Jacksons' Accelerator Spring Edition 2019 Accelerator 4th Edition - Magazine-sp | Page 41

Experience fine dining with a French twist and exceptional service at Tassili Tassili, the intimate yet opulent Four AA Rosette restaurant at the AA Five Star Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa with views over the beautiful St Aubin’s Bay, offers an exquisitely contemporary British menu, using the very best of Jersey’s local and seasonal produce, with a French twist. Executive Chef Nicolas Valmagna, Sous Chef Luis Silvestre and Restaurant Manager Nicolas Marais are perfectly in tune, sharing the same passion and goals - to create an exceptional fine dining experience without any fuss. They have been working tirelessly to put the restaurant firmly on the map as one of the Island’s best gastronomic experiences and were rewarded for their efforts last year with Four AA Rosettes, an accolade which now ranks Tassili amongst the very best in the UK. This dedicated and expert team takes diners on a theatrical journey of culinary discovery and treats them to an impressive display of inviting and beautifully presented dishes. Simplicity, taste, produce and technique are all key and they spend a lot of time perfecting each one. The menu is decided based on what is fresh that day and the team maintain a close relationship with farmers, fishermen and the local market. They also have a little gem nestled at the back of the hotel, their own kitchen garden where they grow their own peas, broad beans and butternut squash as well as courgettes, Jersey Royals, beetroot, strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, chard and herbs. Tassili’s style is largely French, drawing on Nicolas Valmagna’s roots. He was born in Paris where his godmother had a small restaurant, but as a child moved to the South of France. His mother and grandmother’s honest, traditional and very French style of cooking inspired him to become a chef from an early age and he spent a lot of time with them in the kitchen before heading off to catering school to hone his skills. Simplicity is key and the flavours are left to speak for themselves, but it is Nicolas Marais who can explain the entire menu and which dishes are best paired with which wines. As Tassili’s Restaurant Manager, he is responsible for the overall dining experience, ensuring every tiny detail is considered, the execution is perfect and the service exceptional, in an atmosphere unlike any other restaurant. Nicolas proved he has got fine dining restaurant gueridon service down to a fine art recently when he won bronze in the finals of the prestigious La Coupe Georges Baptiste - Professional competition in Limoges, Limousin. The Jèrriais tasting menu has become Tassili’s most popular, a menu inspired by the real diversity and high quality of local produce on the Island. It’s a recipe for interesting and innovative dishes such as Nicolas’ signature dish; local crab served with passion fruit gel, combava lime, bisque dressing and coconut foam; then there is the ‘Classic Herd’ pork belly accompanied by sticky pig cheek, perigord truffle, compressed pineapple and chorizo purée and Jersey fillet of beef with braised shin, ‘Roscoff ’ onion purée, local kale and smoked Jersey Royal potato crisp. Each menu comes to a show stopping finalé, be it the vegetarian ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ or a dish the Tassili team guarantee will leave you looking twice at a pear in future... This is a fine dining experience that will genuinely surprise and delight diners every time they visit. To find out more, view sample menus or to book a table click here