Sushi delights

Assistant Chef Alexander Espiritu Gonzales, a new recruit at the Mo Kan restaurant at the K Hotel in Juffair, is brimming with fresh ideas and aims to surprise and entice the kingdom’s Japanese food enthusiasts.

Chef Alexander, 23, from the Philippines, one of the island’s youngest to secure such a senior position in the kitchen of a four-star hotel, has already impressed guests with his culinary skills and signature dishes.

He explained: “I am fortunate to have had a Japanese mentor and the luck to have worked consistently in a Japanese kitchen, which I feel is what helped me reach such a responsible position at such an early age.

“As a child I loved eating sushi and I used to tell myself that one day I would learn how to prepare it. It inspired me to enter the hospitality industry straight from school.”

Chef Alexander has been introducing daily specials for Mo Kan’s patrons as well as for the outlet’s special sushi promotions on Saturday.

He said: “I hope to enhance the sushi section and add even more colour and variety to the menu with items including temmaki or cone rolls, teppanyaki, agimono and tempura.

“We are also discussing plans to add more vegetarian dishes to offer an array of choices for all our guests.”

One of Chef Alexander’s own signature creations is Sunset Boulevard, a special unagi roll.

Chef Alexander, who now lives in Hidd, holds a degree in Hotel & Restaurant management from the Philippines. Shortly after finishing his course, he took up an opportunity to work for the Rostana Park Hotel in Singapore.

He then returned to the Philippines to develop his skills preparing local cuisine before accepting a place at Bahrain’s Bushido Restaurant in the Seef district where he also gained experience in the pastry kitchen.

Following his stint there he moved to Dubai to take up a position at the celebrated sushi kitchen and banqueting hall at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel before joining the new K Hotel earlier this month.

Mo Kan, situated on the ground floor, offers a rich variety of Asian cuisine with dishes from Japan, China, Malaysia and Thai kitchens appearing on the menu, as well as an assortment of fusion favourites.

The venue is open from noon to 3.30pm and from 7pm to 11pm daily.

Chef Alexander shares his recipe for Sunset Boulevard, with GulfWeekly readers.