfortable with cozy residencies in prime tourist locations like Miramar, Margao and Farmagudi. Goa Tourism serves all kinds of tourists and constantly expands to cater to our growing tourist populace. Goa Tourism has introduced honeymoon, wedding, Goan cuisine, MICE packages (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions/events) to attract a higher end demographic. Goa Tourism also provides hotels, halls and vehicles for benefit of tourists, with its 37

more recent addition - the women taxi.

Goa can be an amazing location for everybody.

You can pump your adrenaline with river rafting or sooth your senses in the state of the art spas.

Goa Tourism has made sure there is something for everyone in Goa. If you are a nature lover, you will surely want to seek the serene eco tourism spots in Goa. Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary in Molem, Wild Life Sanctuary in Bondla, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary and Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary are some of the key hotspots for viewing domestic and exotic animals and birds. Each hotspot has its own unique offering and attractions and is known for their exceptional care of wildlife and efforts in conservation. You get a chance to study your favourite animal behind safe enclosures and experience them in unrestrained environments. If you want to get that adrenaline rush, there is always River Rafting in Mahdei River.

Goa’s latest offering in exciting the adrenaline junkies is surely the most technically demanding rafting trip south of the Himalayas. It is an excellent opportunity to learn a new sport and literally dive into a thrilling experience with the riverside jungle passing you by. You get a warm up in passive rapids before heading to class 4 rapids; however this is recommended for physically fit participants only. You can also access many more adventure activities like Wind Surfing, Scuba Diving, Water Skiing, Dinghy Sailing, Angling and Parasailing. If you are still in the mood for more, you can visit Splashdown Water Park in North Goa. Alternatively, you can try to outrace your friends as you go GoKarting in Verna. This is open to all and requires no special training. You can show off your driving skills and burn some rubber by participating in this exciting new attraction.

If you like calmer environments, you can head to our heritage locations and take a walk down the memory lane as you learn about the Goan culture and traditions. For a unique experience in traditional and ancestral wisdom and application, you can visit Goa Chitra Museum in Benaulim to 38

view a unique collection and display of original farming implements and other ancient tools of trade. Also renowned for its conservation of traditional practices and culture is Bigfoot cross museum in Loutolim. You can take a sample of this tradition home with you through Goa’s beautiful intricate handicrafts.

For a wilder experience, you can always visit the river cruises, casinos and numerous parties and events along the coastline. Goa celebrates unique festivals throughout the year and you can join in the celebrations too. A visit to Goa’s spas and ayurveda centres will make sure you remain fresh and rejuvenated for your remaining stay and beyond. Goa Tourism offers packages for all aforementioned attractions.

river rafting

In Pipeline: Goa is great for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions/events) at any time of the year, especially during the monsoons, since a corporate can get great deals during this time.

Many corporate houses host their business meetings in Goa and for this, what we have now is a medium sized convention hall. However, Goa Tourism has proposed a 5000 seater convention hall to attract the MICE clientele. Events like IFFI, Literary fest, cultural fests have further improved a range of tourism. Efforts are ongoing to promote village tourism and expose tourists to festivals in Goa like Sao Joao, Tripurari Purnima and Bonderam.

Wellness tourism and ecotourism are also being promoted to attract a wider demographic. Goa Tourism constantly strives to improve infrastructure and safety for tourists and makes consistent efforts to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

To know more about Goa, please visit: www. goatourism.gov.in or www.goa-tourism.com.

Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Chorao

Facebook: Officialgoatoursim Tweet: @TourismGoa Instagram: Goatourism 39

Portobello market - In search of lost loves Text & Photography

here is something fascinating about antique markets and none more so than the one that sets up on Portobello Road of Notting Hill, London. There’s the smell of working class strife mixed with middle-class snobbery in the air, as sellers in dungarees and tourists carrying Prada bags jostle and haggle over half-broken cameras, near-torn first edition books, and chipped blue & white Staffordshire crockery, in a desperate hunt for a bargain. There’s anarchy too, as stalls spill dissidently onto the road blocking traffic, hawkers, shrill as town criers, try to catch your attention, and risqué t-shirts hang from makeshift canvas tents with gay abandon.

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Then, there’s the heroism of cultural diversity: Kashmiris selling magic blue-green gemstones, Afghanis selling soft scarves and stout English farmers selling cabbages and creamy cheese. By mid-morning the crowds have swelled, surging gently and carrying me up the road with them, unquestioningly, from one stall to the next, as if on a silent pilgrimage. I sense a strong current of feel-good triumphalism permeating the air, of having slayed the fire-breathing evil dragons of the corporate world, escaped the toxicity of non-organic foods and the tyranny of goods mass produced in 40

Selma Carvalho

some cramped Chinese factory. And the street, I realise much to my surprise, is perhaps the only place where the art world is truly democratised. I watch in bewilderment as middle aged, matronly women, who have been in the business for years, expertly explain the finer points of an antique clock or porcelain, and men who look like they’ve been in the trenches, elucidate on the history of war posters and medals to their young, possibly college-educated, customers.

Portobello road, made famous by a broken-hearted Hugh Grant walking through its markets in the movie Notting Hill, is like most streets in London, a wave of brown, black and white forming a crest of humanity, living in as much harmony as sixty years of assimilation, most of it forced, will allow.

It’s blue, pink and green painted, remodelled Victorian houses, remind me of jam sandwiches, iced cakes and Darjeeling rose-scented afternoon tea, but behind the gentrification of Notting Hill, lies an uglier truth. Through much of the Fifties and Sixties, it was a derelict district, better known for racist Teddy Boys, running riot on its narrow streets terrorising its burgeoning West Indian community.

In the summer of 1958, a pub brawl turned into days of horrific race riots, when gangs of white

youth went ‘nigger hunting,’ ambushing black men in back alleys, and beating them to a pulp. The famous Notting Hill Carnival, held annually and led by the West Indian community, began as a way to repair race relations.

By mid-day, I am exhausted just from longing to buy previously owned things. By then, I’d had a furious row with a hawker who objected to me taking a picture of his display, and bought myself a blue and white serving dish.

‘You do know, there is a crack in this dish, don’t you?’ asks the bespectacled lady, staring at me hard, while she wraps it in fine tissue.

‘Yes,’ I say, ‘but I’ll take it anyway.’ I part with exactly £12; my bargain for the day.

She’s happy to be rid of it.

The crowds have waned somewhat. The early morning rush over with, most have retreated into cafes. I’m ready to go home. Just then, I see the most magnificent horse on the side-walk; his skin a tawny brown with splodges of a pale yellow, tufts of red spring from his head and flow downwards to form his mane, and he’s got tiny hooves of inky blue. Abandoned, the wooden rocking horse gazes at the street. Had he belonged to a cherubic, little girl? Or perhaps he dates back to the Victorian era, when rocking horses were at the height of their

popularity. In which case, at a time of strict gender roles, he would almost certainly have been a boy’s loyal companion through adventures of the makebelieve kind.

I can’t afford to buy the horse. Dejected, I walk back up the street, now a veteran of street buys, and board a train.

Once home, I unwarp my blue & white dish. It’s poorly produced, I can see that now. I clean it gently, as if it was a tiny baby, with soap and a wet sponge. Thick dust washes away but it doesn’t look any better than it had at Portobello. It has ugly stains and parts of the outer layer have chipped away. I run my fingers over the crack spreading like a brown scar over the classic willow pattern. Why had I bought this dish? Why hadn’t I walked away?

But I know why. Someone had loved it; someone not very affluent but aspiring. They had served food on it. They had laughed joyously or wept grievously whilst they ate from this dish. And then one day, they had forgotten about it. Eventually they had discarded it, sold it to a second-hand dealer. It’s history wiped out like that of a lost love. I had a mission. I would rescue it from oblivion. I would restore to it dignity. I would become part of the long history of its life. Was that the real bargain at an antique market? Finding other people’s lost loves.

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Some 500 years ago, Old Goa was new...

Text & Photography

Jasmine Chopra

t was a thriving port long before the arrival of colonisers in 1510. Nevertheless, it went on to become the emerging capital of Portuguese India giving it a legacy that has stayed with it through the generations and past a millennium.

During its peak, it is said to have dealt with traders from China, Arabia and Zanzibar in matters of textiles and spice and even gemstones. Along the Rua Direita (the right path), an avenue that showcased the wealth and prosperity of the city one could admire the rich inhabitants as they went about their daily duties or rather watched their domestic help go about them. If one were to visit today, there is a feeling of nostalgia coupled with a tinge of sadness. Things must have been so different then.

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As with all things old; they reach their prime, make their mark, grow old gracefully and are then replaced. Velha (meaning old) Goa was succeeded by Nova (new) Goa, modern day Panjim to you and I. Rumour has it that a plague of cholera and dysentery caused the demise of all but 1,500 of a 200,000 strong population sometime around the 1700s leaving this metropolis is a state of decline. The viceroy relocated some 10 km to the port township of Panjim during the outbreak and with his arrival change and changed its status to a city. In addition the river Mandovi began to silt up and all major port activity was redirected to Panjim.

Nova Goa might well have become the financial and political capital of the state but where matters of religion were concerned, Velha Goa retained its importance and charm.

Charm earned it the title of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and if it isn’t the tourists flocking to the site then it’s the pilgrims. Famous for its baroque architecture, The Basilica of Bom Jesus sets the standard among a variety of churches in the area. Each one grander than the last but none to rival the unusual yet unique Basilica that 42

houses the relics of Saint Francis Xavier. The Spanish missionary, who lost his life to ill health near mainland China and was laid to rest at the Basilica of Bom Jesus. The 461 year old body remains intact and in an undecomposed state, displayed at an elevation to the right of the main alter. What some claim to be a miracle, others consider bizarre.

Bizarre or not, the feast of St Francis Xavier is celebrated on the 3rd of December with great pomp and is a public holiday within the state as Catholics gather to appraise the Jesuit follower.

In addition the exposition (displaying the casket at eye level) occurs every 10 years with the next scheduled date being November 2014. One may expect to see crowds blockade the streets with pilgrims and tourists. However should one venture into the chaos, you’d be exposed to the sheer amount of Christian activity that exists within the state but is usually quite subtle when fused with the Hindu population.

With all eyes on the Basilica, one mustn’t forget the magnificent Se Cathedral or humble St. Catherine’s chapel that have their own appeal.

Each church is worth taking your time with as they all stand united in creating this image of ‘Siabachem Goem’ (Goa’s God) yet are also individually strong in character. Se Cathedral for instance is the largest church in Asia and took almost 80 years to be completed. St. Catherine’s chapel of similar importance, just smaller in size, is thought to be the first ‘house of Christian faith’ to have been constructed after the arrival of the Portuguese.

As a resident of Goa, I make an annual trip to this inspiring place but usually when the hype and festivities have passed. I go there to escape modern Goa. Wandering the streets of this old city I experience that same feeling one gets when they lose themselves in a book. Sometimes it’s important to lose yourself in another world for some time in order to tackle the one you’re born into. Besides… Old Goa was considered the Rome of the East, and since I can’t afford the Rome of The West at the moment, I settle for what I have.

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Quem viu Goa escusa de ver Lisboa Text Teotonio R. de Souza

“Foreign fighters” have entered the current vocabulary in our times of global terrorism, but when the Portuguese started the modern globalization in the 15th century, Goa had begun to attract “foreign fighters”. King Manuel of Portugal was like President Bush of our times. He saw the ghost of Moors everywhere, and he had vowed to stamp them out, some parallel with the American campaign against terrorism in our days.

The Genoese and Florentines were forced to look for fresh markets in the Western Mediterranean, and from the 14th century they became a godsend for the Portuguese authorities who could launch their national project of Discoveries with immigrant expertise and skills. The anti-Semitic policy and expulsion of the Jews from Portugal made its dependence upon the banking and other skills of the Italians particularly acute.

