Hilton Northolme opens new Creole-inspired restaurant |15 March 2021

Mr Fabbri and Minister Radegonde cut the ribbon to officially open the new restaurant

Located on one of the hilltops at Hilton Northholme, Mahé is the new Creole-inspired, ecletic restaurant at the luxury resort.

The restaurant officially opened its doors to guests on Saturday evening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Sylvestre Radegonde, principal secretary for tourism Anne Lafortune, chief executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Sherin Francis, some members of the diplomatic corps, among others.

It was the general manger of Hilton Northolme, Daniele Fabbri, and the tourism minister who received the honour of cutting the ribbons to mark the grand opening of ‘Mahé’.

The small group of invited guests was then treated to an à la carte menu of refined courses inspired by the typical Seychellois grandmother’s kitchen, from a seafood bouillabaisse to pork belly cooked two ways to coconut ice cream and caviar topped up with flambéed roasted spiced pineapple, paired with wine and other beverages.

In the works for quite a while, the restaurant’s opening date kept being pushed back due to the recent restrictions but now that it is fully operational and open, Mr Fabbri and the Hilton team say they could not be prouder.

“We had to make a change, it’s in our DNA, in our culture. Firstly this is because we are hospitality industry people and we change often. This hotel had a very nice food and beverage section but it was time to change and upgrade ourselves,” explained Mr Fabbri.

The restaurant, which used to be referred to as the Hilltop, was duly renovated with touches of warm and brown tones added to highlight the tropical and Creole concept.

According to Mr Fabbri, the aim was to transform the area into a place where guests feel connected to the local environment.

“It is not just about the bedrooms or the swimming pool. From this vantage point you can see the Indian Ocean, the trees, the birds and hear the sound of the waves ‒ this is Seychelles,” he stated.

And why did Hilton Northholme choose the name Mahé for the restaurant?

“It sounds simple but it is a fantastic name to call a restaurant because it is where we are and we believe that we are the leader on Mahé[…]the whole concept is to make sure that they are in Seychelles throughout their journey,” clarified Mr Fabbri.

“The food is Creole-inspired, everything is connected ‒ the fish and octopus with a little bit of international twist to make sure that it satisfies every palate. But we really want the guests in our restaurants to feel 100% that they are in Seychelles,” he added.

“People choose to come to Seychelles for a specific purpose, and it is not just about the sun and the sea. Twenty years ago you would have come to tropical places to discover its beauty but nowadays, frankly speaking, everyone can travel wherever they want, so now it’s about highlighting the differences between destinations, when you connect to these places. Learning to say ‘bonzour’, eating octopus and fish along with the locals…”

In line with initiative to connect guests with the Creole lifestyle, Hilton Northolme is hoping to develop an activity with local guides who will take guests on ‘The Octopus Walk’ to find and capture octopus across the coast of Beau Vallon at low tides.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, we met up with executive sous-chef Manuel Carbone who conceptualised the menu for the restaurant.

“The menu was inspired by the island life, we are surrounded by sea and the daily life of the Seychellois is centred on the daily catch. There is a lot of the manman’s way of cooking from the Seychellois culture, with a touch of my Italian background and I was able to merge the menu. We found a lot of similar dishes between the Seychellois and Italian cuisine which I was able to insert in the menu such as the bouillabaisse ‒ a mix between the Mediterranean dish and the traditional bouyon blan[…]” said chef Carbone.

He added that some dishes such as the dessert were infused with the Takamaka Rum as a nod to the signature spirit brand of Seychelles.

Mahé at Hilton Northolme is open to both guests and locals, and the latter must book their tables beforehand as prescribed by public health guidelines.

Elsie Pointe

Photo credits: Hilton Northolme