Max Hitchins' Research

From Crikey.com

Aussies who have 'made it' overseas
http://www.crikey.com.au/articles/2004/04/26-0001.html

Charlie Bell - began his career at McDonald's in 1971, flipping burgers in a suburban Sydney McDonald's restaurant at age 15. A career Mackers man, he was CEO for most of 2004 until being tragically struck down by cancer.

Geoffrey Bible - started his career with Philip Morris in 1968 as its financial head in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He held various international positions before becoming CEO of Philip Morris International in 1987. Now retired.

Bob Bishop - studied mathematical physics at the University of Adelaide and did his Masters in Science at New York University, is now now World Chairman and CEO of Silicon Graphics.

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Philip Bowman - worked in accountancy and venture development in Iran, Australia and the USA and and is also a non-executive director of BskyB. The former Coles Myer finance director who blew the whistle on Yannon is now CEO of grog giant Allied Domecq in London, which is being taken over in a $20 billion deal.

Sam Chisholm - spent almost a decade as CEO of BSkyB in London and now back in Australia as a Packer fix-it man.

Leigh Clifford - a mining engineer from Queensland, he joined Rio Tinto in 1970 and has held various roles in the Group's coal and metalliferous operations and is now chief executive of Rio Tinto in London.

Jill Ker Conway - despite being a failure as Lend Lease chairman she is still a director of Merrill Lynch and Colgate-Palmolive.

David Crowe - studied at the universities of Sydney and NSW, he has held various prominent positions with the British American Tobacco Group since joining the company in 1995 from the pharmaceutical industry and is now managing director of British American Tobacco in South Africa.

Douglas Daft - the son of a Cessnock shoe store owner, Daft taught High School maths in Sydney before completing a business administration degree at the University of NSW. In 1969, he joined Coke as a planning officer, and over 30 years later became chairman and CEO but it was a troubled time at the top.

Leon Davis - former CEO of Rio Tinto in London and still deputy chairman. Now back in Australia where he also chairs Westpac.

Andrew Day - former Sensis CEO who quit in 2004 to become CEO of world directories business Apax-Cinven in Europe.

Richard Druce - the former Killara boy was a Vice President of Remy Martin, based in Paris. Not the biggest job, but it carries plenty of prestige and came complete with a couple of chateaux.

Rod Eddington - former CEO of Cathay Pacific and Ansett and now CEO of British Airways. Returning to Australia as a professional director at the end of 2005 and already sits on the News Corp and Rio Tinto boards.

Doug Elix - Adelaide-born boss of IBM Sales and Distribution, the $US45 billion services arm of IBM, joined IBM in 1969, and was named chief executive officer, IBM Australia in 1994. Elix was formerly Senior Vice President and Group Executive, IBM Global Services, but has recently been promoted to Senior Vice President and Group Executive, Sales and Distribution. Rumoured to have been approached to be CEO of Telstra.

John Ellice-Flint - the Santos CEO spent 26 years with US energy giant Unocal, concluding as senior vice president and global exploration and technology.

David Ffrench - (yes that's double f, not a typo) formerly with ESSO Australia, he is now global head of environmental services for Exxon-Mobil.

Doug Flynn - (ex-News Ltd and a Newcastle boy) ran the London-listed media and m,garketing services company, Aegis Group plc, before recently moving to Rentokil as CEO after almost signing on the dotted line to take over at Fairfax.

Richard Goodmanson - the tough nut from Queensland is chief operating officer of chemical giant Du Pont.

James Gorman - head of Merrill Lynch's US private client group.

Malcolm Gough - He was the first non-Japanese executive to take charge of a Mazda subsidiary when he took charge of the Australian company in 1997. The 57-year-old has now been promoted to executive general manager overseas sales in Japan.

Ray Greenshields - educated at UNSW, he spent over 30 years working for AMP, before moving to Zurich Financial Services as chief executive of its UK, Ireland and international life business, where he stayed for two years, before leaving in 2002.