Marco Polo is a well-known Italian myth, centuries before Vasco da Gama linked Portugal with South India. Also a Florentine travel fan, Ludovico Varthema (turned into Muslim as Yunus during his visit to the Middle East and his pilgrimage to Mecca in May 1503) had reached Malaysia and returned to Italy in 1508, passing through Goa in November 1505. He was discredited as untrustworthy by The missionaries hailed from different nationalities: Goa-based physician Garcia da Orta, author of Francis Xavier was a Spanish Basque. He was the first botanical treatise published in Goa in accompanied in journey to India by an Italian Micer 1563, on the basis of reading a bad translation of Paulo, and a Portuguese Francisco Mansilhas, both Varthema’s published travel account. His credibility candidates for the Society of Jesus making its debut was greatly restored by a critical edition with notes in Asia. Over time, Jesuits from several European of Sir Richard Temple (1863). nationalities joined the Indian mission. Primarily Italians and Germans, whose homeland did not Marchioni and Sernigi were two Florentine pose any imperial threat to Portugal, there were firms based in Lisbon and invested early in the also small numbers of Austrians, Poles, Belgians, Portuguese fleets sent to India. John of Empoli Swiss, Flemings, Englishmen and Irish, and even was their representative who went out to India a second time in 1510 to establish contacts with spice an occasional Croat. markets in Melaka. For his bad luck, he arrived at It should be remembered that the Portuguese feat the time when Afonso de Albuquerque had decided of Discoveries would hardly be possible had it not to reconquer Goa which he had lost after a first been for the input of knowledge and skills of ship- capture. He took control of all available ships for building, cartography, navigation and banking his war plans, including the ships that belonged to brought to Portugal by Genoese and Florentines private traders along with their crews despite king’s who were driven out from their profitable trade with patent exempting them from governor’s authority. the East by the rival Venetians who had ganged up Empoli took part in the attack and conquest of Goa, with the Turks since the disastrous end of the last and he was knighted by Afonso de Albuquerque for his commendable performance.

Crusade in the mid 13th century.

Not all the “foreign fighters” handled guns and gunboats, but were partners in trade and spiritual activities that sustained objectives that were similar to those of foreign agents today. The Portuguese Church Padroado was part of the Portuguese strategy of expansion and was paid from the revenues derived from trade.

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Goa was not any ordinary colonial city, but was chosen as headquarters of the Portuguese eastern empire since 1530. This choice was dictated by its strategic location and its natural resources so as to be able to face the Turkish threats and of their Indian Muslim allies. Afonso de Albuquerque described the reasons to his king in a lengthy letter justifying his conquest.

Ela (present Old Goa) was developed by the Muslims under the Bahamanis on the banks of Mandovi to replace the Hindu town of Gopakapattana, which had grown as the capital of the Kadambas and earlier rulers on the banks of Zuari. Besides the religious undertones, the silting of Zuari had apparently reduced its strategic and commercial importance, making the transference unavoidable.

A near-contemporary of Afonso de Albuquerque, Duarte Barbosa, who left a detailed account of Western India, described the city as “very great, with good houses, well girt around with strong walls, towers and bastions”. And adds: “the land, by reason that the harbour was exceedingly good, had great trade, and many ships of the Moors came thither from Mecca, Aden, Hormuz, Cambay and Malabar.” Besides, Goa had a fertile agricultural hinterland that could supply food and other provisions to the capital city.

During the first century of the conquest the sea trade fulfilled relatively well the objectives of the empire.

One could feel in Goa the pulse of the Portuguese empire in Asia and its wealth. The grandeur of the city was translated in a popular expression: Who has seen Goa need not see Lisbon (Quem viu Goa escusa de ver Lisboa). Goa city housed the imperial administration with its multiple administrative institutions, and also dozens of majestic residences and churches of the various Religious Orders engaged in the missionary activities in Asia.

From the beginning of the 17th century, the arrival of the other North Europeans in Indian waters reduced the Portuguese dependence upon the sea45

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trade. That is when the white Portuguese settlers began eying the countryside, where the white Religious had installed their parishes. It was this intra-white, religious and lay rivalry that permitted the native elites of ganvkars to survive and even flourish.

The population of Goa city had soared to over two hundred thousand by the late sixteenth century with an urban development that could no longer be sustained to prevent its rapid collapse as a result of unhygienic conditions fostered by tropical climate, porous laterite soil, and ugly human habits.

All three factors combined produced frequent bouts of cholera and malaria, making the city growingly unsafe for a global mart. By 1759 it was abandoned to priests and nuns. In that same year the most powerful Jesuits felt Pombal’s blow of suppression.

That was extended in 1834 to all other religious orders by the liberal politics in Portugal through its minister entitled “Friar-killer” (Mata Frades).

According to a census of the city of Goa at the opening of the seventeenth century its resident Hindu population numbered nearly one-third. By middle of the same century it dwindled to about a tenth of the city population. That was largely caused by the attempts of the municipal authorities to impose a tax upon the Hindus, concentrated in the wards of Santa Luzia and Daugi, something equivalent to Auranzib’s Jizya tax in the neighbouring Mughal Empire.

Goa had become a nest of foreigners attracted by the commercial opportunities. Most are familiar with the notorious Portuguese Inquisition in Goa. Its notoriety was publicized worldwide by the Frenchman François Dellon, who tasted the bitterness of its prison cells, and disclosed the secrets of the Inquisition through a publication in Europe, by violating the vow of secrecy that the Holy Tribunal imposed upon its victims during their life-time if released.

While the Inquisition of Goa is usually associated with religious fanaticism, it is rarely seen as an instrument of urban control. It assisted the Portuguese authorities in gathering information about foreigners. In a study about the Jews in Portuguese India in the XVI century, J.A. Rodrigues da Silva Tavim, tells us about the Jewish ability to handle various languages, which made them privileged international informants, double-agents and traders. S.D. Goitein has also revealed to us their trade activities in India using the documents of the Cairo gueniza. Some of these Jews proved to be strategic informants of Vasco da Gama, and as commercial, diplomatic and military advisors played a crucial role in the Portuguese empire building.

It was this role that permitted the converted Jews known as Cristãos Novos to subvert the Portuguese legislation in the benefit of their business interests and to favor their powerful clients in India. St Francis Xavier foresaw the negative impact of their influence upon his missionary project, and pressed King John III of Portugal to establish the Inquisition in Goa. He had not foreseen how that institution would grow and damage the fabric of the empire.

Incidentally, a prominent Jesuit procurator of missions and also diplomat in Portuguese India, Fr. Gonçalo Martins, got round Balthazar de Veiga, a rich converted Jew and dealer in precious stones in Goa, to cover the costs of a chapel to house the body of St. Francis Xavier and to pay for a richly endowed sacristy of the Church of Bom Jesus. Part of the deal involved helping to get his friend and benefactor Balthazar de Veiga out of the clutches of the Inquisition.

A monument to St. Francis Xavier in front of the Basilica was erected by PGM (Pater Gonçalo Martins) in 1666, probably to thank the saint for his patronage in very difficult diplomatic missions entrusted to him by the State during those years.

This monument continues to attract devotees bringing flowers to honor the saint.

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Corporate Office: A-1, Dukle Heaven, Panjim, Goa. Contact: +91 8326487888 /+91 860565887 /+91 7875120669 info@designerhomesindia.com

Factory: Plot No. S-133, Phase 1/1-B, Verna, Goa. Contact: +91 8378987330 /+ 91 8605658886 /+91 9850973149 www.designerhomesindia.com

METROPOLITAN R E P O R T

a connoisseur’s guide to the good life

www.metropolitanreport.com

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Goa gets its very own women taxis braced with self-defense trained angels on wheels!

Goa Tourism has launched the Women Taxi service thus making Goa one of the few states in the India to have taxis driven by women, for women passengers.

Goa Tourism decided to take this step forward to cater to women tourists and residents of the state. In the past, the issue of taxi services had often threatened to stall the progress of tourism in Goa and the government initiated this move to slowly eliminate it.

These taxis will be driven by lady drivers are trained in self defense, soft skills, first-aid and have knowledge of tourist spots, thus doubling up as tourist guides to their passengers when needed. The drivers are groomed in basic etiquette, personal hygiene and customer relations to ensure a positive experience.

The cars are equipped with a GPS monitoring system, which supports a panic alert button backed by a back office. Detailed studies have also been conducted on route assessment and journey planning for popular routes.

The taxi fares are government approved, which are at a nominal rate and initially 10 brand new airconditioned taxis will ply to and from the airport, hotels, railway stations and bus terminals which will be stationed at GTDC residencies. Based on the demand GTDC will increase the number of taxis. To avail of this service, contact the call centre on (0832) – 2437 437.

Features: Display of driver identity on the dashboard Each taxi is fitted with an electronic fare meter and passengers will have a digital print out receipt.

Passengers have a payment option of either cash or card.

Each taxi is fitted with a portable fire extinguishers & first aid kit.

Each taxi is monitored via a GPS monitoring system from the central control room.

Each taxi is fitted with an emergency panic button.

Useful emergency contact numbers dosplayed in the taxi.

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Southern River Adventures Goa is normally known for its beaches, colorful markets, laid back village life and picturesque landscapes, however Goa also can now boast of two different rafting trips, making rafting available almost all year round.

White Water Rafting in Goa gives a whole new perspective to the phrase Watersports Goa. Southern River Adventures, founded by John Pollard who introduced six new stretches of rafting since 1999 and widely acknowledged as the pioneer who has specialized in discovering and developing white water rafting in the Southern Peninsular States of India.

John along with his wife Sylvia Kerkar introduced the first commercial white water rafting in Dandeli, South India in 1999, then moved on to set up the first rafting in Maharashtra on the Kundalika River near Kholad in 2003 and then set up operations in Coorg on the Barapole River. A monsoon fed river running on the water flowing out of Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary. Today all of these locations are very popular but John and Southern River Adventures are focusing on exploring new stretches and running previously un-run rivers in and around Goa. John adds ‘we are very much in a different league to any other rafting company in South India.

We are purely interested in setting up and running new rafting operations on “virgin” rivers, this is what makes me tick. Having a river to ourselves, it is like the good old days every day. Of course this may not make us the wealthiest rafting company but it does make us the Pioneers.”

Southern River Adventures is in tie up with Goa 50

Tourism and operations commence from July to September on the Mhadei River near Valpoi. This is known as “Goa Rafting”. The Mandovi is called Mhadei in its upper reaches. The river runs during the South west monsoon and drains the vast area of forest on the Karnataka and Goa border known as the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.

Having just opened a new river, which even though it falls just inside Maharashtra, it’s an interstate water project between Goa and Maharashtra on the Tilari River. The waters from Tilari dam project are released into the river bed for at least 3 to 4 months post monsoon. This has enabled Southern River Adventures to operate under the same “Goa Rafting” banner for an extended period of time.

Tourists coming into Goa can now enjoy rafting for 6 months of the year. ‘Not at all a bad season’ says John. Though the Tilari river runs until January or even longer, however it is a not for everyone, unlike the easier Mhadei. The water released from the dam is not a great amount but enough when run with smaller sportier rafts with not more than 5 people per boat. The steep technical Rocky River bed is challenging. John continues to add that ‘this is probably the hardest section of river being rafted in Southern India. One rapid in particular is technically difficult and therefore we cannot take everybody on this river. They do need to be a little comfortable in water to have a go at this one, or have rafted before. Though we do not insist on swimming ability we do test that they can comfortably float in the water with a life jacket and not panic’ If they are anxious and panic then they will have to walk around the biggest rapid on the river, a boulder strewn, steep, technical rapid known as “Earth Wind and Fire”.

If you got what it takes and looking for adventure on the water then Southern River Adventures is the people to contact - www.goarafting.com.

