Two Michelin starred Chef Arnaud Faye shares how he has preserved The Christopher Hotel in St.Barth’s connection to the French Riviera with his Mediterranean menu and relaxed European vibe at the hotel’s RIVYERA restaurant.
What is the main focus of Chef Faye’s menu at RIVYERA restaurant?
The cuisine of the Rivyera restaurant is Mediterranean cuisine oriented towards sharing. Linked to indoor and outdoor large restaurant table settings of Hotel Christopher. It is based on products and recipes of the French Riviera. It is a sunny cuisine, turned towards the sea and vegetables. We work with local fishermen in order to limit our carbon footprint as much as possible. The major classics are revisited: pissaladière, tomato pie, pan bagnat, ratatouille of candied vegetables, bolognese of octopus …but also beautiful whole roasted pieces: beef, local lamb, or fish, such as seabags with fennel and virgin olive oil. The dessert menu also offers the marvels of french pastries with a nod to the Riviera: Lemon tart, Baba with limoncello, and Millefeuille Tropezienne. The menu follows the seasonality of the products and therefore changes several times during the year.
How does Chef Faye incorporate his passion for the South of France into his menu?
Rivyera restaurant is above all a desire to make the customer live a global experience and not only through the cuisine. Our hope is for our guests to discover our world-renowned Art of Living.
Their journey begins with a refreshing welcome towel “oshibori” with essences of the South of France. We worked with a perfumer from Provence to create our signature fragrance, which evokes the mythical French Riviera “Côte d’Azur”: essences of lemon, orange blossom, fig tree, and mimosa.
An exclusive art collection of show plates was created by the renowned table designer Agnès Sandahl from the village of Vallauris. Guests can also see the art decor made by local artisans throughout our restaurant.
The travel journey continues with our Signature Cocktails Menu. In the same spirit, our wine list explores the vineyards of the south of France and Rhone Valley. A Signature Rosé RIVYERA is offered exclusively, made from Domaine Figuière close to Saint Tropez. We want our guests to travel to a warm atmosphere and harmonious ambiance with all the senses: visual, sound, smell, and taste with fine authentic cuisine and Mediterranean flavors.
What is the RIVYERA bar’s signature cocktail menu created by Victor Delpierre about?
Our Signature Cocktails Menu consists of 8 iconic places which inspire 8 cocktails with natural essences and infused spirits. The cocktail menu was created with Victor Delpierre, Coffee in Good Spirits World Champion. We invite our guests to stroll through the legendary spots of the Côte d’Azur: Monte-Carlo and the Orange Blossom, Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat and the fig, Grasse and the rose, Saint-Tropez and the aniseed, Nice and the bergamot.
Can you tell us about the hotel’s Cinema Club? What are some of the gourmet snacks offered during the movie night under the stars?
The hotel’s Cinema Club welcomes guests to enjoy a movie night under the stars while enjoying the ocean breeze and ambiance. Projected on a large screen, the Christopher will feature classic musical films such as the new West Side Story. Guests can enjoy the film with an array of elevated savory and sweet gourmet snacks such as homemade buns with confit lamb shoulder, Croque monsieur with black truffle, and sweet desserts like puff pastry choux with pralines and caramelized cashew nuts.