Michelle Guthrie - former Allens lawyer in Sydney, now running STAR TV for News Corp in Hong Kong.

Peter Hearl - formerly with ESSO Australia, he is now president of Pizza Hut.

Ton Helsham - joined Volvo in 1985 and since 2000 has been President of Volvo Construction Equipment.

Patricia Hewitt - Trade and Industry Minister in the Blair Government after a successful stint with Anderson Consulting.

David Hill - global head of Fox Sports for News Corp.

Les Hinton - Rupert Murdoch's managing director of UK newspaper division News International.

David Johnson - Chairman and CEO of Campbell Soup Co from 1990-77 and now a director of Colgate-Palmolive.

David Mackay - born in Hamilton, New Zealand, he studied business at Charles Stuart Universit and joined Kellogg Australia as group product manager in 1985. He left to become managing director of Sara Lee in Australia, but returned to Kellogg in 1998 as managing director, Kellogg Australia. He's now President and Chief Operating Officer of Kelloggs globally.

Trevor Matthews - has an MA in Actuarial Studies from Macquarie University, Sydney. He spent 26 years with Legal & General, but moved to NAB in 1996. He joined Manulife Financial in 1998 as Executive Vice President, Canadian Operations and is now Senior Executive Vice President and General Manager, Japan.

Stuart McGill - former CEO of ESSO Australia, is now number three in the giant Dallas-based Exxon-Mobil Corporation - president of ExxonMobil Gas Marketing.

Phil Merrick and Caren DeWitt - the co-founders of Webmethods founded the business in 1996 and floated in on the NASDAQ in February 2000. Whilst hit by the tech wreck it has survived and has annual revenues of almost $300 million.

Stephen Millar - is the CEO and President of Constellation Wines, which became the world's largest wine business when BRL Hardy was acquired by US company Constellation Brands Inc last year. He's still based in Adelaide.

Tom Mockridge - CEO of News Corp's emerging Italian pay-TV business, Sky Italia. Mockridge is a former SMH and News Ltd journalist. He did his cadetship at the Taranaki Daily News in New Zealand, was press officer for Paul Keating when he was Treasurer. He was CEO of Foxtel from 1997-2000 before running News Corp's New Zealand operations.

John Mullen - CEO of DHL Express Americas, Asia Pacific, Middle East and emerging markets, a $US28 billion revenue market leader in the international documents, packages and logistics industry. DHL employs over 170,000 people across 220 countries and territories making it one of the most international companies in the world. The former TNT veteran also sits on the board of management of Deutsche Post World Net, the parent of DHL and the world's biggest transport company.

Rupert Murdoch - executive chairman of News Corp. Rupert studied at Oxford and worked in Fleet Street before taking over the family newspaper business. He expanded throughout Australia and in 1969 bought the UK titles the News of the World and The Sun. In 1976 he bough the New York Post, The Times and the Sunday Times. In the 1980s News Corp bought 20th Century Fox and began the Fox Network, and in the 90s News developed satellite television in the UK and Asian markets.

Jac Nasser - former chief executive of Ford Motor Co (where he spent 35 years) and is now chairman of Polaroid and a director of Brambles and BSkyB. He was born in Lebanon, but move to Australia with his family in the 1950s .He is fluent in English, Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese.

John Pizzey - former number two at Pittsburg-based aluminium giant Alcoa and chairman of the London Metals Exchange. He is a graduate of Melbourne University in Chemical Engineering and from RMIT in Management.

Geoff Polites - recently left Ford Australia to take up a post in Germany.

Mike Quigley - Studied Physics, Mathematics and Electrical Engineering at the University of New South Wales. He joined Alcatel - now the world's biggest provider of broadband internet equipment - in 1971 as an engineering Intern. He rose to be president of Alcatel Americas and CEO of Alcatel USA. The expat Australian has now been promoted to chief operating officer at France's Alcatel and has also been anointed to replace chairman and chief executive Serge Tchuruk, who is due retire soon.

