Ramada’s menu marks arrival

By Shaun Inguanzo
WORLD-CLASS chef Haydn Chandler has chosen Dandenong as his next port of call after having worked with Australia’s restaurant elite in Queensland and Melbourne.
Mr Chandler, 32, is the new executive chef at the Ramada Encore Hotel in Dandenong and his appointment signals that the winds of change are beginning to well and truly sweep through the city centre.
To retain its world class image, the Ramada Encore has now settled for nothing less in its new chef.
Mr Chandler has already made his mark on the Dandenong hotel with a new menu that has a distinct Mediterranean influence.
Mr Chandler is modest about his accomplishments and his new post at the Ramada Encore but told the Star that he saw Dandenong as an opportunity for change in his career.
Having completed his chef apprenticeship in Queensland and then worked at seafood restaurants, a lovestruck Mr Chandler came to Melbourne to follow his heart.
Recently he has worked at a variety of high profile places cooking cuisines from around the globe.
For the Ramada Encore in Dandenong, Mr Chandler said he was hoping to bring something different to the city’s landscape of restaurants.
The new menu, he said, would hopefully achieve that with Mediterranean-inspired dishes.
Mr Chandler and the Ramada invited the Star down to the hotel for a sample of the new menu.
Mr Chandler said the key to world-class cooking was simple yet flavoursome dishes.
And with a seafood background, it’s no surprise that a salmon dish and scallop dish have made it into Mr Chandler’s menu.
Another dish, a mushroom risotto with lamb fillet cooked medium rare then sliced into strips, is indicative of his simple yet tasty philosophy.
The chicken breast cooked with a crispy coating and stuffed with prosciutto, spinach and cheese is also simple yet bursting with flavour.
With a city bustling with as many different flavours as there are cultures, time will tell if Mr Chandler’s menu is a hit.