Taste of the Orient
A SIX-week trip to Singapore courtesy of his employer, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, has encouraged Paul Bates to write new menus with a distinctly Oriental slant.
"It was a fantastic opportunity and truly inspirational," says Bates, who has been executive chef at the 222-bedroom Millennium Chelsea Knightsbridge, in London's Sloane Street, for a year-and-a-half. "It has undoubtedly widened my repertoire and enabled me to pass on many ideas to the 14 chefs in the brigade."
Both the Pavilion lounge, which offers all-day dining from 7am-11pm, and the 80-cover Chelsea restaurant serve dishes originated by Bates. But they have not become dominated by Asian flavours; there are still plenty of dishes that reflect his modern European roots, stemming from the years he worked under John King at the Ritz Club and Peter Kromberg at the Hyde Park Inter-Continental. The menu includes a starter of open ravioli of salmon and winter asparagus, Cabernet Sauvignon vinaigrette (£7.50) and a main course of roasted halibut with a chive and scallion cake, ratatouille and saffron foam (£18.50).
Bates's aim has been to replicate the dishes he encountered in Singapore at sister Millennium hotel the Orchid as authentically as possible back in London. To this end, he has sourced all the ingredients he needs - particularly the fresh spices and wide range of soy sauces - from London's Chinatown and West Country Fine Foods, based in Warminster, Wiltshire.
The more casual approach of the Pavilion lounge is particularly receptive to Bates's Oriental flavours. Popular dishes here include Chinese five spice lamb on chow mein (£10.25). The lamb is first marinated in cinnamon, ginger, garlic, chilli and Malaysian sweet soy sauce before being steamed for five minutes and then roasted in the oven. It is served with a five spice sauce incorporating garlic and chilli.
"One of the most important tips I picked up on my trip was how to carefully blend spices to achieve different flavours, not just to create fire power," says Bates.
Two menus are offered in the Chelsea restaurant, a weekly changing menu with a choice of three dishes at each course (£13 for two courses, £16.50 for three) and the seasonal à la carte, where main courses range from £14.90 to £19.50.
Oriental offerings on the weekly menu may be a main course of beef tenderloin and vegetable roll, mango mojo; while à la carte starters include Oriental vegetable and noodle broth, chicken and chilli won-tons (£6.40) and mushroom and chilli roll on marinated vegetables with sesame dressing (£6.50).
Bates was not quite so impressed by the choice of desserts in Singapore - "More often than not we were just served slices of fresh fruit" - so he has concocted his own dishes from ingredients of the Far East, for example, mango mousse, sesame cream and sweet fruit spring roll, berry compote. n
Millennium Chelsea Knightsbridge, 17 Sloane Street, London SW1. Tel: 0171-235 4377