Glen Renfrew - the retired Australian-born MD of Reuters Holdings PLC now lives on Long Island. On graduating in medicine from Sydney University in 1952 he toured Europe and landed a job with Reuters, eventually taking the top job in 1981. Reuters Holdings became a public company on 4 June 1984, issuing 25% of the equity (106.8m shares at ¡1.96 a share), valuing the company at around 800 million pounds. Renfrew became an instant millionaire.

Clive Standish - the Zurich-based group chief financial officer of Swiss banking giant UBS.

Steve Targett - has just returned to ANZ but was a main board director of Lloyds TSB in London responsible for wholesale and international banking.

Evan Thornley - launched internet search and listings company Looksmart with wife Tracey from San Francisco in the 1990s and saw its market value peak at $7 billion during the dotcom boom. Now back in Australia plotting a political career but still non-executive chairman.

Elmar Toime - the executive deputy chairman of Britain's Royal Mail was born in Italy but educated in Australia before he moved to New Zealand in 1987 and then climbed the corporate ladder in the UK.

Peter Tomsett - the president and CEO of Canadian gold mining company Placer Dome, graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Mining Engineering from the University of New South Wales and attained a Master of Science (Distinction) in Mineral Production Management from the Imperial College London. Tomsett, 47, joined Placer Dome in 1986, working most recently as Executive Vice-President of Placer Dome Asia Pacific and Africa. He is also director of the Minerals Council of Australia and the Australian Gold Council.

Philip Twyman - was the head of Morley Fund Management, Aviva's fund management arm, and was appointed acting finance director, while the company looked for a permanent replacement for finance director Mike Biggs, after his resignation.

William (Bill) Webb - former vice chairman and chief operating officer. He worked for Philip Morris for 35 years, leading Philip Morris International from 1993 to 1997.

Kevin Whale: an Australian climbing the ranks inside General Motors having just been appointed to run the Chinese operation which sells 420,000 vehicles a year.

James Wolfensohn - outgoing president of the World Bank.

Since 2001, the marketplace has changed, forever.

The Internet has emerged as the most powerful medium the world has ever seen. Many hotels are still not taking advantage of electronic channel marketing while some hotels are receiving 40 to 50 percent contribution through the electronic channels. Which one represents your hotel??

Some hotels look to close the knowledge gap by hiring more experienced more knowledgeable managers, but, in many cases, the resulting turn-over comes at the cost of losing loyal people who possess other necessary management and marketing skills.

The Hotel Marketing Coach provides the resources to introduce these new skills to your current staff through coaching programs which provide the techniques while creating new working habits.

Leadership & Team Building

Management's Role in the Sales Process

Developing Associates to Greatness

Getting Free Publicity for Your Hotel

Management's Role in Managing Electronic Sales

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The goal is and should be to get face-to-face with clients. As we use technology to assist in the solicitation of business, we should remember that this is still a relationship business. Frankly, I have seen many hotels getting wrapped up in all this new technology.

Now don’t get me wrong, I have always been a staunch proponent of implementing new technology into our industry. I remember well the old days of IBM Selectric typewriters, carbon paper, and poorly written confirmation letters. We’ve come a long way from those days. Are we now so jaded about technology that we are short-cutting the sales process?

The strongest sales programs still emphasize the need for developing a rapport with clients and I know of no better way to do that than face-to-face contact. How often do the general manager and/or the sales team entertain potential clients for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Has email actually replaced phone contact? Email should be used to “confirm” conversations; not to replace them.

There is so much talk about the Internet; many people view it as the panacea for all our occupancy woes. Fat chance. Oh, it’s a wonderful new gift to our industry, no doubt. But folks, it’s not a replacement for all the wonderful standard methods of soliciting new business. True, it’s a great tool for prospecting and finding business, but face-to-face meetings with potential clients are still the most effective means to book business.

