Food & Beverage : Menu engineering
The main dining room at Coast Beach Bar and Grill in the Centara Grand Beach Resort ,
Samui , Thailand .
Coast BeaCh Bar aNd Grill ,
Centara Grand Beach Resort , Samui , Thailand
When the Centara Grand Beach Resort in Samui , Thailand , looked to redo its restaurants , it decided to remake its traditional Thai and Japanese bar and adjacent alfresco beach bar into a more modern venue that targets both local diners and what the hotel calls “ modern sophisticated travelers .”
The goal , says Winfried Hancke , group director of F & B for Centara hotels , was to merge the existing venue into one with different zones catering to the resort ’ s different mix of guests and “ create a cutting-edge venue where island residents and hotel guests had a place to relax and enjoy the exceptional view .”
“ We wanted the venue to offer guests the services that they are looking for , which meant offering choices according to their schedules such as lunch , post-lunch , sunset , dinner and after dinner menus .”
The design philosophy includes small areas and indoor space that offer privacy for small weddings and special meals without disturbing the outlet ’ s vibes .
The menu offers everything from stir fry , burgers and tapas during the day to seafood , roasts and local specialties at night .
“ The outlet ’ s success has been extraordinary from the get-go ,” Hancke says . “ Guests have accepted the venue and offerings so well , which is reflected by the feedback on social media and traveler feedback sites such as TripAdvisor . The local community has embraced the venue and has helped to bring some local relevance to the outlet . The financial performance has significantly improved after the implementation of the changes .” irvin serrano
UNioN restaUraNt ,
Press Hotel , Portland , Maine
Bon Appetit has dubbed Portland , Maine , “ America ’ s Foodiest Small Town .” So the new Press Hotel in the city ’ s old newspaper building had some high bars to cross in developing its dining venue , Union Restaurant , a farm-to-table concept that focus on the town ’ s culinary heritage .
“ Our positioning statement was to bring the exciting Portland culinary foodie market a concept inspired by our culinary team , which has a deep history with the farm-to-table community ,” says Patrick Goddard , president of Trust Hospitality , the management company that operates the hotel .
As a farm-to-table venue , Union draws on the increasingly popular concept of sourcing locally .
But the executive chef , Maine native Joshua Berry , also draws inspiration from his travels . The menu features a wide variety , from coconut soup to New England fish and chips .
There is an emphasis on the visual identity of the food , Goddard says , “ unique , fresh , healthy looking , simple , organic .” Dinner entrees include a Maine salmon with lemongrassginger tea ; braised and pressed pork shoulder with local savoy cabbage and apricot Mostarda natural jus ; and a Casco Bay cod with Littleneck clams , soy brown butter bok-choy and Chinese fermented sausage .
Union also caters to the local business lunch crowd looking for a quick bite . Lunch sandwiches include a pressed chicken with local brie cheese , fruitwood smoked bacon and truffle honey mustard . “ We have a corporate crowd who all mill out of the government buildings for lunch ,” Goddard says . “ They have a 30-minute lunch break . They can walk in and have a sandwich put together at the table .”
The dining room at Union inside the Press Hotel , Portland , Maine
38 HOTELS November 2015 www . hotelsmag . com