At L�Acajou, Sandy Lane�s 80-seat signature fine dining restaurant, Executive Chef Driessen collaborated with recently appointed Chef de Cuisine Neil Haydock to redesign the menu and introduce a new concept, new world cuisine.  Using the freshest island seafood, local delicacies and the finest imported ingredients, L�Acajou�s menu features an eclectic mix of dishes.  New menu items include: Prawns �Lacque,� served with a Crisp Green Paw-paw, Coriander, Chili, and Lime Salad; Thai coconut, Rice Noodle and Mushroom Soup; Slow Cooked Ginger Butter Poached Spiny Lobster with a Baby Bok Choy and Oyster Sauce and Crisp Garlic, Chili and Shallots; Roast Breast of White Peking Duck with a Passion Fruit and Star Anise Jus and Leek Cannelloni with Coriander and Ginger; and Banana and Dulce de Leche Harumaki Roll with Goma Ice Cream. Working closely with Executive Chef Driessen, Haydock will personally oversee the preparation of all dishes. 

L�Acajou�s location offers stunning views of the Caribbean Sea as well as a unique setting amongst beautiful, old mahogany trees.  Two hundred and fifty years ago the land on which Sandy Lane is built was a dense mahogany grove.  Today several of these beautiful trees remain in front of the terrace to L'Acajou, which is the French translation for mahogany.

To complement the sophisticated L�Acajou setting is Sandy Lane�s casual Bajan Blue restaurant.  The beachfront, 150-seat restaurant offers all-day dining in a relaxed environment.  Executive Chef Driessen has introduced a fresh, new menu in conjunction with recently appointed Chef de Cuisine Didier Jacob.  The new menu takes guests through the cuisine of the Caribbean using indigenous Bajan ingredients as well as regional delicacies featured throughout.  Bajan Blue�s new menu also incorporates exotic, global dishes to satisfy every palate.  New dishes include: Tomato, Watermelon and Mozzarella with Pesto and Garden Herb Salad; Black Pepper Crusted Yellow Fin Tuna with Tomato, Fennel, Kalamata Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes; Orrechiette and Tiger Shrimps alla Marinara; West Indie Flying Fish Cutter in Salt Bread with Dried Raisin Coleslaw; and Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee with Crispy Coconut Tuiles.   

Sandy Lane offers an extensive wine menu at L�Acajou and Bajan Blue.  Wine enthusiasts can choose from over 200 bottles from one dozen countries.  The variety of Sandy Lane�s wine list allows for the most sophisticated connoisseurs to splurge on a favorite vintage or a unique bottle while also allowing the casual wine drinker to enjoy an understated bottle with their meal.   

Sandy Lane also offers two other restaurants, the Country Club Restaurant & Bar and the Spa Café as well as in-room dining that Chef Driessen will be implementing menu changes to in the future.  A healthy, low-calorie menu of specially-developed dishes at the Spa Café is available for lunch.  The Beach Bar and Pool Bar both serve an extensive selection of light fare and cold beverages.  The Terrace Lounge offers a diverse cocktail menu and hors d�oeuvres is situated overlooking the Caribbean Sea.  And for golfers, the Country Club Restaurant & Bar, located at the Clubhouse, is open throughout the day for salads, sandwiches and other refreshing dishes.  The Monkey Bar, designed by Gez Taylor, one of England�s leading designers, is the perfect place for cocktails before or after dinner, serving a fine selection of beverages and appetizers in a whimsically decorated room with a monkey-themed mural on the circular ceiling. 

Executive Chef Driessen began his illustrious career at the Hotel Corona The Hague where he helped the restaurant gain one Michelin Star and was quickly promoted to Chef de Cuisine.  In 1992 Chef Driessen accepted a position as Chef de Cuisine with the Amstel Inter-Continental Hotel in Amsterdam.  During this appointment the restaurant gained a remarkable two Michelin Star rating.  In 1997 Chef Driessen was appointed Consulting Executive Chef at the Zagreb Inter-Continental Hotel, Croatia and in 1998 traveled to Miami to join the Miami Inter-Continental Hotel as Executive Chef.  Marcel continued his record of excellence at the Amman Inter-Continental Hotel in Jordan until 2002 when he traveled to the Seychelles to open a luxury 5-star resort owned by a Mauritius-based company.  After a brief return to the Inter-Continental Hotels as Executive Chef at the Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut, Lebanon, Marcel joined the renowned Sandy Lane Resort in the summer of 2005, continuing in his tradition of excellence.

�It is a delight to have a chef with such vast and worldly experiences as Chef Driessen will bring,� says general manager Colm Hannon.  �We are very excited to have him join us at Sandy Lane and I am confident our guests will truly enjoy his culinary magic.�
 
About Sandy Lane
Sandy Lane is located on the western coast of the island of Barbados.  Originally built in 1961, Dermot Desmond, J.P. McManus and partners purchased the property and golf course in 1996 and completely rebuilt and expanded, opening in March 2001.  This exclusive 112-room resort has stylish lodging in rooms that average 900 square feet, luxury Bentley airport transfers, one signature restaurant, a 47,000-square-foot spa, three distinct golf courses offering guests the best golf in the Caribbean.  Two of the courses are Tom Fazio-designed 18-hole courses including the Green Monkey Course.

Sandy Lane
(246) 444-2001
www.sandylane.com

Miranda Rowe
T: 212-957-3005