Offering a French touch

Bon Appetit! Olivier Nuttinck, the newly-appointed executive chef at the InterContinental Regency in Manama, has been busy adding his French touch to the mouth-watering menu at the La Versailles restaurant.

The celebrated eating establishment is serving a selection of newly-introduced French dishes with a touch of Arabic flavour.

Chef Olivier has cooked for numerous celebrities, personalities and politicians including the former French president Jacques Chirac ... but believes it doesn't matter whom one cooks for, only what is being served.

He also feels the most vital ingredient of a kitchen is its team. "We have a staff of 50 members working together including chefs, sous chefs and cooks and together we can achieve our objective of serving memorable meals."

Chef Olivier, 37, began his culinary journey in 1990 after completing a hotel management course in France. He has since worked with major hospitality names such as the Sheraton in London, Abela and Hilton in Paris and the Antwerp Hotel in Belgium.

His first Middle East challenge came when he joined the Accor Group in Al Ain, UAE.

"I wanted to experience what lay beyond Europe."

Within six months he was snapped up by the InterContinental Group and his ambitions are still fired by his school days experiences.

Chef Olivier explained: "Every year from the age of six or seven I would write down that I wanted to become a cook or chef.

"I'm not sure whether they took me seriously because they asked me what I wanted to do at the end of every academic year. But it all began as a child when I used to help my mother cook and I enjoyed it so much.

"You need to learn to respect the products and you need to know the right amounts of seasoning - then you can cook anything and anywhere."

Chef Olivier believes the InterContinental Group can help him to fulfill his ambitions and he is determined to make a name for himself - and the team - during his time in the kingdom.

He also hopes one day to gain experience in Japan and the Far East.

Save from spending more than half his day in the kitchen preparing gourmet delicacies, he enjoys playing squash. "You need to keep fit when you are a chef!"

Here he shares one of his favourite recipes with GulfWeekly.

Fresh duck foie gras with grapes

THIS_is a classic dish in the grand tradition of French cuisine. Serves two.

Ingredients:

4 slices fresh duck foie gras

around 80gm each and 1cm thick

150gm white grapes (Muscat)

5 cubic litre grape juice

5gm sugar

30gm butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Peel the grapes and remove the seeds, working over a plate to catch the juice.

Season the slices of duck foie gras with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick pan and cooked them for 30 seconds on each side until a crusty surface forms.

Remove the fat from the pan and pour the grape juice with the sugar. Reduce it ,add the butter to obtain the sauce. Add the grapes at the end to warm them in the sauce.

Surround the foie gras with the grapes in the plates, pour over the sauce and serve immediately.