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Benjamin Xavier

Chef de Cuisine - ubk Mรถvenpick Hotel Jumeirah Lakes Towers Dubai 54

WO’CURIOUS Q&A

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ith international experience, a keen eye for presentation and creative flair; Benjamin Xavier, Chef de Cuisine, adds a twist

to urban bar & kitchen’s offering at the Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Lakes Towers.

Benjamin takes time off to speak with WO’GOA WO’GOA: What inspired you to pursue cooking professionally?

Fruit, Pomegranate, all of these ingredients from Barbados, my homeland where I try to incorporate while preparing desserts. My favorite ubk Ben Xavier: My mother and my “love of food” ingredient is the “Scottish Isle Shetland Mussels”. were my inspiration. It all started at an early age, The mussels are imported directly from Scotland, I remember being six years old helping mom cook bursting with flavor and freshness. Cooking styles Caribbean style patties and flying fish from my may vary according to the preferences of the guests native Barbados. and gives me the freedom to offer various flavor WO’GOA: You’ve been the Chef de Cuisine at ubk combinations which makes it a very popular item since 2013, what originally drew you to Mövenpick on the menu.

Hotel Jumeirah Lakes Towers and ubk?

WO’GOA: What is the most difficult ingredient Ben Xavier: The opportunity to join the renowned you’ve ever had to work with?

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Swiss chain and being part of the preopening team of Mövenpick Hotel Ben Xavier: Lamb’s Tongue; preparation, cooking Jumeirah Lakes Towers and urban bar & kitchen times and consistent results are very hard to achieve - ubk was an exciting challenge that would be too with such a delicacy. good to pass by, our aim was to create a simple, WO’GOA: What’s your personal favorite meal at honest concept where people could eat, drink and ubk? chill. ubk has been a successful and popular place in New Dubai since its launch in November 2013 Ben Xavier: The Chicken Tagliatelle, freshly made as well as a Local for the JLT community. pasta (not dried), free range chicken, slow-dried tomatoes and a personal favorite of Sherry Liquor WO’GOA: Share with us an interesting story from (Harvey’s Bristol Cream), when combined with behind the scenes? food it’s one of the best. This can substituted with Ben Xavier: I am passionate about food and I love any sweet flavor to combine with the cream. to share this enthusiasm. Working as the Chef de WO’GOA: What can guest look forward to in the Cuisine in urban bar & kitchen – ubk has given upcoming months? me the opportunity to take part in cookery shows and magazines which showcased my skills and Ben Xavier: Ubk turns one this November. On provided insider tips to the readers and viewers. the 28th of November guests can party on with This keeps my career exciting. great offers, live entertainment in a fun ambiance.

WO’GOA: Ingredient obsessions - What are your favorite ingredients you like working with?

Ben Xavier: Exotic Fruits, Mango, Lychee, Passion

Furthermore, we are creating a new menu which will be a styled with ubk’s favorite dishes along with new additions such as Jerked chicken, balancing the urban style food and snack style offering. We 55

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will keep the rest of the menu for guests to drop by and explore.

WO’GOA: The perfect day off would be...

develop and add on the menu. Key points I consider consist of: Preparation time, Technical attribute, Quality Consistencies & Plating Styles.

Ben Xavier: I am an adventurous person, I love racing, the perfect day would be on a formula one race track, and this gives me a sense of freedom and an adrenaline rush far from the normal routine of everyday life. Being in the UAE, I look forward to November to watch the F1.

WO’GOA:Creativity or Technique, what is more important to you and why?

WO’GOA: Tell us what your typical day looks like from when you wake up to when you go to bed.

WO’GOA: How do you bring about a balance of sweet, salty, crunchy and tangy on a plate?

Ben Xavier: My day starts at 9 am with a daily team morning briefing; this outlays the course of the day. On weekends, it starts early with our ubk weekend breakfast offerings and during the week, lunch opens at 12 noon and this keeps me busy till late afternoon. As the operation gets calmer, I have lunch around 3pm, then proceed with the orders and paper work in the office until the bar becomes busy with diners. Around 11pm I head out to unwind and wrap up my day.

Ben Xavier: First, I look at my base ingredient considering Beef Tenderloin, one can create a cold starter using the following ingredients; to spice it up, add a mustard crust giving it a tangy and spicy taste, then use natural fruits which goes well with raw and lightly cooked meats by adding Pomegranate for the crunch. To finish, add horseradish mayonnaise, providing a salt and pepper offering, drizzle of excellent quality virgin olive oil and slices of sour dough to complete the dish.

WO’GOA:If you had to describe ubk with three adjectives, what would they be?

WO’GOA: What are your favorite places to dine out in Dubai?

Ben Xavier: Eat, Drink, Chill

Ben Xavier: I love chilling honest concepts, I usually frequent, Fume in Pier 7, Tom & Serge, both have simple, hearty, flavored yet affordable offering.

WO’GOA: In your opinion, what is the best recipe you ever created and what inspired this?

Ben Xavier: The best recipe was a dish from a seven course tasting menu during my stay in Morocco. Quail Ravioli - The dish is a sandwich of quail breast, chicken mousse with Foie Gras and chocolate shavings, wrapped in Spinach Leaves and encased in a Homemade Ravioli served on a watercress pudding and finished with bordelaise sauce. The inspiration came from foraging in the woods and mountains of morocco.

WO’GOA: Is there a process you go through to create a new menu?

Ben Xavier: Creativity by far, Techniques can be acquired, while creativity is something from within and that is what differentiates the chef and gives him an identity. Creativity is either present or not.

WO’GOA: What advice would you give to an aspiring chef?

Ben Xavier: Repetition is the father of all learning.

Make mistakes and get better, and learn from as many as you can as quick as you can. Being from London, it is evident that the number of young Michelin Star winners is growing at a faster rate than ever before.

WO’GOA: What’s next for Ben?

Ben Xavier: For Chef Ben now, I think I would like to venture into new concepts and openings at a Ben Xavier: In the fast paced world of today, I try more senior level in the coming years, increasing to be in a calm place away from distractions. With my business acumen and also developing up & music on, I brainstorm in sections, looking for the coming talents too. most exciting and flavoursome combinations to

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hane Ó Néill’s magical skills in the kitchen has taken him to various places across the globe, working with some of the most revered names in the culinary world!

A Q&A with WO’GOA something is always brewing...

WO’GOA: It’s interesting to learn how Chef’s found their passion for cooking and where they grew up. Tell me more about your formative years and how did you find your way into the culinary field to became one of the most sought-after Chefs!

Shane Ó Néill: My entry into the kitchen and then the hospitality industry was a fateful accident. I started working around the age of 15 to have a few extra pounds to spend on myself. From service I eventually moved into the kitchen a few nights in the week, and then went on to apprentice at Italian restaurants because that’s where my interest in food stemmed from.

WO’GOA: You’ve staged and worked in a number of different areas and across four continents. What has had the most influence on your cooking?

Shane Ó Néill: For me my biggest culinary influence will always be my family. My mother’s family was of Italian descent and hence I was always surrounded by hearty Italian cooking. Hence it has not only influenced my preferences by my culinary journey on the whole.

WO’GOA: What is your philosophy on food and dining?

Shane Ó Néill: On food – good quality, fresh ingredients. For dining – good company, casual food and a vibrant atmosphere.

WO’GOA: How has your own culinary vision shaped and molded the diner’s experience in Goa? Shane Ó Néill: I would like to believe that we have increased the food quality, broadened the spectrum in terms of kinds of cuisine. We also strongly believe in the farm to table approach.

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WO’GOA: If you had one thing you could do over again, what would it be?

Shane Ó Néill: In terms of my career, if I could have a do over, I would not have moved to Duabi in 2009. It was a very rough time for the industry and we had to make a lot of tough choices.

WO’GOA: What’s one of the most memorable things you’ve seen behind the scenes?

Shane Ó Néill: The best experience for me has been to watch people who apprenticed with me grow to handle their own kitchens and grow to be executive chefs. That is by far the most rewarding experience.

your favorite meal in Goa? Shane Ó Néill: Good food to me is comfort food.

The best meal in Goa that I have eaten outside the hotel would have to be the staff BBQ on the beach.

WO’GOA: How do you bring about a balance of sweet, salty, crunchy and tangy on a plate?

Shane Ó Néill: Firstly, crunchy is a texture and not a flavour. I would say trial and error and getting different opinions as what may appeal to you may not necessarily appeal to everyone.

WO’GOA: What is more important to you Creativity or Technique and why?

WO’GOA: What’s something you’d like guests to Shane Ó Néill: Technique can be taught to anyone, however creativity is inherent and will display an know about the cuisine at Grand Hyatt Goa? individual’s talent and hence is more important.

Shane Ó Néill: Following a farm to table philosophy and most of the produce that is used in our dining WO’GOA: What new ingredient or ingredients are outlets is organic and pesticide free. Not many inspiring you right now and how do you select your hotels in India are able to achieve this as there is ingredients? high cost involved, but we are happy to say that we Shane Ó Néill: Australian lemon balm is a herb are trying to provide this benefit. that has just made its way to India, we will be WO’GOA: How would you best describe your including it in a new menu at Pool Bar and Grill. menu?

WO’GOA: When you’re not in the kitchen where Shane Ó Néill: Seasonal! Seeing as in Goa, and are you enjoying your days off?

India as well we have a lot of vegetables and Shane Ó Néill: Spending time with my wife and livestock that are available only during some part son, enjoying a chilled beer and barbeque on my of the year depending on the season, hence all terrace. menus would need to reflect that.

WO’GOA: What’s next for Shane Ó Néill?

WO’GOA: Goa is known to be a paradise for food lovers and there is a wide range of cuisines, would Shane Ó Néill: We continue to hammer on and get one have the opportunity to taste an Irish menu at ready for the season, and then looking out to make the Grand Hyatt Goa (such as an excellent Dublin this Christmas and New Year even bigger than the Coddle or an Irish Colcannon or an Irish Lamb or year before.

Beef Stew or a Classic Corned Beef and Cabbage or a traditional Steak and Guinness Pie).

Shane Ó Néill’s brilliance doesn’t just begin and end in the kitchen but it extendeds to every aspect Shane Ó Néill: Come by on St. Patricks Day and of the dining experience. His exceptional leadership you’ll find some good Irish food for sure. qualities paired with expertise in training and WO’GOA: What does good food mean to you and development ensures that his only aim is, to please.

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t the age of 15, French-born Chef Eric Ripert left home to attend culinary school in Perpignan. At 17, he moved to Paris to cook at the legendary La Tour D’Argent before taking a position at Jamin which held Michelin’s highest three-star rating.

After fulfilling his military service, Ripert returned to Jamin under Joel Robuchon to serve as chef poissonier.

Fast forward to 1989 and Chef Ripert seized the opportunity to work as sous-chef at Jean Louis at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. Ripert then moved on to New York in 1991, working briefly as David Bouley’s sous-chef before Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze recruited him as chef for Le Bernardin. Ripert has since firmly established himself as one of New York’s and for that matter, the world’s, great chefs.

Le Bernardin continues to receive universal critical acclaim for its food and service, and currently ranks 19 on the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The Michelin Guide, which made its New York debut in 2005, honored Chef Ripert and Le Bernardin with its highest rating of three stars in 2005 and each year thereafter.

WO’GOA: It’s interesting to discover how chefs discover their passion for cooking and where they grew up. Tell us more about your formative years and how you found your way into the culinary field to become one of the most sought-after chefs?

stay current, to embrace change and not memorialize our past successes. Our menu is constantly evolving; our décor and service-style have also changed over the years. This keeps the diners and staff excited about what we are doing here.

Eric Ripert: The food of my mother and grandmother was very inspirational. As a kid, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen and they exposed me to a variety of exceptional food. I pursued cooking professionally because I wanted to be around good food for the rest of my life.

WO’GOA: What are your greatest influences in the kitchen?

WO’GOA: You studied under Joel Robuchon, how did that experience help to form who you are as a chef today?

