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Executive Chef Jude Jayasekara aims to bring the quality of fine food, silver service and eating out ambience to the homes, gardens and businesses of customers this summer.
Regular diners at the popular Khan Al Marjan restaurant in the Al Safir Hotel & Tower in Juffair, which is renowned for its magnificent mixed grills and seafood platters, will be familiar with the fare available.
The kitchen team specialises in versatility by offering a variety of Arabic, Asian and European dishes and has seen the demand for its outside catering grow.
“The people of Bahrain love to entertain,” said Mr Rajesh K.C., the food and beverage manager, “The quality of food and service guests are provided with are essential ingredients if the event is to be a success.
“Outdoor catering is good for both small and large events – providing the planning is in place beforehand.
“Ideally, we need to have a very clear picture from the client of how many guests will be attending to determine how much food to make and what back-up will be required.
“We transport all the food by vans filled with compartments to keep everything either hot or cold – at the ideal preparation temperature – to ensure nothing has changed from the moment the meals leave the kitchen to the time we are ready to serve them.
“We also tend to advise clients on the type of venue they chose to host their event in. For example, catering in the garden can be ruined by insects so a tented area may prove invaluable as well as the number of servers at hand.
“It’s all about doing the best job possible for our clients.”
Now boasting a team of 25 to meet customer demand, the outdoor catering services cover corporate cocktail parties to full-blown wedding spreads … and everything in between.
As reported in GulfWeekly, Chef Jude proudly displays three badges of excellence on his uniform which his hotel secured thanks partly to his culinary skills and kitchen team.
The Al Safir Hotel & Tower became the first hospitality establishment on the island to achieve these internationally recognised certifications.
Chef Jude, who has been serving up delicacies for diners at the hotel for more than 10 years, said the accreditation was the ‘best compliment and honour’ he had ever received.
He began his career after leaving school in 1978 in Sri Lanka and in 1981, on recommendation from his former boss, Chef Jude joined the opening team at the kingdom’s Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel.
He also worked a stint at the Gulf Hotel before taking up the Al Safir Hotel challenge. Chef Jude specialises in continental, oriental and Arab cuisine and the fare is particularly popular with those who enjoy Iraqi food.
It wasn’t long before companies throughout the kingdom were demanding a taste of Al Safir at their functions.
The outside catering side of the enterprise grew and began providing fare for parties and even hospital wards.
Although the team caters for parties as small as 20, the largest event it has catered for attracted 2,500 diners. Now, the sky is the limit and industrial catering services are the next step.
Chef Jude added: “Although we offer a variety of menus from Arabic, Asian, Italian and other international cuisines, the most requested dishes are Chicken Makhani and Ghouzi.
“We also provide live cooking stations such as tempura, shawarma, crepe stations and more.”
Menu prices start from BD5.5. For more information contact the Al Safir Hotel & Tower at 17827999 or visit www.alsafirhotel.com
