PARKROYAL Melbourne Airport has announced the recent appointment of Jee Whan Lee as Executive Chef. Lee will oversee the hotel restaurant, Airo with its seasonal menus, Airo Café, plus the hotel’s 24 Hour In-Room Dining.
Bringing a wealth of knowledge of the hospitality industry to the hotel with over 14 years’ experience as a Chef, Lee has worked at properties such as PEPPER’s Cradle Mountain Lodge Tasmania and has spent extensive tenures working in kitchens across the globe including Korea and Canada. Lee received his Professional Chef Diploma at the renowned Le Cordon Bleu, Paris Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute.
Lee’s food philosophy is marrying traditional methods with modern methods of cooking, creating simple food with a twist. Airo’s modern Australian, French influenced menu reflects this perfectly, favouring high quality, fresh and local produce.
Executive Chef Jee Whan Lee comments, “I am very excited to be working with the exceptional team of Chefs at PARKROYAL Melbourne Airport. Melbourne is leading Australia in food trends and it’s a very exciting time to be in the industry. Our menu is extensive and we cater to various tastes, many of our customers are corporates who are just in Melbourne overnight however posess extensive food knowledge due to travelling and eating out often. We aim to exceed their high expectations and be more than a hotel restaurant.”
Some highlights from the menu include dishes such as butter poached Hervey Bay scallop with truffled leek, cauliflower cream, crispy black pudding, wild mushrooms, fleurons and jus noisette and Huon Tasmanian salmon, steamed zucchini blossom filled with trout and scallop mousse. For wine and cheese connoisseurs, Airo offers a range of top label wines along with a handpicked selection of the finest artisan cheeses in Australia. For impressive desserts that will satisfy all sweet tooth cravings look to the warm valrhona chocolate and amaretto cake with brûlée banana, lychee crèmeux, strawberry gel, chocolate malto and praline ice cream or the gianduja chocolate marquise with chocolate soil, avocado gel, hazelnut and citrus microwave cake, maple and walnut ice cream and Cointreau crèmeux.
The overarching concept across all of the hotel’s outlets is very much about great service in a relaxed atmosphere for a truly memorable dining experience.’’