Eric Ripert: Joel Robuchon was a hugely influential teacher to me. He taught me the discipline and humility needed to be a chef, the classic cuisine the basics.

Eric Ripert: My mentors personally are Joel Robuchon, Jean-Louis Palladin, and Gilbert Le Coze of course.

There are a lot of great chefs from all over the world that influence the dishes at Le Bernardin. We have a library filled with cook books that my chefs and I are always looking to for inspiration.

WO’GOA: If you weren’t a chef what do you think you’d be doing?

Eric Ripert: I would probably be a forest ranger or something that keeps me outside. Growing up in the mountains in the Pyrenees, I love hiking and being in contact with nature. I think that it would be a cool life.

WO’GOA: You have had a stellar career and with three Michelin Stars your restaurant Le Bernardin has remained at the top of the New York Restaurant WO’GOA: In your opinion, what is the best recipe scene for many years now. What do you credit for you have ever created? What inspired this recipe? this extraordinary feat?

Eric Ripert: I don’t know what my ‘best’ recipe is but Eric Ripert: I think for Le Bernardin, we always try to the Pounded Tuna is one of my favorite. It is thinly 62

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pounded yellowfin tuna, foie gras and toasted baguette with chives and extra virgin olive oil. It works because all the elements pay tribute to the tuna.

WO’GOA: Is there a process you go through to create a new dish?

Eric Ripert: I try and meet with the team of chefs every day, away from the kitchen whenever possible, so we can really focus on the discussing and tasting the new menu items. Anyone in the kitchen can present an idea and then my chefs and I work on it until it’s perfect. My belief is that the collaboration elevates the finished product.

WO’GOA: What is the next trend you see emerging in U.S. cuisine?

Eric Ripert: I think the trend towards smaller scale restaurants will continue to grow. We’ve already seen it done exceptionally with places like Brooklyn Fare and Take Root.

WO’GOA: Do you have any special cooking techniques or equipment you particular enjoy using?

Eric Ripert: You cannot make good food without good knives. I like German and Japanese makers particularly.

WO’GOA: Creativity or Technique, what is more important to you and why?

Eric Ripert: They are both equally important. It is the harmony of the two that make a great dish.

WO’GOA: What is your guilty pleasure food?

Eric Ripert: I don’t believe in ‘guilty pleasures,’ whatever I do I try to enjoy! I eat chocolate every day, but I don’t feel guilty about it.

WO’GOA: You and Le Bernardin have received about every honor imaginable. What is it that keeps you motivated at this point in your career?

Eric Ripert: I didn’t get into the restaurant industry to receive accolades; I did it because I enjoy cooking,

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it is my passion. I feel lucky that I still get to do that every day and people still enjoy coming to Le Bernardin. That motivates me.

WO’GOA: What advice could you give to chefs who are first entering the field today?

Eric Ripert: Be passionate about what you do and never stop learning.

WO’GOA: In your book ‘Avec Eric,’ you bring together ingredients to create an amazing experience. What was the inspiration behind this?

Eric Ripert: The journey behind ‘Avec Eric’ was really about connecting with the ingredients, the recipes, and the culture behind them in a meaningful way. My hope was to share my experiences and encourage the readers to incorporate their own adventures into their cooking as well.

WO’GOA: What new ingredient or ingredients are inspiring you right now and how do you select your ingredients?

Eric Ripert: I select my ingredients depending on the season and on the quality – I get the best quality products I can. Lately, I am very inspired by the Matsutake Mushroom, Sea Urchins, and White Truffles that are now in season.

WO’GOA: You place food at the center of humanity, as it nourishes not only our physical bodies but also our emotional and spiritual lives. How do you bring about this balance on a plate?

Eric Ripert: I believe your emotions and state of mind can be transmitted through the food—if your cooking comes from a negative place it alters the meal in a way, just as cooking with love and compassion, as my grandmother always did, alters a meal for the better. Of course, we teach our cooks technique and discipline, but it is just as important that we teach them how to create a peaceful mindset in the kitchen that allows them, despite the pressures of a busy kitchen, to always cook with love.

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creative powerhouse who has developed a number of well known F&B projects across Asia with his innovative style of cooking called ‘New Chinese Cuisine.’

Uffaa by Jereme Leung is an innovative Chinese culinary concept that showcases authentic experiences which highlights the iconic flavors from the distinctive cultures and provinces across China at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island.

Jereme Leung was the founding chef and creator of the Whampoa Club, which gave birth to two stunning restaurants, one situated in the prestigious Three on the Bund complex in Shanghai and the other located in a classic courtyard home on Financial Street in Beijing.

Leung’s own contemporary interpretation of Chinese cuisine, with a modern approach to presentation, has caught the attention of numerous international restaurant critics.

Jereme Leung introduces revolutionary ways to approach Chinese cuisine, presents a whole new interpretation

while preserving its core traditions

WO’GOA: Tell me more about your formative years and how did you find your way into the culinary field to became one of the most renowned Chefs in the world!

Jereme Leung: I started working in the kitchen in 1983 as a commis cook. In those days in Asia, a commis cook in a freestanding kitchen generally means one is required to do all the cleaning and preparation work including stewarding and dish washing since no such luxury existed. Hence, my formation years is very much spend washing dishes, cleaning toilets and kitchen floors, alongside with preparing large amounts of various seafood and meat, poultry on a daily basis. Over time, I have had the good fortune to be working in a number of countries including Hawaii, Brunei, Surabaya, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, and China over a time span of close to 30 years.

WO’GOA: Your culinary genius of taking traditional dishes and giving them a fresh new prospective to it, incorporating ingredients from around the world ‘New Chinese Cuisine’, you have taken Chinese cuisine to a whole new level with your unique style, what inspired this?

Jereme Leung: I dare not say that it is ‘culinary genius’ personally, however, culinary innovation and creativity based of traditional Chinese cuisines is indeed what I am being known for. What inspires it? I guess it is a combination of experience combined with the desire to present something different to our guests. I became a Chinese Executive Chef for Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Surabaya back in 1995 when I was 24 years old. Back then, most Chinese restaurants in Asia have got a menu that almost looks like it is a blueprint out of the same factory. I wanted to do something different, something that would inspire and to a certain extent ‘Wow’ my guests when they dine in my Chinese 69

restaurant. It is with a desire like this that creations like goose liver ‘Xiao Long Bao’, Siew Mai dumplings with fish roe, durian pancakes and many other culinary creations were being developed over the years.

WO’GOA: With your modern take on Chinese cuisine, you have set a benchmark and present a whole new interpretation to Shanghainese cuisine, could you tell us what Shanghainese cuisine is?

Jereme Leung: Shanghaiese cuisine is one of the most complex cuisines in China. To begin with, it is originally part of ‘Zhejiang Cuisines’ as one of the eight major traditional cuisines of China. However, having the unique colorful history of being the ‘Paris of the Orient’ in the 1900-1945 era, it is also a city where the best of all China’s cuisine is being showcased together with some of the most of the influential people and events in China’s modern history. The key characteristics of Shanghai’s cuisines is described by the Chinese as being ‘Hai Na Bai Chuan- 海纳百川’, meaning ‘The sea refuses no rivers’. It has retained the key elements of Zhejiang cuisines where many signature dishes are prepared with soya sauce, oil and liberal amounts of sugar, while also has the diversity of some of the best ingredients in China.

WO’GOA: In your opinion, what is the best recipe you have ever created? What inspired this recipe and why?

Jereme Leung: It would be fair to mention that many of our popular signature recipes are widely copied and served throughout Asia over the years, however, I personally have yet to come to the conclusion of a single ‘best recipe’. Personally, I believed that this time would only come when I finally decide to retire and leave the industry for good. Only then one can turn around and Pork and Cabbage Consomme 70

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do an honest assessment of one’s career and milestone.

WO’GOA: Is there a process you go through to create a new dish?

Jereme Leung: Usually it starts off with an idea, in which I would first put on paper in simple words and sketches. It is through this thought process that I mentally ‘savor’ the dish first, from its ingredients selection, preparation logistics, serving details, final presentation etc. If all sounded right, then dish samples usually come up to be 90% and above materializing my mental visions.

WO’GOA: Culinary creations are based on simplicity by using simple techniques to bring out flavors in the best ingredients, how do you bring this balance on the plate?

Jereme Leung: I have always believed that great cuisines is not rocket science. A good chef is only a medium where an individual brings out the best of good quality food ingredients through reasonable techniques.

A good example to express this is our new dish ‘Four flavors Mantou Bread’ created for Ufaa by Jereme Leung at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island. When most of the other people in the market are creating exotic flavors of Mantou that consist of multiple food colors and strange flavors, we focus on the actual flavors instead and have created our mantou with Red braised pork & sun dried mustard plant, fermented beancurd, mint and the original mantou.

Served with goose fat, crispy shallots and aged balsamic vinegar, it presents an interesting Chinese variation from the regular bread basket that is served in a typical western restaurant.

WO’GOA: What are influences in the kitchen?

your

greatest

Jereme Leung: I believed that many chefs

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that had at one point of their career worked under me /worked for me would described me as a individual that is good at nurturing cooks to develop not only their technique and skills, but also their thought and knowledge related to the hospitality field.

WO’GOA: Ingredient obsessions: What new ingredient or ingredients are inspiring you right now, how do you select your ingredients and your favorite ingredients you like to work with?

Jereme Leung: Ice plant that originated from South Africa, Peach tree wax, Highland grains from Yunnan, sun-dried carrots from remote part of Sichuan are among the new ingredients that we are playing with currently.

WO’GOA: In your books, you explore the rich culinary heritage of Chinese cuisine, you reinterpret and re-create these classic dishes with bridging the old and the new, you bring together an amazing experience, what was the inspiration behind this while writing your book?

Jereme Leung: Most of our creations are based upon the heritage culinary of China that has over 5000 years of history. Balancing the Yin and Yang, the sun and moon, the heat and cooling elements, the old and new, it is my way of expressing our own form of culinary art which I believed is where Chinese cuisines would be heading in the future.

WO’GOA: Do you have any special cooking techniques or equipment you particular enjoy using?

Jereme Leung: Chinese cooking methods is among the most complex in the old culinary world.

In modern times, new cuisine techniques like molecular cuisines have brought new dimensions to how food can be presented, although I have always believed in moderation. Not everything is suitable for Asian cuisines. I personally still believed in the classic cooking techniques and time honored traditional skills although I am not against modern tools and machinery that makes kitchen life a lot 72

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easier.

WO’GOA: A question which is most important, Creativity or Technique, what is more important to you and why?

Jereme Leung: Technique is the foundation of every creation. All creation is baseless if a chef does not have sound foundation of skills and techniques.

Both are important, in that correct order.

WO’GOA: Your new creation Ufaa – Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, ‘Style & Presentation together with classical regional cuisines from China’, would you say that this is a perfect marriage between contemporary and traditional cuisines and why?

Jereme Leung: Only to a certain extent; I personally believe that Uffa does not necessarily need to be serving the most avant-garde Chinese cuisines in that particular setting. What many of our guests would be looking for would be good tasting, honest, authentic Chinese cuisines when they are thousands of miles away from home. Simplicity is sometimes the best.

WO’GOA: What was the feeling when you were conferred the Five Star Diamond Award - World’s Best Chef, years later the world’s renowned culinary academy At-Sunrice awarded you the Global Chef Award and again the Five Star Diamond Award - World’s Best Chef, which of these achievements stands out the most for you and why?

Jereme Leung: Honestly, to be recognized by professional organizations, colleagues and associates in the industry is always great. However, it has never been something that I have aspired to work towards; rather, it is something that happens with the natural course when one does their key profession ‘cooking’ well.

WO’GOA: What advice could you give to chefs who are first entering the field today?

Jereme Leung: Passion, Patience, Persistence.

