Soneva, the leading eco-luxury resort operator, recently unveiled a new surprise, pop-up dining experience, called ‘Guess Who’s Cooking’, at Soneva Jani.
The new dining experience has a secret menu concept, where the diners won’t know which chef is cooking or what cuisine they will be preparing until just before the meal. The kitchen is housed within the walls of a Bedouin tent, and while there is room for dining inside the tent in case of rain, the main experience is on the beach. The chefs who will be featured include Soneva Jani’s specialty chefs, visiting chefs from Soneva Fushi, its sister resort in the Maldives, and Soneva Kiri on Koh Kood island in Thailand, as well as international visiting chefs. A rough idea of the menu will be revealed on the day of the experience, but only once diners are seated at the tables on the sand will the chef emerge from the cooking tent to present the menu – outlining the concept, ingredients and the inspiration for the dishes.
The lineup of Soneva chefs will include Chef Kat (Thai cuisine), Chef Sun (Asian cuisine) and Chef Ansari (Indian thali) from Soneva Jani; Chef Sobah (Maldivian cuisine) from Soneva Fushi; and Chef Benz (Thai cuisine) from Soneva Kiri.
The price per person varies based on the particular menu of the day, starting at $175 for Soneva’s chefs and $350 for a degustation menu by a visiting international chef. “Guess Who’s Cooking” is only available two to three nights a week, seating just 16 diners. Dinner is served from 7:30-10:30 pm, while a sunset cocktail experience is offered from 6:30-7:30 pm. There will also be the occasional lunch pop-up from 12:30-3 pm.
Guests with dietary restrictions, food allergies or those who prefer not to eat certain food items should let their Mr./Ms. Friday knows when booking secret/no menu dining experiences well in advance. This will ensure that the chef knows what or what not to cook.
