Cyril Lignac AT ROYAL PALM BEACHCOMBER LUXURY CYRIL LIGNAC AU ROYAL PALM It started as a short-term project, a six-month contract. Now it’s a reality. Great news: the well-publicised chef Cyril Lignac is back at Royal Palm for another year. Ce fut d’abord un projet éphémère, une collaboration de six mois. C’est à présent une réalité. Bonne nouvelle, le chef médiatique Cyril Lignac revient pour une année de plus au Royal Palm. BY FRANÇOIS SIMON Catering has invented a new made-to-measure concept: the “pop-up” restaurant, i.e. fleeting experiments destined to disappear after a time. In fact, this very often makes it possible to test an original formula. If everyone likes it, it continues. That is what happened between Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury, its trattoria La Brezza and the renowned French chef Cyril Lignac. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT “I immediately succumbed to the hotel’s charm,” admits the star chef. “I was impressed by the virtuosity of the executive chef William Girard and the resort’s idyllic setting, at the end of Grand Sable beach, where the sunsets are fabulous. It couldn’t go wrong! I didn’t want anything to be complicated, I just wanted to blend into the Mauritian charm, transpose my Paris Italian-style restaurant, Ischia, and adapt it to the island’s produce. My menus are based on local fish, served in crudo, a fresh, tonic recipe, perfect with the superb prawns!” Cyril Lignac went looking for tropical flavours and colours, to match his style with the exquisite setting: linguine with lobster; red emperor cooked in olive oil and lemon, Victoria pineapple and red peppers; sorbet with locally grown lemon and candied grapefruit. “With this partnership,” he says, “I want to pay tribute to the island’s multicultural identity by combining Mauritian and Mediterranean regional produce.” A DELIGHTFUL COLLABORATION The restaurant menu contains what we rightly envy in Italian cuisine: its simple language, fun, and delicious; these foods that make us happy: pizzetta with cooked ham, mushrooms, wasabi and pecorino; vitello tonnato with capers and sundried tomatoes; anolini al limone, with sage, butter and ricotta; Piedmont hazelnut ice cream and gianduja sauce. “I realised,” observes Cyril Lignac, “that Italian cuisine could be a universal language. I have even found a producer of mozzarella and burrata on the island!” But a partnership like this is not a solitary exercise, it takes three to play: the guests and their hopes for a delicious cuisine, the chef and his desire to provide it, and finally, the management, whose discreet task is to bring the two aspirations together. “We are delighted with this unique collaboration with Chef Cyril Lignac,” says Isabelle Bouvier, general manager of Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury. “His innovation, audacity and immense talent promise some unique experiences for both eyes and taste buds.” Yet another advantage for an already illustrious luxury hotel. “DELIGHTED WITH THIS MAGNIFICENT ADVENTURE!” « SI CONTENT DE CETTE MAGNIFIQUE AVENTURE ! » © Eric Lee
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