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THE WORLD’S BEST RESTAURANTS - DENMARK

In 2012, Time Magazine named Noma’s Executive Chef, René Redzepi, as one of the World’s 100 Most Influential People. This honor was not bestowed for simply putting Denmark on the world’s gastronomic map, but was also to acknowledge his passion for promoting food innovation. This is a visionary who is effectively influencing a whole new generation of chefs, worldwide.

Redzepi’s Copenhagen restaurant is known to work with an extremely well-defined network of suppliers including farmers, foragers and other purveyors to gain access to only the finest ingredients in order to develop a cuisine that expresses its region’s culture and defined seasons in a beautiful and delicious way.

The name Noma is a portmanteau of the two Danish words “nordisk” (Nordic) and “mad” (food). First opened in 2003, the restaurant is world-renowned for its reinvention and remarkable interpretation of Nordic Cuisine.

Noma is housed in an eighteenth-century warehouse along the city’s harbor and is situated by the Greenlandic Trading Square, which for 200 years was a center for trade to and from the Faroe Islands, Finnmark, Iceland and Greenland. The intimate space seats a mere 45 guests and serves a tasting menu consisting of 20 courses designed to give one a unique experience capturing a sense of time and place.

Redzepi, has also an established himself as an author penning Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine, as well as the more recent,

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NOMA

“Re-inventing Nordic cuisine, wild nature has a strong presence in all the dishes and it reminds you that food is not just food, it is a combination of perfect ingredients, sense of location and brilliant execution...�

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A Work in Progress. His passion for the culinary world does not stop there. He also founded the Nordic Food Lab, an independent research organization and in 2011, the MAD Symposium, an annual gathering of chefs and food lovers with a passionate appetite for knowledge.

A meal at Noma is said to remind you that sometimes food is more than simply food—Nordic food that not only highlights nature’s local resources, but takes them to an entirely new level. For all intents and purposes, Noma is an homage to the bounty of our environment and everything that Mother Nature gracefully offers us. For those lucky enough to have an opportunity to dine within its environment, the experience will articulate why some restaurants truly deserve to be revered.

In 2010, Noma startlingly stole the crown as S.Pellegrino’s World’s Best Restaurant that El Bulli had held for four consecutive years.

After a three year run in this spot, they were demoted to the second position on this esteemed list. In the past year or so, the restaurant

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has been transformed once again, with a fresh approach and energy. Apparently this was once again highly effective and Noma has reclaimed the number one spot. But their success does not stop there. Noma also can make claim to being the recipient of Restaurant Magazine’s award for Best Restaurant three years in a row—a rather unbelievable record that is well deserved.

Recently celebrating its 10th anniversary, Noma continues to challenge itself and the world of cuisine as a whole. Always seeking to innovate, Redzepi and his crew are mounting a new and exciting challenge. They are moving the restaurant to Japan in early 2015 for two months, where they will apply their highly focused and passionate philosophy to Japanese ingredients and culture.

One thing is for sure, Noma and culinary genius Chef René Redzepi continue to push the boundaries of the epicurean world and a meal at Noma is not only completely out of the ordinary, but truly unexpected and one you will certainly never forget.

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Andoni Luis Aduriz The master of Basque Cuisine 80

THE WORLD’S BEST RESTAURANTS - SPAIN

Mugaritz, the highly acclaimed restaurant nestled in the Basque countryside Andoni Luis Aduriz is undoubtedly one of the most influential chefs of our time. Throughout his career, he has remained highly committed to culinary evolution, making him somewhat of a rebel in the kitchen. The launchpad for his famed restaurant in part seems to be the time he spent working under legendary chef Ferran Adrià, between 1993 and 1994, as it was not long after this that he decided to go off on his own adventure, opening Mugaritz in 1998.

Named after a border oak tree that grows in the hills around San Sebastian - Mugaritz takes attention to detail to new heights. From the specially created barbecue smell that emanates from the restaurant, designed to remind approaching diners of their childhood, to the way the table is set (or not) - is done for a very specific reason - to transcend the dining experience to new and unexpected heights.

Aduriz intends a meal at Mugaritz to shock and surprise as well as delight with ‘trompes l’oeils’culinary tricks of the eye. There is no menu in play during your experience at Mugaritz. What is delivered is a personalized array of 24 courses - some creations play with aroma, texture and flavour while others are designed to tell a story or evoke an emotion. A classic example of this is the restaurant’s now-famous starter of Edible Stones. This is a dish created from potatoes and is very cleverly and rather perfectly styled to look like small stones - a classic example of his, at times, whimsical approach. Aduriz’s aim is clearly to seduce us with an experience that encompasses all five senses.

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Mugaritz Mugaritz resembles a rustic countryside farmhouse on a backdrop of rolling hills and farmlands, the restaurant is proud to have it’s very own herb and vegetable garden, and surrounding areas are foraged for wild mushrooms, flowers, leaves, and plants...

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This chef’s passion has beginnings that trace back to his birthplace.

Born in San Sebastian in 1971, a city at the very heart of Basque gastronomy, Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz went on to a traditional culinary education at the Catering School of San Sebastian. After a not entirely successful venture into the academic side of the equation, he began to express himself and display his inherent gifts through tastes and textures.

After learning vital skills and techniques from many pioneers of Basque cuisine, and his stint at El Bulli, he certainly had the techniques and passion to launch Mugaritz and after just two years, Aduriz earned his first Michelin star, as well as a wide array of platitudes from an impressive list of organizations and periodicals. In 2006 Mugaritz was awarded a second Michelin star and rapidly ascended into the top ten of “The worlds 50 best restaurants.” Even more impressive,

Cultural textures. Several layers of dressed Kokotxas

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Lemon Succade with our well-known herbs

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in 2012 he received the Chef’s Choice Award presented by the chefs that are part of the “The worlds 50 best restaurants” list.

“At Mugaritz, eating is a path to experience, a path scattered with histories, aromas, textures, flavours, passion, cravings and numerous other pleasurable stimuli. That is why we create and suggest forms of service that prompt situations in which our diners can give free rein to their senses and interact with only the barest of rules for engaging on a culinary voyage. We aim to break the barriers imposed by customs.”

Aduriz is passionate about giving back to the people and community that has given him so much. He is highly involved with a wide array of Basque cooking organizations and is a leading advocate of the innovation of Basque cuisine. He has taught in many of the world’s great cooking establishments and has been instrumental in assuring that the Basque country remains a leading force in world cuisine.

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Glutinous pesto with chicken concentrate

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Eneko Axta chef of the Azurmendi is a solid reference in the international haute cuisine.

Five years after the opening, Azurmendi has Three Michelin Stars Fairing from Bilbao, Chef Eneko Axta started his path into the world of gastronomy at the age of 15 at the Culinary School of Leioa in Biscay. This was accompanied by stints in an array of restaurants where he studied under some highly acclaimed chefs and absorbed the art of traditional Basque cuisine. In 2005, after being head chef in several famous kitchens, he opened the doors to Azurmendi.

Elegantly situated on a hillside just outside of Bilbao, with stunning views of the Basque countryside, Chef Atxa’s restaurant has proven to be a true game-changer. Integrated right into the slope of a hill planted with native vineyards, in the town of Larrabetzu, this unusual glass and steel structure, is an extremely unique and sustainable building that is highlighted with an atrium, complete with a full-grown tree piercing its way right through the floor. The building is a cutting-edge, eco-friendly design, with impressive features such as solar capture, geothermal heating and rainwater harvesting. Although contemporary in design, it manages to elegantly honor a rich local culture and history.

Atxa’s cooking is just as impressive as the uniquely designed structure.

Highlighted by cutting-edge gastronomic techniques, Chef Axta has also collaborated with the local university to develop completely new cooking methods. Unimagined technologies such as ultrasound are used to alter the texture of food and the chef has somehow even devised a unique system for capturing flavour in ‘three-dimensional’ essences and aromas— unique to say the least and it is received as true culinary wizardry!

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AZURMENDI

Azurmendi has been created and designed according to Eneko Atxa’s philosophy, vision and concept.

Photo © Azurmendi

An active mind that cannot stop creating and two skilful hands blend together beautifully, enabling speed, precision and charm, This is the secret of Eneko Atxa’s magic and the reason for his international recognition...

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Tomato, cheese and basil tartlet Photo Š Azurmendi

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designed to articulate the freshness of ingredients, as much of the produce used in the restaurant comes from these facilities—farm to fork!

It is a fairly regular occurrence for the surprises to start right amidst the tour.

For example, a tomato in one of the lush bushes may actually be a ‘stuffed tomato’ that has been pinned to the bush. Elsewhere you may discover additional unusual surprises, like lemon bark at the base of a lemon tree which turns out to be an edible crisp that had been made to resemble the real thing. Axta’s commitment to embracing the element of surprise is hearty and keeps his patrons on their toes throughout what is certainly a world-class gastronomic experience.

Chef Eneko Axta’s level of commitment to innovation has been the cornerstone of his career and of Azurmendi’s success. Along the way it has resulted in an impressive record of significant recognition. In 2007, Restaurant Azurmendi was rewarded with a star in the Guía Michelín Guide. Then, in 2010, it became the first restaurant in Biscay to ever be awarded 2 Michelin stars. In 2012, and after only seven years, the coveted third star was awarded making history as Azurmendi was the first and only establishment of Bizkaia obtaining such a high honor.

This distinction made Chef Eneko Atxa, at a mere 35 years of age, one of the youngest chefs of Spain to obtain this extraordinary accomplishment.

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WO’GOA: How did you come about to being a culinary genius, taking Indian cuisine to a whole new level, reinterpreting classic Indian dishes with modern cooking techniques and binding it together as a Gaggan Anand signature dish?

Indian Food Reinvented

“my dream was to put India on the global fine dining map... the only way to do this was to take an audacious risk of doing the impossible... serving progressive Indian cuisine”

Gaggan Anand: Its very easy as from being in India and growing up there helped me build up taste and memory of food that we Indians live on, our culinary heritage is so diverse and yet so unique and with the scientific exploitations I am able to rediscover them in new textures and deconstructed recipes. Its like something that always existed but transformed into a latest version.

WO’GOA: Take us through your formative years and how did you find your way into the culinary field to become one of Asia’s most sought-after Chef!

Gaggan Anand: Well it’s a very long journey, I started cooking 15 years ago and 3 years prior to that I went to hotel culinary school. It’s a very unique journey as there was no motivations from hotels and I kind of became rebellious and learned to cook from the grass root level which was from homes and famous chefs. You can say I self-taught myself.

The ambition and aggression to become world recognized as an Indian chef helped me to get where I am today. Although the struggle is always there until you succeed but still I have a lot to do in coming years as I think Gaggan hasn’t peaked as yet as a chef and restaurant we have so much more to do.

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GAGGAN

Gaggan Anand’s culinary creativity helped Gaggan become one of Asia’s most fashionable destination restaurants...

WO’GOA: You studied under the guidance of Ferran Adrià, how did that experience help to form who you are as a chef today?

Gaggan Anand: The guidance of Ferran Adrià is what made me as a chef I am today, the art and science of cooking and how food can be presented is a big difference at Gaggan.

WO’GOA: What is your greatest influence in the kitchen?

Gaggan Anand: Ferran Adrià and elBulli, El Celler de Can Roca, and my mum.

WO’GOA: Is there a process you go through to create a new dish?

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Gaggan Anand: Yes its about a idea which becomes a script and then after many experiments if it past the test of taste and look and the art it is finally in the menu some dishes take a few weeks some a few months and some almost few years WO’GOA: Ingredient obsessions - What are your favorite ingredients you work with, and what new ingredient or ingredients are inspiring you right now and how do you select your ingredients?

Gaggan Anand: Its like mood every time I discover something new with the travels it reflects in my menu, Japan is my fav destination for ingredients and YUZU is what I cant ignore from menu always in the menu in some or the other form.

