TETIAROA, FRENCH POLYNESIA—The Brando, a luxury resort on French Polynesia’s private atoll of Tetiaroa, composed of a dozen idyllic islets surrounding a sparkling lagoon 30 miles north of Tahiti, has introduced a vegan menu in its dining venues—the first offered by a luxury hotel or resort in French Polynesia.
In addition to its Polynesia-inspired dishes, East/West fusion and classic French cuisine designed by Guy Martin of the award-winning Michelin-starred Le Grand Vefour in Paris, The Brando now offers a vegan menu in its Les Mutines fine dining restaurant, Beachcomber Cafe, and in-room dining.
The Brando commissioned Kelvin Au-Ieong, chef and owner, of the celebrated and revolutionary Invitation V, Vegan Bistro in Montreal, Quebec, to design an innovative and sophisticated vegan menu for The Brando. The menu is inspired by Chef Au-Ieong’s travels around the world and incorporates fresh vegetables handpicked from the resort’s own organic garden. He spent time at the resort, expertly training The Brando’s chefs on each vegan offering.
Requests for Vegan Dishes Increasing
“More and more at The Brando our guests are requesting vegan dishes,” said Silvio Bion, General Manager, The Brando. “It’s been a great opportunity to work with Kelvin Au-Ieong, who is extremely talented and on the forefront of vegan cuisine. We look forward to introducing his distinctive and stylish vegan cuisine to our guests.”
The menu features savory dishes such as battered artichoke with creamy tartare sauce, delicate mushroom dumplings, and a stuffed mushroom served with onion sauce and arugula salad. Main courses include vegetables accompanied by green curry and coconut milk, tofu bourguignon steeped in a red wine sauce, and organic brown rice spaghetti topped with a vegetable meatball. Mango creme brulee and a rich cabbage and chocolate cake are featured on the dessert menu. To pair with the dishes, vegan wine and beer selections are available at all dining venues at The Brando.
Chef Au-Ieong was born in Macau and trained in his grandparents’ restaurant. He later moved to Canada to attend college and graduated with a degree in engineering. Au-Ieong soon realized his passion was in the culinary arts and pursued his dream of traveling the globe and creating dishes inspired by his travels. He and two other founders opened Invitation V, whose mission is to serve inspiring, delicious, yet healthy food.
“It has been an honor to collaborate with The Brando on the vegan menu,” said Au-Ieong. “Like the resort, I too am passionate about innovation, sustainability, and locally sourced resources.”
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