An idea that Chef Daniel Boulud flirted with four years ago has materialized into a culinary experience known as Café Boulud The Bahamas at the Rosewood Baha Mar. It’s a restaurant concept that is elegant yet casual and fine dining but approachable – traditional French cuisine in a sophisticated Bahamian setting.
Café Boulud The Bahamas is actually fine dining the way the celebrated chef with a culinary empire likes to dine. And for him the food and the wine are on equal footing at this Rosewood outpost, followed by exacting know-how service.
“When I created Café Boulud, it was definitely with sort of the DNA of who I am… the DNA of how I think in the kitchen and then how I live through the seasons – and also that fact that I left my country very young and love traveling, and I love other cuisine besides French.”
He is known for bringing contemporary appeal to soulful dishes rooted in the French tradition. And his menu is inspired by his seasonal culinary muses – La Tradition, representing classic dishes of French cuisine; La Saison which features seasonality, taking into account the newness of spring as he opens his Rosewood outpost; La Voyage which, of course, takes inspiration from places far and wide and creating a dish that has an identity with the cuisine; and for Rosewood, La Potager which celebrates the vegetable garden has been adapted to La Mer muse with seafood as the focal point, seeing as he is surrounded by water.
In taking into account what made the final open menu, the chef and his team tested many dishes and narrowed them down. But he said the final decision also relied heavily on supply and consistency.
“We are very particular about the ingredients we source and we are very specific about the ingredients we want to source, and the fact I have a restaurant in Palm Beach and Miami, I already have suppliers on the coast who can help me bring those ingredients here and that’s a plus,” said Boulud.
In opening Café Boulud The Bahamas, the chef is presenting vichyssoise, a classic French cold soup, usually made with potatoes, leeks and cream and blended until smooth, and it is considered a signature item. They will always have a seasonal option on the menu. The opening vichyssoise has been adapted to showcase avocado, shrimp, dill, caviar and crème fraiche, which showcases Boulud’s spontaneity and adaption and inspiration to the climate. But don’t be surprised if there’s a vegetarian option or something delicate like a foie gras offering in the future.
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