Sun International’s Table Bay Hotel is delighted to announce an Indian Food Festival from 10 – 16 September 2008. Guests can enjoy authentic Indian cuisine created by two of Goa’s most prominent chefs, Bhuvnesh Kumar Verma and Vasco Alvares.

All the food, music and entertainment will be customised to create a simulated Indian experience. The festival has a dual purpose for Executive Chef, Dallas Orr and his team, as it provides an excellent opportunity for them to exchange ideas and to learn new authentic Indian dishes.

South Africa has an eclectic mix of cultures - the cuisine is a gastro-tribute to the people of South Africa. The rainbow applies not only to the people but to the food, for there are a myriad of different cuisines. Our unique blends of cuisines are derived from India, Africa, China, Malaysia and Holland.

“The cultural influences on the food of Southern Africa are countless. Every foreign nationality is representative of our cuisine but what is truly amazing is being able to adapt and add a new twist to classic recipes and I’m looking forward to working with these authoritative Goan chefs”, says Dallas Orr.

For seven nights guests can sample dishes straight from heaven. There is nothing ordinary about Indian food. You haven’t lived if you haven’t tasted Prawns Balchao, Goan fish curry rice, Lamb Xacuti and Maka pao steak.

‘Our association with the High Commision of India allows us to share food from different provinces in India, last year was Kerala and this year Goa. We are hosting special vip guests at the Table Bay Hotel and these guests are in for a treat. Their food presentation is a visual feast and the menu promises to tantalise even the most jaded of palates,” says General Manager, Philip Couvaras, “as India is considered to be one of the best gastronomic countries in the world.”

The Table Bay Hotel will give culinary enthusiasts the rare opportunity of dining with star Goa chefs; Bhuvnesh Kumar Verma and Vasco Alvares. Bruvnesh has worked as Senior Sous Chef for Oceania Cruises where he managed the main gallery to ensure smooth operation and maintained the highest quality standards.

He was Chef De Cuisine at Curry Khazana in West Palm Beach, Florida, and the Head Pantry Chef at Celebrity Cruises. He was Demi-Chef de Partie of Burj-Al-Arab in Dubai where he worked in different restaurants in various sections of the kitchen. He was an Operational Management Trainee with the TAJ Group of Hotels, where he went through an intensive training programme in food production including the commissary. He has worked in India, Dubai, and the USA.

Vasco worked at Hotel Delmon as Food Manager and at Flora de Rosa, in Lisbon, Portugal. He also worked on Carnival Cruise lines from 1999 to 2004 as Demi-Chef de Partie. During this period he gathered knowledge of many different cuisines namely Italian, Jamaican, Mexican and French.

From 2005 - 2007, he ran his own restaurant Vas Quitos which served speciality fusion food. He has recently invested in a new restaurant opening in October. He regularly participates in Goan Food Festivals and has conducted demonstrations for the kitchen executives at the Park hotel in New Delhi.

Diners at the Conservatory Restaurant can enjoy starter dishes of: Squid stuffed with chopped prawns and cooked in Goan spices; Marinated mussels coated in semolina and fried in Crab meat and sautéed in Goan spices stuffed in papad cones. Main Courses will include; Fish Recheiado, Prawns Rawa fry, Mushroom Xacuti, Lamb Vindalho and Fish Caldinho, which is a speciality fish dish cooked in a smooth curry of coconut and fresh coriander and served with steamed rice and kismur and papad.

Tempting desserts include Serradura, a heavenly blend of cream and condensed milk topped with biscuit powder and Bebinca which consists of layers of coconut milk and caramel painstakingly baked layer by layer and served with a vanilla sauce.

The stage is set for a week of Indian fantasy.

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Sun International’s operations include resorts, luxury hotel products, and casinos in 14 jurisdictions in South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland.Everyday, over 50 000 customers from over 50 countries visit a Sun International property.Over a period of three decades, the group has invested more than R10-billion in new tourism infrastructure. It employs over 8400 people in southern Africa, has indirectly created 50000 new employment opportunities in the broader tourism industry, and it has been estimated that its business has a direct impact on the livelihood of more than 500000 people in the sub-continent.For further information regarding Sun International or any of the properties, visit their website: www.suninternational.com