WO’GOA: Do you have any special cooking techniques or equipment you particular enjoy using?

Gaggan Anand: Liquid nitrogen extremely cold and challenging defies physiques of cooking and u can reach the impossible in cooking.

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WO’GOA: Creativity or Technique, what is more important to you and why?

Gaggan Anand: Both are co-related and have to exists side by side, creativity has to have technique and in the end it has to be tasty not just an idea of experiment.

WO’GOA: What was the feeling when you were voted the No. 3 Restaurant in Asia, No. 17 World’s Best Restaurant and winning the Highest New Entry award at 2014 The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, which of these achievements stands out the most for you and why?

Gaggan Anand: Both are like an Indian wining an Oscars and and Grammy hahahaha…..

WO’GOA: What advice could you give to chefs who are first entering the field today?

Gaggan Anand: Learn the basics, don’t start to be too much into FAD cooking, burn your hands and then do whatever they want.

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“SINCE winning number 48 spot in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants earlier this year, we’ve been spending time concentrating on all aspects of the restaurant,” chef and owner Luke Dale-Roberts says of The Test Kitchen. And it shows, at this top restaurant set in Cape Town’s gritty yet hip Woodstock area, with a host of exciting new dishes and experiences to entice diners.

With vast international experience, British-born Dale-Roberts and The Test Kitchen are, however, firmly rooted in South Africa, with dishes such as African Rosti, served with amasi curd, and Lamb Smiley, a subtly deconstructed dish, on the menu. For the Smiley, a whole lamb’s head is roasted, then the brains, cheeks and tongue are presented in the Italian style with zesty caper and anchovy emulsion to cut the richnesss in this flavoursome offering.

Despite all the hard work, it’s clear that Dale-Roberts, together with his head chef Ivor Jones, is still having fun, with tongue-in cheek dish names, such as the Blinissoisse, which is Nordic in inspiration. It comprises a soup and foam made from blinis, which is then served with barbecued langoustine and jelly made from the shell. The yeastiness of the blinis provides a remarkably moreish aspect to the sweet seafood.

One of the menu highlights is Foie Gras Four Trees. Remarkable care and attention to detail creates a showstopping dish: pears are compressed in oak; foie gras is grilled over pine needles; chestnuts are roasted and blended to create an essence; duck breast is basted with maple syrup. The end result is a show stopper!

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Blinissoise - chilled blini creme, barbequed langoustine, langoustine tataki, liquorice powder

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Not content to limit experimentation to the food, a recent addition to the offerings at The Test Kitchen is a tea pairing with dishes. “It’s been surprisingly popular,” adds Dale-Roberts. Teas are served hot or cold, and poured at the table with eloquent descriptions by sommelier Wayve Kolevsohn of the flavours and aromas and how they match the food. There is a diverse selection of teas, provided by The Tea Chest, and highlights include Weekend in Shanghai Tea, a green tea with red berries and a touch of mint, which complements the grilled scallop perfectly, with the nutty miso and earthy mushrooms in the dish.

While Vanilla Bourbon Tea, rooibos with vanilla, provides a suitable richness to a dish of ajo blanco – done The Test Kitchen way with veal sweetbreads, dried raw almond milk, grapes and almond falafel.

Along with new dishes, new works of art constantly change on the walls of The Test Kitchen. Currently Peter Eastman’s watercolours provide splashes of interest. But, as always, here things are taken that little bit further on the creative front. Eastman has designed stencils of the watercolours for use in the

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kitchen, giving Dale-Roberts even more opportunity to, now quite literally, create art on a plate. Purées are spread over the stencil, which is then removed, providing an exquisite design on which the rest of the dish is plated. Or imagine a delicate stencil of meringue, blowtorched to gooey perfection and served with carob mousse, where whole beans are roasted in-house before being transformed into a multi-layered bite of sweet heaven.

Designer Sandalene Dale-Roberts, Luke’s wife, has added her creative and visionary touch to the interior of The Test Kitchen, too. Rice and grain sacks have been repurposed as table runners, tie-dyed a deep charcoal, perfectly juxtaposing with the light, almost ephemeral ceramics by John Bauer on the table. These pieces are works of true art, with his signature floral embellished porcelainwork displayed as oblong “plates”. New chairs that Sandalene designed make a bold, modern yet firmly African statement: copper supports combined with Nguni hide seats and backrests provide a textured richness to the space.

There’s a palpable sense of galvanised creativity at The Test Kitchen; here exquisite food and curated wines, impeccable service and cutting edge style combine to create a truly remarkable dining experience.

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Carob Mousse, roast banana butter, Meringue, rum foam, coffee and Tanariva cremeux

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The Crown Jewel of Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana

By Pamela Flores

I stepped out of my taxi and was welcomed by blue skies, a warm breeze and the proud words, “Welcome to Paradise.” Immediately, a team of staff members stood at attention, holding the door open for me while offering me a cocktail and simultaneously gathering my bags, making me feel like I had arrived at my royal abode. I was then swiftly whisked off by a young lady who would be taking me on a tour of the property that would be my home for next few days.

We hopped into a golf cart to explore the prestigious Eden Roc Cap Cana—a sprawling property with golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, suites the size of ranch homes and a picturesque private beach with the signature Punta Cana white sand and turquoise water.

We pulled up in front of my suite and as I opened the front door, I found myself in the main room. The spaciousness was striking: high cathedral ceilings with floor to ceiling windows that showcased an outdoor private pool surrounded by miniature palm trees and flora galore. A gorgeous Victorian-style chandelier suspended in

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Celebrating 60 years of History of Relais & Châteaux at Eden Roc Cap Cana Executive Chef Griccini, Grand Chef Michel Rostang and Paolo Sanavia, CEO of Solaya Hotels & Resorts

the center of the room, simple and elegant white Caribbean Sea to retrieve my meal. furniture and a bistro table with a “Welcome!” fruit basket and a chilled bottle of Prosecco, both After dinner, I visited Riva Bar—a classy piano bar that pays homage, via its design, to the Riva boats eagerly waiting to be enjoyed. that floated on the Italian Riviera in the 60s. Black As I stepped into the next room, I discovered a and white photographs of Hollywood and Italian bedroom with beds covered in fine Italian linens, starlets on Riva boats lined the dark mahogany a huge lounge chair fit for a queen, and its own walls which nestled aqua leather seats, reminiscent view of the outdoor pool. At the other end of the of the classic combination of the original luxury room, the sliding doors revealed the most precious boats. A display case exhibiting fine Dominican gem of the entire suite—the bathroom. Almost as cigars stood tall at the center of the wall and bottles large as the bedroom, it housed a “his and hers” of fine Dominican rum lined up behind the bar, sink and vanity, a huge Jacuzzi, an indoor rain waiting to be enjoyed. I chose a passion fruit martini shower and even more floor to ceiling windows that that was so luscious, it felt like I was indulging in a highlighted the nature surrounding. This suite was rich dessert rather than a cocktail. like a resort within a resort and so beautiful and Spending an entire day at Caleton Beach Club is relaxing, that if you wanted to just park yourself easy. It’s a lovely spot where one can lounge by the here for the duration, you could easily do so and club’s intimate beach with the softest sand I have have a spectacular time. ever dug my toes into, order cocktails and food, After settling in, I ventured to La Palapa restaurant go for a swim and even indulge in an oceanfront located in the Caleton Beach Club and arrived massage. I managed to tear myself away after just in time to catch the majestic sunset. An sunset in order to prepare for the main event of the otherworldly blend of blues, pinks, oranges and weekend: Executive Chef Griccini and guest Grand purples, so excruciatingly beautiful, it fed my soul. Chef Rostang collaborating on a 5- course menu No photograph could do this justice, so I sat back for the celebration of Relais & Chateaux’s 60th and just embraced the moment. Now it was time birthday at Mediterrraneo Restaurant. The theme to feed my body, and with the first forkful of tuna of the evening was La Belle Epoque and it was tartar, I knew I was in for a real treat. What followed executed to perfection—the ambiance, the menu, was a medley of seafood dishes that were so fresh, the wines, the décor—it was all just exquisite and it tasted as if the chef literally stepped out to the the epitome of luxury. The local press and even 106

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performers from a local arts academy graced this eagerly anticipated event. In true Relais & Chateaux form, this fete was momentous and attended by food enthusiasts from all over the world. After dinner, the evening’s celebrations continued at the vintage Riva Bar with some fine Dominican rum tastings and lively conversation.

destination, where one can lounge by the beach and indulge in top-notch food, or if the adventurous spirit moves you, go horseback riding and zip lining.

The highlight of my trip was staying at Eden Roc at Cap Cana—a modern day utopia containing a blend of the most polished staff I have ever had the pleasure to deal with, a peaceful beach that could rival any in the world and some of the freshest As my trip was ending soon, I decided to further and well-cooked meals I have ever enjoyed in the explore Punta Cana. It was a short drive to the Caribbean. The longer you are there, the more marina while passing by mansions and perfectly obvious it becomes that this resort was built as an manicured gardens. I took a stroll and gazed at extension of the beauty that surrounds it, making the water dotted with huge yachts with whimsical it feel like an organic part of the nature in Punta names, and enjoyed the sounds of laughter and Cana. music heard as these aquatic beasts floated by. I also made a stop at Juanillo Beach, where locals As my trip came to an end and I was faced with the enjoyed lunch at the beachfront restaurant as reality that I had to leave this paradise, I moved beachgoers danced to the music coming from the slowly, savoring the sights and sounds and trying to large speakers on the sand. Macau Beach, home engrave them in my memory, perhaps hoping that of the Macau Surf Camp, with its rougher Atlantic the inevitable would not happen. But it did, as a waters which make for good waves, was a surfer’s few minutes later my taxi to the airport arrived. As paradise. This friendly beach hosted young locals the cheerful driver pulled out onto the main road in search of sunshine and adventure. I decided and we drove away making my vacation exist only to conclude my beach-hopping at Bavaro Beach, in my memories now, I found myself looking back, where I found a tropical scene of cabanas, sexy literally and figuratively, at this trip that brought me music and chatty sun worshipers. The beach was much needed relaxation while teaching me about as popular as it was pristine—full of parasailers, this beautiful country and its culture. I was sad to be tourists, and souvenir shops. This was the perfect leaving, but excited to get home and make myself place to say goodbye to the Dominican Republic. my new favorite “dessert:” a really good passion fruit martini.

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Barefoot luxury meets unpretentious style at the spectacular Conrad Maldives Rangali Island. Home to whale sharks, manta rays, dolphins, turtles and an extensive coral reef, the resort has been awarded “The Best Water Villas in the World”, “The Best Suites in the World” and “Best Spa Resort in the Maldives” among other notable accolades.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island lies in the South Ari Atoll, three degrees north of the equator. Spread over two islands linked by a 500-metre bridge, surrounded by a blue lagoon and vibrant coral reef, the resort is an idyllic tropical paradise.

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Reached by a 30-minute seaplane flight, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island enjoys the elite position of being the only resort in the Maldives that offers three distinct resort experiences spanned across two islands, offering luxury travelers a unique and inspired experience. You can enjoy this typical get-away-from-it-all Maldivian hideaway on Rangali Island while also having access to the facilities of the larger and livelier main island which is linked to it by a 500m bridge. The third resort experience is at the Spa Retreat, an over-water destination spa that operates as a resort-within-a-resort set 100m off the tip of the main island.

Accommodation varies from 50 romantic water villas on Rangali Island and 79 contemporary beach villas tucked away amongst tropical greenery on the main island to 21 stunning over-water villas at the Spa Retreat. No matter where you stay, you can enjoy all the resort’s facilities.

Each of the 150 thatched-roof villas reflects the resort’s luxurious contemporary and laid-back style, with stylish facilities in an indoor-outdoor living space that sits in perfect natural harmony with the Maldivian environment. In all villas the natural setting is complemented by the latest in modern design.

