Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has announced its collaboration with renowned chef, Jereme Leung, to create the island nation’s first authentic Chinese restaurant. Ufaa by Jereme Leung, which opened on September 27, has become the 12th restaurant on the Conrad Maldives resort. The restaurant blends contemporary and classical, as well as Chinese and Maldivian elements in all aspects of its style, from the menu to the presentation and décor of the venue.
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island’s General Manager, Lyle Lewis, comments, “With the Maldives becoming an ever-more-popular destination for Chinese travelers – jumping from the 10th to 5th most popular outbound tourist destination [1] – we wanted to welcome our Chinese guests with a truly authentic dining experience that delivered the taste of home with the unique twist of Maldivian ingredients.”
Each of the dishes on Ufaa’s menu has been derived from renowned culinary provinces of China: Liaoning, Heilongjiang; Shaanxi, Lanzhou; Changsha, Chongqing; Guangdong, Hong Kong; and Zhejiang. Additionally, a tasting menu is available on the first floor that constantly changes each month, ensuring the restaurant’s food offering is evolving with the island’s surroundings. Produce is sourced from Maldivian surroundings, including Maldivian lobster, freshly caught seafood from the island’s shores, and a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables and, herbs which are grown on the resort’s own garden island, Mandhoo.
Beyond food, Ufaa incorporates Chinese experiential elements through a number of key features. On the ground floor, the Tea House within Ufaa offers communal spaces and private rooms for friends and family to catch up and mingle over teas, dim sum, noodles and Mahjong games during the day. At sundown under the starlit sky, guests can savor the flavorful reunion hotpot on the beach. Private Mahjong rooms have been designed with their own individual look and feel, featuring custom designed tables. Chinese décor involves silk/wooden screens, oversized lanterns and typical color palettes that have been applied in a unique and exciting fashion. Chinese accents are integrated into the design, giving guests a sense of place, whilst paying homage to its island location.
Jereme Leung, the man behind the restaurant’s cuisine and service concept, has twice received the Five Star Diamond Award from The American Academy of Hospitality Science to rank among the world’s best chefs, and has expertise covering all four schools of Chinese cooking – from dim sum to barbecue, and wok cooking to knife work – with further inspiration drawn from his years of cooking and creating restaurant concepts around the world.
Regarding his signature style and creations for Ufaa, Leung said, “My passion involves taking inspiration from traditional recipes by working together with masters of Chinese classical regional cuisines, remaining true to traditional Chinese cooking techniques while pushing the envelope in terms of style and presentation. Ufaa gave me the opportunity to create the perfect marriage of traditional and contemporary Chinese cuisine utilizing the freshest Maldivian ingredients.”
[1] “The Chinese Luxury Traveler 2014” released Hurun Report and ILTM Asia in June 2014: http://up.hurun.net/Hufiles/201407/20140715113705393.pdf.
