Adam Shaw speaks to chef Shivi Ramoutar about her creations for P&O Cruises’ new ship Arvia
Q. You’ve created the menus for Arvia’s Caribbean voyages. What can guests expect when the ship launches in December?
A. On the Beach House menu there’s the jerk chicken platter – I had to put a jerk on there. It comes with coconut rice and peas, coleslaw, festival, which is a sort of slightly sweet dumpling, and jerk gravy.
I’ve created my name in Caribbean cooking by taking authentic flavours and repackaging them in a more contemporary light. The Creole squash dish, for example, is a squash that has been roasted with Creole spices. The spice is authentic, but it’s been prepared in a way that is fresher and newer. It’s served with molasses chickpea sauce, crispy kale and corn ribs. It’s bursting with colour but has that gorgeous Caribbean undertone.
Another I’ve loved creating is the watermelon and cucumber ceviche with plantain crisps. Again, you’re not going to find that on the beaches of the Caribbean islands, but the spice aguachile that would give the ceviche its flavour has authentic ingredients in it.
There has to be a burger on the menu too – I love a burger – and this one is a ‘beach burger’. It’s a fish burger with a lot of Caribbean flavours in it. It comes with fries for familiarity, but also that pizzazz of something tropical, so they have a little Creole dusting on them.
Q. Is there anything else people should look out for?
A. The Taste 360 menu is all about street food. There’s this stunning curried crab, which is a Tobagonian dish, and the idea is that you get this massive pot of it and it’s shared out among the guests, so the experience feels like you would have lined up along the beach, getting it from a shack. We’ve also got a pelau, which is a rice-based dish from Trinidad, and a pumpkin curry that will be served with lots of different condiments.
Q. And for afters?
A. In the Caribbean, we’re not renowned for desserts. So, this was a lot of fun, celebrating Caribbean ingredients like chocolate, ginger and cinnamon. We have a dark chocolate ginger mousse, which I think is wonderful – it has a lot of warmth and depth to it. But, for me, the ultimate dessert is the edible piña colada. It’s a spice-roasted pineapple, it’s got a coconut sorbet and a hot buttered rum.
Q. What has it been like to work with P&O Cruises?
A. It’s been an incredible opportunity. The idea of my food, that I’ve created, having a place – particularly when you can be enjoying it in the Caribbean. How else would anyone have the opportunity to create that and offer these dishes across several islands? It’s a dream to offer that menu. Food should be a social thing and the experience I’ve had with P&O Cruises is exactly that vibe; everyone seems so excited about the food.
Q. How did you become a chef?
A. For most Caribbean people, particularly Trinidadians, food is at the heart of everything. We rarely sit down to eat because we’re always eating while we’re cooking. I actually studied law but after being made redundant, I went back to food as a comfort.
I set up a supper club with a friend, doing lots of Caribbean-style food with a slightly different take. Then I did MasterChef [Shivi appeared on the TV series in 2013], a lot of food festivals and then a book. Gradually it’s picked up and hopefully it will continue.
Shivi’s dream menu on Arvia
Starter: Watermelon and cucumber ceviche. “It’s light, fresh and full of flavour.”
Main: Creole squash. “You won’t find anything like this anywhere else.”
Dessert: Edible piña colada. “Washed down with a drinkable one. Double the rum, double the fun.”
PICTURES: Alun Callender
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