Someone said “With passionate dedication and hard work, you will fulfill your dreams” and Rajeev Shrestha, Executive Sous Chef at Hotel Aloft Kathmanduis the perfect example of this. A student of hotel management with the passion of cooking, his journey started with him working at Kempinski, Goa. In pursuit of his dreams, he moved to Pondi Cherry and started working in French fine dine cuisine. He then learned commercial cookery in Asian cooking from Australia and is a licensed Australian chef. 

Coming back to his roots, he worked with Hotel Radisson in 1999 when it had only made its way in the hotel business and ever since then he has worked in almost every prestigious hotel in the country like Hotel Yak& Yeti, Soaltee Crowne Plaza Kathmandu, Hotel Himalaya to name a few. A man with extraordinary cooking skills, he specializes in French and Italian Cuisine as he started his culinary skill from French cuisine. 

He looks forward to improvise the innovate French cuisine with new flavors and give the cuisine a whole new dimension. Aloft Kathmandu, being one of the chains of Mariott and still in its pre-opening stage, the chef has been here from the scratch and shares his experience as a privilege to be getting to work with young and enthusiastic youths who he can not only teach but also learn and grow from every day. 

HERB CRUSTED LAMB RACK WITH CARROT CONFIT/FONDANT POTATO/LAMB JUS
Truly a sight for sore eyes and a heaven for one’s palate, this dish masterfully executed dish, when you taste it, you will understand why it is called the chefs special. Wrapped with the blissful crunch of the bread crumbs on the outside and the mouthwatering lamb on the inside, oozing with rich flavors and juiciness, this palate-pleasing dish is everything you could ask for. Colorful, comforting, creamy, this dish is the perfect dish with every flavor in the dish complimenting each other.


Ingredients

  • 50 gm panko bread crumbs
  • 20 gm parmesan cheese
  • 5 gm garlic cloves
  • 20 gm parsley
  • 5 gm fresh thyme
  • 5 gm fresh rosemary
  • Mint sprig 5 gm
  • 30ml extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper crushed
  • Dijon mustard
  • Baby carrot few
  • 250 gm frenched rack of lamb, trimmed with only a thin layer of fat

Preparation

  • Stir the bread crumbs, parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl together. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until combined well. Buzz in a mixer to make a fine powder.
  • Put oven rack in the middle position and preheat to 250 degree centigrade. Meanwhile prepare the carrot confit poaching in an olive and herb, prepare potato fondant.
  • Season lamb with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown the rack one at a time, turning once, about four minutes per rack. Transfer to a roasting pan, arranging fatty sides up.
  • Spread bread crumb mixture over mustard coating on each rack. Press gently.
  • Roast lamb until the thermometer inserted diagonally two inches into center (do not touch the bone) registers 55 degree Celsius (for medium- rare),20-25 minutes, and transfer to cutting board. Let it stand for 10 minutes, and then cut into chops.
  • Arrange the chop in a plate with carrot confit, fondant potato and drizzle with lamb jus.

    ​

There is no better way to bring people together than with desserts” and Pastry Chef Chabhi Lal Gurung, has been doing this for the past something years with his contagious smile and excellent pastry skills. His career began as a trainee and with his dedication and hard work, he started his job as a pastry chef in Soaltee Crown Plaza Kathmandu. Moving on, he went to learn more and gather experiences by traveling all over the gulf country and worked for almost 13 years in the best hotels in Abu Dhabi. In 1997, he came back to work for Hotel Himalayan and then joined Radisson during the year of its establishment. 

Gaining experience from all over the world, he also showcased his talent of pastry in London, United Kingdom for 6-7 years by working in a Nepalese Restaurant, serving Nepalese desserts. In the year 2000 he came back to this home country and opened his own business which he still is a part of and coming back to his love and the fire of cooking in the kitchen, he joined aloft recently. 
He quotes “ coming back to this field and working in a hotel after so many years was difficult at the beginning, all these modern machines and equipment that I was completely unfamiliar with, but with the team I work with, they have made me feel welcomed and I learn new things everyday which is such a blessing.”

OPERA SYMPHONY
A creative and clever piece of heaven especially ideal for all the coffee lovers even in the summer time, Opera symphony is not your basic piece of cake. Get ready to taste the soul-satisfying flavors of the rich and velvety cake along with the flavor of aromatic coffee and tantalizing lemon curd. Each and every piece is elemental in this dish and prepared with much precision and execution.

OPERA GATEAU

  • Almond and Biscuits
  • Almond flour : 380g
  • Flour : 50g
  • Whole eggs : 250g
  • Egg whites : 270g
  • Unsalted Butter : 50g
  • Sugar : 40g

Method: whisk the whole egg with almond flour, flour and cocoa powder. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites with the sugar. Add melted butter to the whole egg mixture & fold in the whisked egg whites. Bake at 200oc.

Coffee flavored Butter Cream

  • Unsalted butter : 500g
  • Sugar : 450g
  • Egg whites : 175g
  • Water : 100g
  • Coffee extracts : 15g

Method: Cook sugar & water to 120oc. whisk egg whites & pour in sugar & water in a thin stream. Continue whisking until the mixture is cool. Then add the butter in a small knob. Lightly blend
coffee extracts.


Ganache

  • Cream : 500g
  • Dark Chocolate : 600g
  • Milk Chocolate : 300g

Method: bring the cream to boil & pour it onto the grated chocolate.

Assembling: Make a thin layer of biscuits on the bottom to act as a base and pour some coffee syrup. Spread coffee cream and place sponge. Then spread ganache and place sponge. Again, spread coffee cream and place sponge on top. Ice the top with ganache.

MACARONS

  • Egg whites : 130g
  • Caster sugar : 80g
  • Icing sugar : 200g
  • Almond powder : 150g
  • Food colour : as needed.

Method: Mix icing sugar & almond powder. whisk egg whites and caster sugar until soft peak. Fold together and add color as you needed. Pipe in a tray & bake at 150oc.

COFFEE CARAMEL SAUCE

  • Sugar : 200g
  • Water : 50 ml
  • Cream : 200g
  • Butter : 15g
  • Lemon juice :5ml
  • Coffee extract :10g

Method: boil sugar a& water until dark golden brown. Whisk in the cream & butter. Add lemon juice & coffee extract at last.

TULIP

  • Unsalted butter : 200g
  • Icing Sugar : 225g
  • Egg whites : 200g
  • Flour :150

Method: sift the flour & icing sugar. Mix with soften butter. Add egg whites and mix. And bake 180oc.

LEMON CURD

  • Egg yolks : 60g
  • Sugar : 50g
  • Unsalted butter : 50g
  • Lemon Juice: 25g

Method: Cream the butter & sugar over double boiling. add the eggs one at a time. Then add lemon juice. Stir constantly until thickened.