Faiza Rizvi
Saudi Gazette
Park Hyatt gave Jeddawis an exclusive opportunity to experience the rich flavors of Bali with its 10-day ‘Balinese Food Festival’ which started Apr 27 celebrating the extravagant beauty and delights of the much-celebrated local cuisine of Bali. Discovering the tropical island paradise also requires the exploration of its traditional cooking and Park Hyatt offered delectable creations such as slow-roasted chicken and ducks in banana leaves, fresh grilled seafood, tantalizing sates, fresh soups from banana stems, green papayas and mushrooms, a large selection of vegetarian dishes. In addition, buffet included mouth-watering selection of Balinese cakes, black rice pudding and a wide range of tropical fruits found at their local markets. Balinese Food Festival was organized at award winning Nafoura Restaurant, giving diners a special treat of authentic Indonesian flavors.
The gastronomic journey to Bali featured the culinary masterpieces of two Indonesian guest chefs with over 15 years’ experience, Chef Sudiastika and Chef Suartika from Grand Hyatt Bali, who travelled in from Bali to handle the kitchen during the 10-day food fest and present an impressive variety of authentic Balinese flavors derived from Indonesian influences for dinner buffet at Nafoura. Indonesian dishes were incorporated into the entire buffet, from the appetizers to main course dishes and live cooking stations all the way to the desserts.
“Keeping in mind the fact that there are many Indonesians in Jeddah, we co-operated with Indonesian Consulate to hold this special culinary event which has received brilliant response from local diners,” Sanjeev Singh, Assistant Director of food and beverage, told Saudi Gazette. Nafoura, which literally means fountain, is one its kind restaurant that provides dining experience by internationally trained chefs. “We serve Mediterranean and international cuisines, based on clientele which stay at our hotel. We do weekly themed nights and for instance, every Tuesday is Italian night where we serve fresh pasta, risottos, customized pizzas. Every Wednesday we do Lebanese nights with shawarma and other popular Lebanese dishes, while Thursday nights are most exciting, which are sea food nights offering sushi, variety of sea food platters and scrumptious sea-food salads,” he said. Nafoura Restaurant ensures best quality food that caters to all tastes and offers diners a comprehensive dining experience. Their most event popular weekly event, Friday brunch, offers variety of cuisines such as Indian, Chinese, Lebanese and Saudi, with live-cooking stations and a line-up of fresh desserts. Singh added that Park Hyatt has several exciting food experiences lined up for coming month of Ramadan.
