Michelin-starred chef-restaurateur Atul Kochhar has signed a deal with P&O Cruises to launch a fine-dining restaurant onboard the company’s new superliner, the Azura, in 2010.
Kochhar, who runs London restaurant Benares as well as Vatika in Hampshire, is P&O’s third Michelin-star-winning chef after Gary Rhodes and Marco Pierre White opened restaurants with the company.
The chef will operate a restaurant called Sindhu, which means meeting point or fusion in Hindu, serving his signature modern British dishes with an Indian twist.
Kochhar said that launching a restaurant aboard a P&O ship was a “dream come true”.
“My restaurant on Azura will be called Sindhu, and that’s what my cuisine is, an amalgamation of British and Indian, so it’s just the right name. I’m a great believer that good food is often simple food, so that will be the best thing to give,” he said.
Catering for up to 3,100 passengers, the Azura will feature 900 rooms with private balconies, an open-air cinema, a gym, sauna and spa, and three swimming pools.
Azura will offer 11 dining outlets including a restaurant and wine bar called the Glass House by sommelier Olly Smith.
Nigel Esdale, managing director of P&O Cruises, said: “Modern travellers have diverse needs and require more than a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Azura will cater for every kind of consumer, and will deliver them all with an authentic, large ship experience.”
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By Kerstin Kühn