The majority of room business for your hotel will still be booked through old fashioned person-to-person selling. Is your front desk up-to-speed with the rates and packages being sold online? Do you have an active front desk log to keep pace with rates being quoted,, turn-aways, and denials? Whether the log is kept in your front office system or in a log book, don’t allow technology to make us lazy about old systems that have worked well in the past?

Brief mentions about using technology properly; have you checked to see that all fields in your front office system are being recorded for every check-in? I visited a hotel the other day whose front office decided it was too much work to ask guests for their email addresses. Not serious, I guess, unless the hotel decides to do an email mailing one day.


My caution is simple; technology needs to be managed like all other aspects of this business. It’s not meant to replace other means of doing the sales job, it’s meant to enhance them. The old basics still work. Create face-to-face opportunities to gain that relationship, which has worked so well for the hospitality industry for many years. Use technology to make the job easier; not to create short-cuts.

The old concept of “pressing flesh” on a daily basis can’t be replaced by the Internet, email, voicemail, or fax machines.

America's first continuously-published newspaper, the Boston News-Letter published its first issue on April 24, 1704. John Campbell, a bookseller and postmaster of Boston, was its first editor, printing the newspaper on what was then referred to as a half-sheet. It originally appeared on a single page, printed on both sides and issued weekly.

In the early years of its publication the News-Letter was filled mostly with news from London journals detailing the intrigues of English politics, and a variety of events concerning the European wars. The rest of the newspaper was filled with items listing ship arrivals, deaths, sermons, political appointments, fires, accidents and the like.
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One of the most sensational stories published when the News-Letter was the only newspaper in the colonies was the the account of how Blackbeard the pirate was killed in hand-to-hand combat on the deck of a sloop that had engaged his ship in battle.

Campbell relinquished his stewardship of the paper in 1722 to Bartholomew Green, its printer. As editor, Green devoted less space to overseas events and more to domestic news. When Green died after a decade as its editor, the News-Letter was inherited by his son John Draper, also a printer. Draper proved to be a better editor and publisher than his predecessors. He enlarged the paper to four good-sized pages, filling it with news from Boston, other towns throughout the colonies, and from abroad.

On view here is the May 14, 1761 issue of the News-Letter. The front page is displayed in its entirety. Notice the credit line Printed by J. Draper appearing
under the masthead. As was the custom then, the front page was devoted to events overseas. This issue contains news from London, a speech by the King to the House of Commons, and various accounts from Westminster and Whitehall.

Also displayed from this issue is an ad from the back page for a Scheme of a Lottery. The lottery was created to sell 6000 tickets at $2 each to raise funds to pave the highway in Charlestown from the Ferry to the Neck. Of the $12,000 to be raised, according to the ad, $10,800 is earmarked for prizes and $1200 for paving the highway.

In 1896 Marconi took his apparatus to England where he was introduced to Mr. (later Sir) William Preece, Engineer-in-Chief of the Post Office, and later that year was granted the world's first patent for a system of wireless telegraphy. He demonstrated his system successfully in London, on Salisbury Plain and across the Bristol Channel, and in July 1897 formed The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company Limited (in 1900 re-named Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company Limited). In the same year he gave a demonstration to the Italian Government at Spezia where wireless signals were sent over a distance of twelve miles. In 1899 he established wireless communication between France and England across the English Channel. He erected permanent wireless stations at The Needles, Isle of Wight, at Bournemouth and later at the Haven Hotel, Poole, Dorset.

In 1900 he took out his famous patent No. 7777 for "tuned or syntonic telegraphy" and, on an historic day in December 1901, determined to prove that wireless waves were not affected by the curvature of the Earth, he used his system for transmitting the first wireless signals across the Atlantic between Poldhu, Cornwall, and St. John's, Newfoundland, a distance of 2100 miles.

Between 1902 and 1912 he patented several new inventions. In 1902, during a voyage in the American liner "Philadelphia", he first demonstrated "daylight effect" relative to wireless communication and in the same year patented his magnetic detector which then became the standard wireless receiver for many years. In December 1902 he transmitted the first complete messages to Poldhu from stations at Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, and later Cape Cod, Massachusetts, these early tests culminating in 1907 in the opening of the first transatlantic commercial service between Glace Bay and Clifden, Ireland, after the first shorter-distance public service of wireless telegraphy had been established between Bari in Italy and Avidari in Montenegro. In 1905 he patented his horizontal directional aerial and in 1912 a "timed spark" system for generating continuous waves.

