Author Archives: constancehotelseditor

Spring Summer 2012′s hottest accessories

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Give your wardrobe an instant lift with this season’s most covetable accessories.

Woman wearing sunglasses

Key trends this season

Bags, shoes, shades and hats

Check out Stylist’s pick of the best spring accessories, from funky shades to killer heels by way of some fabulous totes and every style of straw hat imaginable.  

Shoes

The fashionista’s online bible, Net-a-porter, features the most desirable heels this season – big this Spring are sexy colour-block heels and evening flats.

Shades

With the sun shining, it’s time to reach for your shades. Take inspiration from Elle magazine’s round up of early season shades featuring the loveliest sunglasses in the shops right now.  

Jewellery

Fast track your way to instant chic with one of this season’s easiest trends to wear – chunky bangles. Vogue shows you how to work the look.   

Christopher Barber and team celebrate end of culinary festival

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With bags almost packed in the knowledge of a job well done, the team behind the successful 7th edition of Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau head out to sea on a luxury catamaran to have some well earned fun.

Constance Belle Mare Plage, Mauritius

Constance Belle Mare Plage

Here, Christopher Barber shares the day with us.

What sadness, the last day in paradise.

Yesterday was the final organised event - a catamaran trip along the coast, lunch on board washed down with copious amounts to drink.

Executive chef Dominique Grel is as comfortable looking after guests as he is in the kitchen. He is the ultimate professional, looking after everyone whilst having a great time himself. He epitomises everything that is wonderful about Constance Hotels and the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau - having fun, making friends and looking after people. He is ably assisted by Vincent and Guillaume from Belle Mare Plage, they exude friendship and charm, making sure that the chefs have an appropriate send off.

Star of the day is Angela Hartnett’s boyfriend Neil Borthwick. He sings, dances, swims and drinks, bringing a smile to everyone’s face.

Bruno Le Gac and team with Patrick Bittner

Bruno Le Gac and team with Patrick Bittner

The Constance team have once again shown us that gastronomy alone is not enough - great food and hospitality is also about people and personality. Through the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau, they have shown the world that they have this in abundance.

Behind the scenes photos of the final festival dinner

Visit our Constance Facebook page to see some wonderful photos of the Michelin* chefs and island cooks preparing the 6* dinner on the final night of the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau.

Top sommelier Enrico Bernardo inspires the Constance team

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Enrico Bernardo, named Best Sommelier in the World in 2004, was on this year’s Jury for the 7th edition of the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau.

Enrico Bernardo

Enrico Bernardo

While in Mauritius, Enrico took the opportunity to talk to our sommeliers about his work. A real inspiration to the team, he talked about his earlier career as a chef and how it led him to become a sommelier.

‘Anyone can become a sommelier. You have to want to learn -  above all about appellations, terroirs and the history of the country.’

This is a humble man who has passed his dream and passion for his work onto our sommeliers.

Enrico Bernardo’s rise to success as a world class sommelier

  • 1993 – Best Young Chef in Europe
  • 1995 – Prix Master de Port Italie
  • 1996 et 1997 – Best Sommelier in Lombardy
  • 1996 et 1997 – Best Sommelier in Italy
  • 1998 et 2000 – Second in Best Sommelier in Europe
  • 2002 – Best Sommelier in Europe
  • 2004 – Best Sommelier in the World

Menu: Easter Monday at Constance Le Prince Maurice

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Guests staying at Constance Le Prince Maurice are in for a treat on Easter Monday when dining at the delightful L’Archipel.

L'Archipel

L'Archipel

First rate chef Michael Scioli has prepared a menu of Easter inspired delicacies and surprises. Each course is perfectly complemented with a specially selected champagne or wine.

Creamy egg with tarragon, wild mushroom mousse
Champagne Deutz, Brut Classic

Easter egg with foie gras and cocoa chocolate, tangy seasonal fruits and vegetables
Vin de Constance, Klein Constancia Constancia, 2006

Roasted stuffed Easter lamb leg, piperade and preserved potato, thyme juice
Saumur-Champigny, ‘Les Terres Chaudes’, Thierry Germain, 2008  

Dessert and Easter egg buffet
Poiré, ‘Granit’, Eric Bordelet

Christopher Barber shares the moment the winner of Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau is announced

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The pinnacle of the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau is the prize giving ceremony.

David Johansen and Ankur Daru

David Johansen and Ankur Daru

After a glorious sunny day, the rain returns just as the ceremony is to begin. Mauritians always have a Plan B, and without any fuss we move indoors into the main bar. There is tension, but this feels like a genuine celebration of the week’s culinary highs and the new friendships made.

It is not all about the chefs – winners are announced for cocktail, wine matching and table setting categories.

However cuisine is king for this week, and the winners are announced.

David Johansen and Ankur Daru take this year’s crown, and it is a well deserved success.

In my opinion, there may have been better individual dishes than those created by our winners. However, David and Ankur showed us something which captured the spirit of the festival. Theirs was a true collaboration - the Nordic and Indian influences both prevailed creating an admirable and equal fusion.

This was not just a European master presiding over his Island apprentice, and their obvious bond made a heart warming and quite obviously special relationship.

The evening was celebrated with yet another highlight - a 3* dinner created by the wonderful Patrick Bertron.

Dancing and partying rounded off a truly magnificent day.

Read more about the winners of Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau

Winners announced at the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau

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David Johansen, the Michelin-starred chef of Kokkeriet restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark is the winner of the 7th edition of the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau. His partner is the Chef de Partie, Ankur Daru of Constance Ephélia Resort, Seychelles.

Watch their acceptance speech on video on Ile Maurice Tourisme website.

David Johansen and Ankur Daru (left)

David Johansen and Ankur Daru (left)

The winning menu:

  • Starter – Shrimps with crispy rice and curry leaves, jellyfied mango chutney, coconut milk with shrimps and curry leaves oil
  • Main course - Marinated lamb in spiced bread, coconut curry sauce, chayote leaves, passion fruits glazed carrots, pickles of pumpkin and onions, lamb coriander juice.

2nd place:
Angela Hartnett, Restaurant Murano, London, United Kingdom and Kamlesh Doorjean, Constance Le Prince Maurice, Mauritius

3rd place:
Dominique Gauthier, Restaurant Le Chat Botté, Beau Rivage, Geneva, Switzerland and Jayram Seenanum, Constance Belle Mare Plage, Mauritius

 

4th Place: (shared by)
Patrick Bittner, Restaurant Français, Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof, Frankfurt, Germany and Nuwan Hettiarachchi, Constance Halaveli Resort, Maldives

Fabrice Biasiolo, Restaurant Une Auberge en Gascogne, Astaffort, France and Ravish Mukri, Constance Moofushi Resort, Maldives

Jacques Decoret, La Maison Decoret, Vichy, France and Hildy Sinon, Constance Lémuria Resort, Seychelles

Visit our Constance Facebook page for more photos from the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau.