The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar resort in Nassau, Bahamas added upscale Chinese restaurant Shuang Ba to its list of over 20 dining and drinking options last month.
“At Shuang Ba, our vision is to redefine regional Chinese cuisine and to introduce this to a part of the world that has not experienced this before,” says executive chef Brent Martin.
According to Martin, Shuang Ba means double eights in Chinese, which symbolizes prosperity and abundance. This symbol can be seen throughout the restaurant—there are 88 items on the menu and 88 seats in the restaurant.
The menu combines traditional and contemporary Chinese flavors, with highlights including braised “black-gold” abalone, iberico pork with preserved tofu wrapped with crepes, Chaozhou-style truffle and vegetable dumplings, and steamed imperial bird’s nest. Seafood specialities are locally-sourced, fresh-caught and housed in aquariums so diners can select their own entrée, according to the company.
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Of course, there is also peking duck—a dish that dates back to 1330 during the Yuan Dynasty, Martin says. He adds it’s one of the most popular dishes ordered at Shuang Ba and he recommends diners pre-order it to ensure availability. Specialized imported equipment, such as duck roasters, can be found in the kitchen.
“Over 15 renowned Master Chinese Chefs, hand-selected and recruited from the world’s finest hotels and restaurants in China, oversee a menu of 88 items that represent all of China’s culinary regions,” Martin says.
For drinks, guests can sip on Baijiu, which Martin notes is a “white liquor that has been made in China for over 5,000 years.” Some of the Baijiu brands the restaurant serves include Moutai, Shui Jing Fang, Jian Nan Chun and Hong Kong Baijiu. Other libations include the Double Dragon cocktail featuring dragon fruits, Chinese five spice-infused cocktails with syrups made in-house and the Far East Fashioned—a take on the traditional Old Fashioned cocktail.
The restaurant boasts four hand-woven silk tapestries, ornate statues and antique items, according to the company. Martin adds there is a 30,000-pound pillar of a double-dragon in the center of the dining room. This, along with the other details, “tell the story of ancient China and transports guests through sight, taste and sense,” he says.
“We want to offer Grand Hyatt Baha Mar’s international and local audience a dining experience so authentic, that the only other rivaling Chinese culinary experiences are found in China,” Martin says.
