Vietnamese Cuisine Delights Nairobians - Chef Visit Programme, for one week starting last Monday, their guests had the pleasure of sampling Vietnamese food courtesy of visiting chefs Philippe Bischoff, the Executive Chef of Fairmont Nile City in Cairo, and Mai Phuong Nguyen, Vietnamese Chef de Cuisine at Saigon Bleu Fairmont Nile City. The Guest Chef Visit Programme gives international chefs from various Fairmont hotels and resorts around the globe the opportunity to provide local clientele with gastronomical delights from exotic locations stretching from the Far East to North America. The Vietnamese-French Cuisine tour featured signature dishes from the Saigon Bleu Restaurant such as tantalising Duck rillettes with Vietnamese coriander on French baguette, zesty Galangal and lemongrass-scented chicken coconut soup, live Chicken Pho, Crisp fried sea bass with garlic, red chili and dill sauce, luscious Sautéed beef tenderloin with hot basil, shallots and young pepper, and popular Stir fried vegetables and sweet potatoes. Some of the heart-melting desserts included Mango with sticky rice and sweetened coconut milk and dulcified Passion fruit soufflé.

Tatu Restaurant showcased these savoury dishes from May 10-14 and guests had the opportunity to meet and interact with Executive Chef Philippe Bischoff.

Bischoff was the third Guest Chef being hosted at Fairmont The Norfolk. Previous guests included Executive Chef Christoph Ruffer, Fairmont Hamburg, Germany, and Executive Chef Maryan Gandon, Fairmont Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Philippe Bischoff who has unparalleled culinary skills in Vietnamese-French cuisines has worked in some of the world's finest establishments such as Hotel de la Paix, Geneva; Auberge du Raisin, Culy, Switzerland; Victoria & Alfred Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa; Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and is currently based at Fairmont Nile City, Cairo, Egypt.

While his co-chef Mai first learnt the secrets of Vietnamese dishes from her mother's kitchen. Her exposure to different cultures has heightened her proficiency in crafting unique dishes. Her outstanding skills led her to be the catering chef for welcoming parties for both ex-US President Bill Clinton and ex-Russian President Vladimir V. Putin. If you missed the action last week, be sure to catch the Executive Chef of London Savoy, UK, who is set to dazzle Nairobians in the course of the year.

Duncan Ndotono

Nairobi Star/18/05/2011