In 1914 he was commissioned in the Italian Army as a Lieutenant being later promoted to Captain, and in 1916 transferred to the Navy in the rank of Commander. He was a member of the Italian Government mission to the United States in 1917 and in 1919 was appointed Italian plenipotentiary delegate to the Paris Peace Conference. He was awarded the Italian Military Medal in 1919 in recognition of his war service.

During his war service in Italy he returned to his investigation of short waves, which he had used in his first experiments. After further tests by his collaborators in England, an intensive series of trials was conducted in 1923 between experimental installations at the Poldhu Station and in Marconi's yacht "Elettra" cruising in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, and this led to the establishment of the beam system for long distance communication. Proposals to use this system as a means of Imperial communications were accepted by the British Government and the first beam station, linking England and Canada, was opened in 1926, other stations being added the following year.

In 1931 Marconi began research into the propagation characteristics of still shorter waves, resulting in the opening in 1932 of the world's first microwave radiotelephone link between the Vatican City and the Pope's summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. Two years later at Sestri Levante he demonstrated his microwave radio beacon for ship navigation and in 1935, again in Italy, gave a practical demonstration of the principles of radar, the coming of which he had first foretold in a lecture to the American Institute of Radio Engineers in New York in 1922.

He has been the recipient of honorary doctorates of several universities and many other international honours and awards, among them the Nobel Prize for Physics, which in 1909 he shared with Professor Karl Braun, the Albert Medal of the Royal Society of Arts, the John Fritz Medal and the Kelvin Medal. He was decorated by the Tsar of Russia with the Order of St. Anne, the King of Italy created him Commander of the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus, and awarded him the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy in 1902. Marconi also received the freedom of the City of Rome (1903), and was created Chevalier of the Civil Order of Savoy in 1905. Many other distinctions of this kind followed. In 1914 he was both created a Senatore in the Italian Senate and app ointed Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in England. He received the hereditary title of Marchese in 1929.

In 1905 he married the Hon. Beatrice O'Brien, daughter of the 14th Baron Inchiquin, the marriage being annulled in 1927, in which year he married the Countess Bezzi-Scali of Rome. He had one son and two daughters by his first and one daughter by his second wife. His recreations were hunting, cycling and motoring.

Marconi died in Rome on July 20, 1937.

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Max with Gihan 2

Destination DiningHot hotel restaurants shine spotlight on their locales.
By Karyn Strauss, Associate Editor
Siete, a contemporary Mexican concept at Aqua, Cancun, features a pop-art, industrial ambience complete with mosaics of famous cultural icons, such as Frida Kahlo.
Dining in the open air is a highlight at the new Al Hadeerah restaurant at Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa—a desert oasis 45 minutes outside Dubai.

With jellyfish as the whimsical theme for the entire Hotel Victor in South Beach, the design team at Vix decided to install a large jellyfish tank to separate the dining room from the bar.
Wasabi, the latest creation by Chef Masaharu Morimoto at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai, features a Tatami dining room with seating around a glass table.

“Fast Good” is the new dining concept by Ferrán Adriá for NH Hoteles. The concept combines fast food with high quality in a whimsical setting. Visitors can dine in or grab-and-go with prepackaged takeout options.

Be it a seaside resort in Miami or Mexico or the middle of the desert near Dubai, many of today’s hot new hotel restaurants stand out by paying homage to their locales. Through innovative design, each concept offers guests a unique sense of place and an atmosphere intriguing enough to attract a local following. Menu creation follows suit—from modern interpretations of classic Mexican dishes to contemporary Arabian specialties cooked in the open air.

