TRAVELLIVE MAGAZINE Travellive 05-2016 | Page 29

Grill 63 Restaurant - Lotte Hotel Hanoi Şeref ÖZALP, a talented British chef, has AESTHETIC AND NATURE THE ENDLESS INSPIRATIONS IN CULINARY ART... over 20 years of experience in cooking and managing restaurants in 5-star hotels. Following his dream since the age of 13, he has gained considerable acclaim and has been the Executive Chef of 9 hotels in the world. His modern take on gastronomy has been respectfully awarded more than 40 times in the UK. He has also attained important positions at hotels in France, Italy, Turkey, Germany, and Thailand before working for the Lotte Hotel Hanoi. As the Executive Chef of Lotte Hotel Hanoi, Şeref ÖZALP would like to share with Travellive’s readers his journey and experiences in culinary art. Could you please start with what urged you to pursue your career as a chef? I was born in a family of chefs, my mother and my 4 siblings are chefs. Cooking gives me a lot of experience and allows me to serve and meet famous stars, businessmen, and politicians from around the world. Particularly, I have had a chance to cook dinner for the British royal family with the presence of Queen Elizabeth, as well as the Dutch and Egyptian royal families. What is your inspiration for creating new dishes? To create a new dish, I often look to art and nature. I love art as the blend of colors always brings me new ideas. Nature, with its colorful world is also an endless source of inspiration. Looking at the magical and sophisticated changes of colors in nature makes me want to present these colors at my banquet. Why did you choose Lotte Hotel Hanoi as your current workplace after working for numerous hotels in the world? Lotte Hotel Hanoi is a 5-star world class hotel belonging to Lotte - a prestigious brand name. The hotel boasts a chain of high-class restaurants which are up to my standard, so I decided to bring my talent here. As an executive chef, what do you offer your guests at the restaurants of Lotte Hotel Hanoi? The Lotte Hotel Hanoi offers its guests interesting and unparalleled dining experiences. Grill 63 is home to the best steak and premium wines. Red River serves delicious contemporary dishes, while Tim Ho Wan is world famous dimsum house from HongKong. Situated on the rooftop of the 65-storey Lotte Hanoi Center, Top of Hanoi offers you an infinite open view to enjoy Hanoi by night. Thank you for your sharing! We wish you more exciting experiences in your work and life as well. TRAVELLIVE 29