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the leading business, leisure & entertainment destination of Asia...

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MARINA BAY SANDS SINGAPORE

Marina Bay Sands is Asia’s leading destination for business, leisure and entertainment, delivering oncein-a-lifetime experiences. Located in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District, Marina Bay Sands’ offers a luxury hotel, state-of-the art convention and exhibition facilities, theatres, world-class entertainment and the best shopping, fine dining restaurants in the region. In addition to lush gardens, an infinity edged swimming pool and the world’s largest public cantilever housing an observation deck.

The three unique hotel towers crowned by the magnificent Sands SkyPark on the 57th storey, with over 2,500 rooms and suites, Marina Bay Sands Hotel rooms offer views of the South China Sea or the Marina Bay and 360-degree views of Singapore’s skyline.

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Presidential Suite Bedroom

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JW Marriott Marquis Dubai

Spread across two iconic towers, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai is offers a spectrum of facilities for the most discerning travellers.

Elevated above Dubai’s business district on Sheikh Zayed Road, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai resides in the Business Bay area, in close proximity of Downtown Dubai and only short driving distance from Dubai International Airport. The hotel features 1,608 luxurious guest rooms, outstanding event and business facilities, a collection of 14 award-winning restaurants, lounges and the haven of health and relaxation ‘Saray Spa’. With over 8,000 sqm of indoor and outdoor event space the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai accommodates small-to large-scale meetings and conferences.

Two ballrooms and 32 flexible meeting rooms provide state-of-the-art venues for events while their dedicated service makes for a seamless experience every time.

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Executive Suite Bedroom

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A World of Style CONRAD DUBAI

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Enjoy The Luxury Of Being Yourself in the United Arab Emirates. Conrad Dubai is an incredible destination of choice for today’s smart luxury traveller who wishes to be in the heart of this vibrant cosmopolitan city and enjoy the epitome of pleasure and style.

Conrad Dubai offers the global elite traveller a unique and sophisticated experience; a true reflection of themselves. The 555-room property is the perfect celebration of one of the world’s favourite luxury cities and boasts locally inspired international design and tailor-made services to help each guest feel connected to their surroundings.

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Zabeel Royal Suite Living Room

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Conrad Dubai delivers on the promise to offer the greatest luxury; the Luxury of Being Yourself...

Privileged location on the 46th floor, the Royal Suites offer a breath taking view of Dubai’s skyline or the alluring Arabian Peninsula, the Royal Suites boast two comfortable king bedrooms, relaxing lounge, a dining area seating and the comfort of a personal chef and butler for the entire stay. Executive benefits including a complimentary airport transport in a stylish Maserati Quattroporte.

Zabeel Royal Suite Master Bedroom

Conrad Dubai guests experience smart luxury, in contemporary crafted surroundings. Unrivalled connections mean that guests can enjoy exclusive access and an opportunity to connect with the local culture. Dubai’s culture shines through in every aspect of the property, permeating the design, spa and restaurants of this luxurious city retreat.

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ROSEWOOD ABU DHABI

Rosewood Abu Dhabi echoes the Rosewood collection’s Sense of Place philosophy. Inspired by the glistening Arabian Gulf, the ultra-luxury hotel features dramatic views of the Arabian Gulf and the Abu Dhabi skyline. This waterfront hotel is located on Al Maryah Island at the prestigious Sowwah Square, facing the iconic exchange building. The island occupies a unique location at a midpoint between Abu Dhabi’s existing downtown district, the upcoming developments at Al Reem Island and Mina Zayed, and the new cultural district on Saadiyat Island.

Rosewood Abu Dhabi provides a sophisticated and warm residential style of living. The hotel’s rooms and suites feature stylishly contemporary furnishings complemented with modern regional artwork and traditional accessories.

Rosewood Abu Dhabi’s nine restaurants and bars offers distinctive dining experiences for guests, whilst its Sense® spa provides an extensive range of indulgent therapies, treatments and services.

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BOMRA - GOA

It’s in the hubbub of activity in north Goa, that crowded, noisy, and colourfully chaotic stretch of road from Candolim to Sinquerim. Dining at Bomra’s reflects this vibrant nature through its food and complements it with subtle décor and ambience.

Run by Bawmra Jap, an ethnic Kachin Burmese, the laid-back restaurant finds favour with many of Goa’s travelled souls. There’s a desperate lack of parking space so get there before the dinner rush to enjoy hassle-free vehicle stationing and a prolonged meal.

Chic Burmese Fusion

Dielle D’Souza

Under the canopy of mango trees, cane chairs around candlelit tables sit attractively against a jute curtain concealing the restaurant from adjacent properties. Bawmra himself takes orders and buses tables.

The menu is brief, but tantalising enough to make decisions complicated. The starters must include lah pet toke or pickled tea leaf salad, an iconic Burmese dish that is an eclectic mix of soft pickled tea leaves, crispy roasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, crunchy beans and chopped tomato. There’s a vegetarian version or one with flavourful bits of dried shrimp.

Alongside, a platter of smoked shark with mango and rocket leaves proves the perfect companion. Bright slivers of boiled egg team effortlessly with the crunch of salad leaves, the sweet-sour mango and chunks of shark.

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here, never more so in Bomra’s Special Cocktail – a refreshing mix of vodka, lime juice, lemon grass, a dash of sugar syrup and julienned ginger. Equally creative is the Tamarind Margarita with its subtle sweet-sour taste.

Bawmra is very hands-on, chatting easily with guests, many of whom are regulars. He is quick to suggest dishes, and options based on tastes – for children, those with sensitive palates, and dietary restrictions.

He suggests the roast pork with crackling and a spinach-apple chutney. That arrives with a rockfish steamed in banana leaf with wakame and black fungus. Both are excellent choices. The pork falls apart at the touch and the crackling holds its own against the sweetish chutney. Similarly, the seaweed and dark mushroom with fish make a very beautiful dish with equally delicious taste.

A rich mildly flavoured Burmese mussel curry reminds one of the country’s connection with the sea, well rounded with coconut milk, lemongrass, chilli and coriander.

The Thamin Let Toke or Burmese rice salad is an interesting dish, featuring slim noodles, rice, green papaya, dried shrimp and fish sauce.

If ginger is not your thing, the lemongrass and ginger crème brulée might not catch your fancy.

The puréed spice lines the bottom of the lemongrass-flavoured custard topped with crusty caramel. On the other hand, the dainty tender coconut panna cotta gets a burst of zest from some passion fruit juice and its crunchy seeds.

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SIGNATURES DISHES

A Recipe by Michelin star Chef Eneko Atxa - Azurmendi Ingredients Bloody Mary 30g vodka 200ml tomato juice 30g lemon juice 2 drops of worcestershire sauce 2 drops of tabasco c/n salt c/n pepper powder Mix all the ingredients Vegetable Stock 150 g leeks 80 g carrots 300g onions 2l water

Fresh Sea Urchins 5 fresh sea urchins c/n sea water Cut of the urchins’ shell with scissors, remove the urchins’ eggs with a teaspoon, wash in sea water and keep cold.

Pickled Celery 150g water 150g txacoli 75g vinegar 25 g sugar 10g salt 1/2 bay leaf 4 black pepper grain

Assemble all the ingredients and boil. Take the celery stick and peel and chop into 3mm cubes.

Boil and reduce the ingredients. Salt to taste and Make foils of 7.5 cm in length and 1.5 cm in width. keep cold.

Keep the foil inside the pickle for 2 minutes in vacuum. Drip and keep in cold. Keep the cubes in Sea Urchins Juice vaccum bags with the pickle.

450g urchins 300g vegetables stock To Serve: 150g sunflower oil 2 sliced bread c/n red food coloring Nº24 PETALS MICRO TAGETE Nº24 PETALS RED VERBENA Blend the sea urchins with the vegetable stock and Nº24 CURLS CHIVES emulsify with sunflower oil. Add red food colouring.

Mix 200 g of sea urchins juice with 30g of the Cut the bread in rectangles of 7.5 cm in length and Bloody Mary. Keep cold.

1.5 cm in width. Bake at 175°C for 5 minutes. Add 15g of urchin juice in a catavinos glass, a pinch of Urchins Mayonnaise black pepper powder .

80g sea urchins 20 g sunflower oil Add the urchin mayonnaise on the sliced bread and cover with the celery. Finish with 2 urchin eggs, Blend the urchins and emulsify with oil. Keep cold 2 microtargete petals, 2 red verbena petals, 2 curls in feeding bottle. chives and 4 pickled celery cubes.

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Sous vide halibut, halibut cheek & foie gras ravioli, violate artichoke, 1hr egg, red & black romesco and edamame

Sous Vide Halibut Four 200g Halibut Fillets skinned 30g butter or 25ml of citrus oil Preheat the Sous Vide to 55C Season both sides of the halibut fillets with sea salt Put the fillets into a small cooking bag, drizzle the citrus olive oil or the butter and vacuum seal the cooking bag.

Cook in the water bath for 20 minutes at 60C 1hr egg 4 eggs Set Sous Vide on 63C Cook the eggs for 1 hour

Violate Artichoke 4 violate artichokes 1 whole lemon Ice water Pot of boiling lemon salted water Cut off the Artichoke stem, remove all external leaves leaving only tender leaves, using a spoon dig and scrape out the fuzzy choke and trim the top of the artichoke Put the Artichokes into ice water and squeeze the lemon in the water, this will stop the Artichokes from discolouring In the pot of boiling lemon salted water, put the Artichokes for 8 to 10 minutes. The Artichokes can be served either cold or hot Red and Black Romesco Sauce 3 medium roasted and peeled red peppers 110ml of good Spanish olive oil 3 garlic cloves 1 large Spanish red chilli 200g of fresh plum tomatoes 55g almonds blanched 55g skinless hazelnuts 12g Spanish smoked paprika 30ml Red Wine vinegar 1 thick (1cm) slice of crusty bread Salt and Pepper for seasoning 15g squid ink Preheat the oven at 160C Red Romesco Sauce Cut the tomatoes in half and place them along with the almonds, hazelnuts, garlic, bread and chilli on the roasting tray until nuts become golden brown.

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Put all the ingredients from the roasting tray in a food processor, add the roasted peeled peppers, vinegar and smoked paprika, blend it till it is all smooth.

Black Romesco Sauce Remove half of the Red Romesco Sauce from the food processor and leave it on the side, add the squid ink to the half of the Red Romesco Sauce in the blender and blend it.

Squid ink has a very salty taste, so season it after you add squid ink Recipe Chef Steven Smalley Group Executive Chef - DAMAC Hotels & Resorts & Chef Andrzej Andy Zyla Executive Sous Chef - DAMAC Hotels & Resorts photo Andrzej Andy Zyla

Edamame 200g of shelled and blanched soy beans 6g sea salt 5ml olive oil Place blanched soy beans in the dehydrator for 18 hours Remove it and place in the food processor with olive oil, blend it till has a powder texture Ravioli Dough 400g all-purpose flour 4 large eggs 20ml olive oil 1tbsp salt Extra flour for dusting Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat them with a fork. Add the water, oil, salt and mix it Add 1 cup flour to the bowl. Use a fork to mix the flour with the eggs, water, oil, and salt. Repeat with the rest of the flour. Mix until a smooth dough is formed.

Ravioli Filling 100g Foie Gras 1 banana shallot diced 80g Halibut cheeks 25ml Marsala wine 1 sprig of fresh lemon thyme 1 garlic clove grated 30g butter Black pepper and Salt 1egg Dice the shallot and cook it with the butter, lemon thyme, garlic and masala wine, leave it to cool.

Chop the foie gras and trimmed cheeks and add the cooked shallots and mix it all together.

Make the raviolis with above filing and cook it in salty boiling water for about 4 min.

Serve as shown in the picture. Enjoy!

