04 September 2014

The New Indian Pavilion brings a Fresh Flair to One&Only Le Saint Géran

Nestled peacefully in the silver sands of its own private peninsula and surrounded by the brilliant blue of the Indian Ocean, experience the height of luxury and gastronomic delight at One&Only Le Saint Géran.

The world-renowned family-friendly resort provides the ideal location for the discerning traveller to rest and refresh and offers memorable dining experiences at three restaurants: PRIME Contemporary Grill, La Terrasse and the Indian Pavilion, headed by newly appointed Chef de Cuisine Faizan Ali.

Originally from the northern part of India in Old Delhi, Chef Faizan gained a lot of his knowledge and experience from this part of the world which is known for its culinary heritage and distinctive flavours, especially whilst working in hotels such as The Claridges and The Leela Palace Kempinski. His love and passion for food however came from his father, Chef Farman Ali, who belongs to a long line of Indian chefs and encouraged Faizan to continue their work of researching the true essence of Indian cuisine.

I’m very excited to be part of the launch of the Indian Pavilion at One&Only Le Saint Géran. I have worked with General Manager Charles de Foucault in India and Bali and I am so pleased to be able to work with him again in another beautiful part of the world, Mauritius, and for such an iconic resort,” says Chef Faizan. Chef Faizan will be working closely with the resort’s Executive Chef, Karim Hassene, who also has extensive experience in Indian cuisine – having lived in India for a few years, and together they will be creating an exciting new menu.

The waterside Indian Pavilion enjoys a magnificent natural setting, with views of the green sugarcane-clad mountains and the resort’s private lagoon. The open kitchen at the Indian Pavilion will allow guests to be part of the creative cooking experience as the aromas of Indian spices and herbs can be enjoyed throughout. Chef Faizan will be taking some dishes of the traditional ‘Mughlai’ cuisine, which has become his signature Indian cuisine, and reinventing them for the new restaurant; from succulent kebabs, qormas and parathas and ensure a multi-sensory experience is had.

The flavours of Mughlai cuisine vary from extremely mild to spicy, gentle and soothing to sharp and pungent. It’s all about slow cooking and the slow roasting of spices that differentiates this cuisine from others,” says Chef Faizan. “We often use different shapes of Indian utensils to cook different dishes. For example, the Degchi is used to cook qorma, but only Lagan can be used to prepare Biryani. We also only use certain metal utensils when preparing Mughlai cuisine; galvanized brass Lagan for Biryani, Iron Kadhai for frying meat and clay for cooking breads.

Guests of One&Only Le Saint Géran can look forward to some of Chef Faizan’s favourite dishes which include Gosht Nizami Dalcha, lamb morsels cooked with Bengal gram lentils and chillies, Galouti Kebab with Ulte tawe ka Parantha, a unique delicacy of Lucknow (a city in India) which includes shallow fried lamb patties, so soft they melt in the mouth, flavoured with the smoke of spices and are served with saffron bread cooked on an inverted griddle. With the fresh seafood available in Mauritius, Chef Faizan is particularly excited to be able to include Mahi Anarkali, a fish kebab flavoured with pomegranate and ginger juice, and Jheenga Zebunnisa, scampi marinated with chilli and garlic.

Dining at the resort is an experience of gastronomic discovery and with the new addition of Chef Faizan, I know the Indian Pavilion will be elevated to the next level. The high standard that our guests have become accustomed to at One&Only Le Saint Géran will be further exceeded,” says Charles de Foucault, General Manager. “Together with PRIME and La Terrasse, we can give guests innovative cuisine within a unique sense of place.

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