But that doesn’t mean chefs are afraid to look beyond their locales for culinary inspiration as well. Bringing something new and a bit unexpected to the table remains a welcome trend. Take, for example, celebrity Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s new Wasabi at The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai. This high-end concept fuses traditional Japanese cuisine with European influences and is complete with sushi bar and teppanyaki counter, a first for Mumbai.

Across the globe, Chef James Wierzelewski draws inspiration from his world travels to create a diverse menu of authentic flavors for his latest restaurant, Vix, at the new, Hyatt-managed Hotel Victor in Miami’s South Beach. Heading to Spain, famed Chef Ferrán Adriá continues to innovate for NH Hoteles, this time by introducing an on-the-go dining concept for busy guests. The following is a round-up of some of the hottest hotel restaurants creating a buzz for guests and locals alike.

SIETE, Aqua, CancunLooking to take Cancun back from the Spring Break crowd is the newest luxury resort by Fiesta Americana Grand, Aqua. This oceanfront retreat features two restaurants by acclaimed chefs: Michelle Bernstein, formerly of Azul at the Mandarin Oriental Miami, has opened her namesake MB here, and well-known Mexico City-based chef and cookbook author Patricia Quintana introduces Siete. While both concepts offer world-class cuisine, the unique ambience of Siete, which pays tribute to its locale by offering contemporary Mexican cuisine in a Mexican pop art-inspired setting, makes it a stand out. The look is “industrial chic,” with large mosaics of seven of Mexico’s most famous cultural icons, including artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and music legend Carlos Santana.

The menu of Siete, the name of which was inspired by “lucky number seven,” features Quintana’s sophisticated approach to Mexican cuisine—layers of flavors in robust combinations. Signature dishes include appetizers such as red snapper ceviche with soy sauce, ginger and dry red chili; and sea scallops with small, crunchy fried tortillas in “escabeche” and caviar. Entrées include grouper in annatto and ginger with soft habanero chili pepper sauce; veal osso buco with a red pipian sauce; and grouper “zarandeado” tacos with lemon and soy-scented sauce. The average dinner check is US$35 per person (for food) at this 220-seat restaurant.

VIX, Hotel Victor, MiamiWe’re almost too busy,” says Chef James Wierzelewski, of his latest restaurant project, Vix, at the 2-month-old Hotel Victor in South Beach. “We did 180 covers yesterday and have 220 on the books today.” According to Wierzelewski, Vix honors its ultra-trendy locale by offering what he calls “eatertainment,” achieving both a see-and-be-seen atmosphere and a culinary experience diverse enough to suit almost any craving. “People go out to eat for more than just food, they want an experience. We need to stimulate all five senses.” This is realized by the swank décor of the glass-enclosed room, which features a 10-ft. (3-m) jellyfish tank (jellyfish are a theme throughout the entire hotel) and an exhibition kitchen that extends 14 feet (4.3 m) into the dining room; the ambient sounds emitted by the restaurant’s resident deejay; and, most importantly, through the world cuisine.

While drawing much inspiration from his setting—both in terms of fresh seafood and Latin flavors (tequila-soaked prawns, Honduran “fire-and-ice” lobster and a diverse ceviche menu)—Wierzelewski creates a menu of comfort food from a wide array of cultures, including Thai, Chinese,Indian, Middle Eastern, North African and more. His kitchen staff includes 27 chefs from all over the globe. His equipment echoes that diversity—woks, tandoori ovens, rotisseries and a spice rack of more than 350 offerings. Indian naan bread is the restaurant’s signature item, and the most popular dish currently is a Chinese-inspired crab and rock shrimp dumpling appetizer served with hot-and-sour vinaigrette.

Wierzelewski says he’s planning to change the menu every six weeks, but the most popular dishes will remain. As it is, the restaurant already is succeeding in attracting a local clientele. For example, one couple he mentions (not hotel guests) had been in Miami for a week and already had dined at the restaurant three times. Average dinner check per person, without beverages, is about US$65.