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The Test Kitchen Caprese with yoghurt snowballs & olive tuiles When you eat a cape gooseberry there is definitely something of the tomato present – that grassy aroma that pops when you bite into the fruit and the explosion of all those tiny seeds. This is one of those dishes that tricks the diner into thinking she’s eating something with which they’re familiar when, in fact, it’s something completely new.

100g Roma tomatoes 100g cape gooseberries 1L water 500g sugar 20 black peppercorns, crushed 2 lemons, peeled and quartered 15 basil leaves 250ml cream 125g sugar 100g glucose 3g salt 2 leaves gelatin 750ml plain yoghurt 200g fresh coconut, grated 100g ground almonds 80g cake flour 200g icing sugar 180g butter, melted 150g black olives, drained and pitted 160g egg white 15 basil leaves 200g stracciatella Mozzarella

basil leaves. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes, then pour over tomatoes and gooseberries.

Cool completely, then chill.

Yoghurt snowballs: In a saucepan, bring the cream, sugar, glucose and salt to a boil and add the softened gelatin leaves.

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. When cool, whisk in the yoghurt and churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Freeze and then ball using a Parisienne cutter. Roll the balls in the grated coconut and refreeze.

Olive tuiles: Put all ingredients, apart from the egg white, in a Robot Coupe mixer and blend on high speed. Add the egg white slowly, then chill the mixture for at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Spread marble-sized amounts of the chilled mixture evenly on a Silpat mat and bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until pale golden. Remove from the mat and cool.

Plating: Arrange the tomatoes and gooseberries on the plate and drizzle with a little syrup. Dot the tomatoes with basil leaves and drape the stracciatella between the gooseberries. Finish with the snowballs and olive tuiles and serve immediately.

Tomatoes & gooseberries in vanilla-pepper syrup: Blanch the tomatoes and gooseberries in boiling water for 10 seconds, then immediately refresh in iced water. Peel the skins of both and chill the flesh. Bring the water to the boil, then add the Serves 6 sugar, peppercorns, lemons quarters and half the 134

SIGNATURES DISHES

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Rack of Mulwarra Lamb with Provençal Herb Crust

Executive Chef Shane Ó Néill Grand Hyatt Goa 136

SIGNATURES DISHES

Ingredients Lamb 6tbsp of Olive oil 300gms of lamb bones and trimmings, chopped into 2 cm pieces 2 racks of mulwarra lamb about 8 ribs each, French trimmed Sea salt to taste Freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

to blend.

Drizzle in the olive oil and pulse till the mixture is uniformly mixed. The bread crumb can be stored in an air tight container for up to a week before using.

Lamb Rack Pre heat the oven to 190 degree C. Heat half of the oil in a large oven proof frying pan and fry the lamb bones over a high flame for about seven minutes, or until they are browned all over.

Set the pan aside.

Heat the remaining oil in another frying pan and Herb Crust fry the lamb over a medium heat for 3 – 4 minutes 100gms of white bread slice, crusts removed on the fat side then one minute on the meat side or 2 Garlic cloves crushed until lightly browned.

Sea salt to taste Place the racks of lamb on top of the browned Freshly ground black pepper to taste bones and cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Resting 2 gms of fresh thyme chopped (leaves only) the rack on the bones will allow the air to circulate 80 gms of fresh flat leaf parsley chopped (leaves so they cook more evenly. only) Remove the racks from the pan and leave to rest 1gm of fresh rosemary chopped (leaves only) for at least 6 minutes.

4tbsp of Olive oil Place the bread crumbs on a shallow baking tray.

Brush the racks all over with mustard, then press Method into the bread crumbs to coat and place on a clean baking tray.

Herb Crust Pre- heat the oven to 80 degree C and toast the To finish the dish cook the lamb in a pre heated oven 190 degree C for 6mins and then rest for 3 bread o a baking tray for 2 hours.

Take the bread out of the oven. Crumble the toasted minutes. bread into a food processer and add garlic salt and To assemble the dish freshly ground black pepper.

Pulse until you have a sandy textured mixture, then Divide each rack into three pieces and place in the add all of the chopped herbs and pulse once more plate as shown in the picture. Serve hot.

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MARINA BAY SANDS SINGAPORE

CUT by Wolfgang Puck presents a contemporary twist on the classic steakhouse menu from master chef Wolfgang Puck. Exclusively featuring the prestigious Kobe beef from the Hyogo Prefecture in Japan, Snake River Farms Wagyu / Angus, U.S.D.A. Prime Illinois Corn Fed and 300-day grain fed Australian Angus from Rangers Valley, CUT caters to true steak connoisseurs. One can enjoy a wide array of signature entrees such as Pan-Roasted Maine Lobster with Black Truffle Sabayon, together with a large selection of house-made sauces including CUT’s signature Steak Sauce and Argentinean Chimichurri.

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JW MARRIOTT MARQUIS HOTEL DUBAI

PRIME 68 A BOUTIQUE STEAKHOUSE

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Prime 68 is Dubai’s premiere boutique steakhouse, where supreme quality ingredients are served in elegant style.

Elevated on the 68th floor, awe-inspiring vistas are matched by exceptional food, this boutique steakhouse features the finest heritage breed beef from select farms around the globe, Prime 68 delights the senses with a selection of Australian Blackmore Fullblood Wagyu Beef, USDA Prime Beef and Argentinian Aberdeen Angus and complemented by rare wines from acclaimed vineyards from Europe, America and the New World.

Panoramic views make Prime 68 an experience to remember as the city of Dubai glistens below. Evoking the glamour of times gone by, a classic and contemporary black and white palette is accented with soft pink lighting, worlds apart from traditional steakhouse style. A private dining room, illuminated booths and theatre kitchen contribute to the elegant boutique ambience.

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CONRAD MALDIVES RANGALI ISLAND

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant The Most Beautiful Restaurant in the World Sitting five metres below the surface of the Indian Ocean, Ithaa is the world’s first undersea restaurant, offering 180-degree panoramic views of the vibrant coral gardens surrounding it. Ithaa - defined as ‘mother of pearl’ in Maldivian is accented by the use of curved transparent acrylic walls. The food offering is a true delight and features a distinctive menu featuring local spices and produce blended with Western influences presented in a six-course set dinner menu, matched by a wine concept dedicated to Champagne and, a four-course lunch menu featuring lighter fare. The cuisine is dedicated to a fine balance of Western food items with a Maldivian flavour. Guests can sit and marvel while fish swim past and air bubbles float to the surface, as they indulge on epicurean delights such as caviar, truffle, foie gras and lobster. Ithaa is also open for mid-morning cocktails and can be reserved privately for every special occasion.

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db Bistro Moderne

db Bistro Moderne offers an exciting mix of traditional French bistro cooking and contemporary American flavours, including a signature burger collection, in a casual and elegant setting. Chef Daniel Boulud re-interprets the classic Parisian bistro with the energy and style of the original db Bistro Moderne in New York City. The design by Jeffrey Beers references a traditional bistro but is stylishly contemporary. In addition to a welcoming dining area, db features an informal cafĂŠ, a stylish bar as well as a private room.

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CONRAD DUBAI

IZEL

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IZEL means “unique” according to the language of the Mayan, a culture which inspires this one-of-a-kind venue and experience, along with the “New Age” era where Latin American culture is globally always in style. Bringing together all elements of the venue is the mysterious IZEL goddess influencing the journey of the guest.

IZEL stands out from Dubai’s nightlife scene, with its dedication to authenticity, the absolute best of Latin America and a carnival of Latin Artistry, from the live beats of the hottest Latino bands, to the smoky flavors of the cigar humidor and the tastes of exquisite ceviche and cocktails that define the four cornerstones of IZEL.

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THE RITZ-CARLTON DUBAI

Blue Jade Unlocks Flavors of the Far East

Vietnamese Chef Ta Van serves up the most authentic line-up of dishes from the Far East. Blue Jade is all about celebrating the mystique and authenticity of Asian cuisine in a single resort setting. Diners are taken into an enchanting journey through the East with a unique harmony of exotic aromas and authentic flavors. It is a true showcase of the distinctiveness of each Asian cuisine while allowing guests to discover the common thread that binds them all. The restaurant complements the legacy of the resort in terms of crafting an exquisite dining experience in an intimate yet luxurious atmosphere. With its elaborate menu, which takes its inspiration from the authentic family-based culinary traditions of the Far East and combines it with the exclusive and intuitive Ritz-Carlton service.

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CONRAD DUBAI

Marco Pierre White Grill

Marco Pierre White Grill brings a lively and sociable ambience to Dubai’s dining scene.

The mood is set at the piano bar and lounge, where guests can mingle before enjoying a classic English fare and innovative delicacies from the grill menu. Complete with an open kitchen and a private dining room, Marco Pierre White Grill is set to become an institution of quality food in a relaxed, social setting.

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“It’s all about eating. It’s as simple as that. And feeding people well.” - Marco Pierre White 151

MARINA BAY SANDS SINGAPORE

Pizzeria Mozza 152

GOA & BEYOND - DINING EXPERIENCE

Pizzeria Mozza is almost exactly the same as its flagship outlet in California, with the delicious addition of local seafood and vegetables. Located next to its fine dining sister Osteria Mozza at Marina Bay Sands, Pizzeria is a bustling, urban burst of flavour and colour, presenting a casual dining environment amid upbeat rock music.

The highlight of Pizzeria’s menu is the hand-crafted artisanal pizzas prepared daily, fresh from two wood burning pizza ovens in a lively display kitchen– the energy centre of the main dining hall.

In addition to its world-famous pizzas, some of Pizzeria’s other signature menu items include crispy Duck legs with lentils, Lasagna al forno, and Nancy’s legendary Chopped Salad. Must-try desserts include its homemade Sorbetti, Gelati and Butterscotch Budino.

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ATLANTIS THE PALM DUBAI

YUAN

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YUAN provides diners with a traditional Chinese experience in a vibrant and gorgeous setting, contemporary Chinese with a traditional twist, modern food combined with time honoured traditions.

Stylish atmosphere wand taste every delight of YUAN’s mouth-watering menu of traditional Cantonese and Szechuan dishes that blended seamlessly with high-quality, fresh ingredients and accentuated by contemporary Western cooking methods.

Diners can be seated in an Oriental Inner Courtyard, designed using Chinese elements of harmony and balance or in the Principal House, where the scenes of nature and warm interiors are reminiscent of dining halls built for Chinese nobility. Alternatively, guests can choose to relax and escape to a private dining room.

This elegant Chinese restaurant and bar is located at the entrance to the Avenues in Atlantis and sets a new standard for Chinese cuisine and provides guests with an extraordinary dining experience.

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ROSEWOOD HOTEL ABU DHABI

SAMBUSEK The Lebanese love of life and the best it has to offer is perfectly echoed at Sambusek.

The fun, style and glamour of Beirut is combined with the very best of traditional Lebanese cuisine to ensure an unforgettable Levantine experience and makes it the perfect destination for both family and friends.

Beneath the coolly elegant exterior, the restaurant is delightfully traditional.

Only the best meats and freshest fish, grilled to perfection, are served to its fun-loving but discerning clientele both lunchtimes and early evenings.

After nightfall the Sambusek vibe is transformed once more as upbeat music reigns and the beautiful people of the capital and beyond enjoy the evening as only the Lebanese know how. With select beverages of choice and delectable dishes to nibble the sophisticated groups while the night away in true Beiruti style.

The restaurant’s size and private areas makes it the perfect venue for celebrations of all types and sizes from a small intimate gathering to a large party, which can be hosted simultaneously. In the cooler months diners and revellers can make the most of the restaurant’s outdoor terrace ‘Smoke’, shisha, drinks and nibbles are served to the backdrop of the Abu Dhabi skyline reflected by the hotel’s waterfront location.

W O‘GOA

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METROPOLITAN R E P O R T

a connoisseur’s guide to the good life

www.metropolitanreport.com

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