Only four days after its launching, the Japanese promotion at the Taj Exotica Hotel in Flic en Flac is proving very successful. The promotion is taking place at the Cilantro Specialty Restaurant until the 9th of December. For the occasion Japanese Chef Tadashi Aoki was flown to Mauritius. Although Tadashi Aoki was born and raised in Japan, he has lived and worked in many countries and is currently based in one of Switzerland?s finest hotels: The Grand Hotel Bad Ragaz. It is interesting to note that it is not his first time in Mauritius. The Taj Exotica already featured him successfully on two occasions in November 2004 and March 2006.

An attractive cross-section of Japanese savouries can be found on his specialty menu to first of all offer a certain variety and, at the same time, for resort guests as well as Mauritians to be able to experience what Japanese food is all about. Delicious sushi and sashimi are available as starters; those who prefer a soup can try a very tasty misoshiru, a miso soup with tofu and seaweed.

For the main dish, there are various choices. The two most popular dishes are Chicken-Teriyaki, grilled chicken in a teryaki sauce, and a very savory Hiyashi Tempura Soba, cold noodles with vegetable and jumbo shrimps in a pastry coating served with soy bouillon. However, there are many other great choices of this more and more popular cuisine and it is simply impossible to enumerate all of them.

After two months of preparation, the atmosphere has been wonderful these last few days since Friday. According to people working in the restaurant, there were 25 to 30 people each night that enjoyed dinner including many Japanese specialties from Friday till yesterday. But what the people seem to like most is the Japanese atmosphere that reigns within the restaurant, certainly at the Teppanyaki Counter. There is a feeling of Japan as you enter the restaurant; a traditional Noren, a decorative fabric, hangs between two pillars at the entrance, typical of any Japanese restaurant.

In the kitchen, the atmosphere is simply wonderful. While some of the chefs try to learn from the Tadashi Aoki, an air of friendliness can also be noticed between all of them. Despite coping with some additional stress, they keep smiles on their faces. They are simply enjoying what they are doing and of course feel confident with the presence of the Japanese Chef.

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According to Hans E. Koch, General Manager of Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, the Japanese promotion is an initiative taken to please the resort?s guests as well as other, most welcome guests from outside who like to dine at Cilantro. He believes that such events provide an opportunity to offer something extra and make the restaurant more special. ?It is more interesting to offer a larger variety of food for our clients. It is also a great opportunity for our devoted chefs to learn more about Japanese food and to become more skilled in preparing Japanese specialties. At the same time, we will be able to add additional dishes and flavours to our present menu.?

Tadashi Aoki for his part adds that he is delighted to be in Mauritius. With his very humoristic approach, he said: ?The two major things I like about Mauritius are the people and the weather. I just hope they like my food. But so far, I have had good feedback.? Furthermore, he stressed on the amount of support he gets from Mr. Koch: «He is a great General Manager. I used to work with him back in Switzerland and I very much appreciate his support and thorough knowledge of Japanese food.?