AL HADEERAH, Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa, United Arab Emirates Perhaps the greatest use of a location to create a unique dining experience is the Jumeirah International-operated Al Hadeerah restaurant at the company’s newest resort, Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa. Located 45 minutes from Dubai, the concept is a traditional Arabic open air restaurant, complete with falcon display, belly dancers, camel rides and live Arabic music. As visitors walk through the elaborate fort design of the 250-seat restaurant, complete with stone walls, antique rugs and tented, semi-private sunken tables, they’ll see large displays of fresh fruit (quite a feat considering its desert locale), sacks of spices, and several live cooking stations, including a spit roast, wood-fired stone oven, Arabic bread oven and large Biriany cooking facilities, which are specifically designed for Arabic food.

The menu highlights traditional Arab foods from all over the region. Guests can nibble on hummus or babaganoush while awaiting an entrée from one of the cooking stations, where a large selection of grilled meat and seafood are offered.

WASABI, Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, MumbaiThe Taj Mahal Palace & Tower is known for being a culinary trendsetter, having been the first to introduce Thai, Italian and Mexican cuisine to India. Now the hotel is expanding its reach Eastward with the opening of Wasabi, a contemporary Japanese restaurant by famed Master “Iron” Chef Masaharu Morimoto, who worked with Taj’s Corporate Executive Chef Hemant Oberoi to bring the concept to life. “The name Wasabi was proposed because Indians can easily identify it as a Japanese ingredient,” explains Oberoi, who spent considerable time in Tokyo, London and New York sampling authentic Japanese food and met with Indian guests to understand their preferences. “The design team took it forward creating a restaurant in soft green tones.” One standout feature of the space is the private Tatami dining room. While in traditional Japanese settings such a room is sunken, here it has seating around a glass table, with mood lighting and a view of the harbor.

The menu consists of traditional Japanese dishes, such as the Morimoto assorted sashimi appetizer with seven sauces, as well as popular dishes such as rock shrimp tempura, and European-influenced entrées such as Lobster Epicé, an eight-spice “angry” lobster. An interesting part of the menu is the many vegetarian options, catering to India’s large vegetarian population. “We felt that the menu had to be 40% vegetarian, a novel concept for Chef Morimoto,” Oberoi says. “Taking this on, [several] non-vegetarian recipes were adapted. Shrimps were substituted by asparagus; California rolls were stuffed with avocados or pickled carrots; rock shrimps made way for rock corn; and a variety of tofu dishes were perfected.”
The restaurant opened last fall and has proven quite popular—reporting guests coming in “several times a week.” The 45-seat restaurant averages 80 covers nightly with an average dinner check of US$75.

FAST GOOD, NH Hoteles, MadridOn the quick-service side of the equation comes a new creation by culinary innovator Ferrán Adriá for NH Hoteles. Called “Fast Good” the concept combines fast food with high quality in a whimsical setting. Bright colors and modern décor create a dynamic space that caters to both those dining in and those on the go.
The menu consists of gourmet hamburgers, sandwiches and salads. Hamburgers, for example, are garnished with tapenade sauce or gorgonzola; a panini sandwich combines ham, asparagus or cheese with sage, pine nuts, crystallised spring onions or even foie gras; while salads may include such high-end ingredients as green beans, duck pâté, leeks or couscous. Some meals come with non-frozen French fries made “a la minute” with olive oil. Natural juice offerings include litchis, raspberry or red peach. For those on the go, an assortment of prepackaged items are made fresh daily. The average check—with the hamburger, fries, salad and a drink being the most popular menu item—is E15.

The first Fast Good opened last year at NH Eurobuilding Hotel in Madrid. Building on its success (approximately 340 daily covers with 10% of its customers coming in more than once a week), NH recently opened the second Fast Good restaurant with a local partner in Santiago, Chile. According to NH Spokesman Lucas Martinez, “the plan is to expand Fast Good in a number of different locations in Santiago and other cities in the country, as well as opening branches in Argentina, Peru and Mexico, and reaching other markets on the American continent.”

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