PRESENTS
OPEN JUNE 2017
“MISS SONGS’ MENU WILL PRESENT ASIAN CUISINE, PREDOMINANTLY CLASSIC CHINESE WITH SOME INFLUENCES FROM SOUTH EAST ASIA.” HEAD CHEF ARIE PRABOWO
THE VILLE RESORT - CASINO
KITCHEN COMPOSER It was the energy and excitement of cooking that lured Head Chef Arie Prabowo away from a career in Commerce. Today you’ll find him in amongst the fire and flavour of Townsville’s newest Asian Kitchen, Miss Songs at The Ville. Creating a restaurant is a little like writing a song. You need to arrange the elements just as you would a piece of music—the beat of the kitchen, the arrangement of the menu, the rhythm of the service, the melody of the dishes. For Arie Prabowo, Head Chef at The Ville Resort – Casino, it was this creativity and intensity that led the Indonesian-born Commerce graduate away from an office job and into the hospitality industry. Hailing from Central Java, Arie came to Australia at age 17 for university. While studying, he took a job as a kitchen hand at a Japanese restaurant purely to support himself financially. “The stepping stone for me was working at a French bistro for eight years. That’s where I really opened up my eyes to cooking,” recalls Arie, who joined the bistro as a kitchen hand and progressed through promotions to eventually become Head Chef under the Executive Chef.
“Whenever I do anything I want to do my best, so I gave cooking my best shot,” says Arie. He applied for a job at the Botanical in Melbourne, wanting to learn from a chef named Cheong Liew, a Malaysian-born fusion pioneer. That decision changed the geography of Arie’s career, and introduced him to North Queensland; after just one year, Botanical’s parent company Colonial Leisure Group (CLG) saw great skill in Arie and offered him a position leading the kitchen on Orpheus Island. “Orpheus Island has, so far, been a highlight of my career,” shares Arie, who spent six years at the resort, during which time he and his wife, Wewe Widyawati, welcomed their now three-yearold daughter, Hannah. “Orpheus Island was a unique experience, where we had to create four meals each day, with no repeats during a guest’s stay. That was challenging, but also very rewarding to have such creative freedom. Creativity is the best part of cooking.”
Through CLG—a premium hospitality operator with a diverse portfolio of brewing, pubs, gaming, restaurants and resorts across Australia, including Botanical, Orpheus Island and The Ville—Arie was offered the position of head chef, driving Miss Songs Asian Kitchen which will open at The Ville this month. “Miss Songs’ menu will present Asian cuisine, predominantly classic Chinese with some influences from south east Asia,” reveals Arie. “We have classic peking duck served with a Chinese pancake, classic BBQ pork, steamed dim sum and a live mud crab and crayfish tank, just to name a few.” Importantly, all produce will be fresh locally-sourced Aussie produce, enlisting Chinese cooking techniques. With fiery woks in play, hanging ducks and the live mud crab and crayfish tank, the open kitchen will add to the spectacle of the Miss Songs experience. The Ville is currently under construction, with an extravagant pool, Pavilion and deck being built, along with a major hotel foyer overhaul and three new restaurants, of which Miss Songs will be the first to complete. Miss Songs will be open for dinner, 7 days a week. To book, phone 4722 2333.
FOREVER IN ST YLE
Embracing traditional Chinese cooking, Miss Songs will feature classic dishes like the restaurant’s signature peking duck pancake, BBQ pork and dim sum.
FIRST OF MANY
Miss Songs will be the first new restaurant served up in The Ville’s $35 million redevelopment.
S I G N AT U R E ON SHOW
Miss Songs’ signature dishes include whole baby barramundi with crispy fried palm sugar.
SMOKE SHOW
Arie is looking forward to working with woks to create smoky flavours.
THE VILLE RESORT - CASINO
POINT OF DIFFERENCE
The Asian menu will deliver classic Chinese dishes, as well as south east Asian influences.
THEY DON’T GET F R E S H E R T H A N T H AT
Straight from the tank and into the pot—Miss Songs’ tank will hold live mud crabs and crayfish.
WOKING TOGETHER
Miss Songs’ kitchen team have undergone intensive training to deliver authentic Chinese flavours.
An infinity-edge resort style pool will be the hero of the redevelopment, connected to the lobby level by a generous spiralled deck.
A TA S T E O F W H AT ’ S TO COME A new name was the beginning, reinvigorated hotel rooms were the champagne on arrival, and Miss Songs is the entrée - the first taste of what’s to come. We find out what’s next on the menu at The Ville.
All good things take time; it’s a sentiment The Ville Resort—Casino’s General Manager of Hotel, Food and Beverage Brent Clark knows is true. The Ville’s $35 million redevelopment has been underway in stages since early 2016, and so far has delivered 66 Resort Rooms over three hotel levels, an exterior paint job and this month will reveal a new hotel lobby, reception and Asian restaurant, Miss Songs. “To date we have been in a demolition phase, preparing for the visual aspects of the refurbishment,” says Brent. “This next piece of the redevelopment—the foyer, hotel reception and Miss Songs—will be a welcomed progression for our customers, who have been patient and understanding during the construction period.” Works continue building a generous spiraled deck, which will connect the lobby level to the pool, and create alfresco dining for both Miss Songs and The Quarterdeck, which is set to replace the former Lobby Bar space.
THE VILLE RESORT - CASINO
“Miss Songs is our special occasion restaurant, open for dinners only, with a private dining room available. Once the deck is complete later this year, Miss Songs will open out to an alfresco area, and will almost double its seating capacity. Miss Songs’ guests will be able to really enjoy the ocean-islandpool aspect.” Across the hotel foyer, The Quarterdeck will also offer a spacious outdoor deck but with a more relaxed vibe, an easy-dining menu, sharp wine list, beer on tap and live music (bands, soloists and DJs) of an evening; and will be open lunch and dinner, 7 days. “It will be unlike anything The Ville has offered previously, and we see it becoming the kind of venue you come for lunch and stay past dinner; a destination for Friday drinks and weekend gatherings, with tabled seating, lounges, live music and with an unbeatable view over the pool, across the ocean and out to Magnetic Island.” The Quarterdeck is on track for completion late 2017, along with the resort’s much-awaited infinity edge resort pool, event space The Pavilion, new porte cochere, hotel gym and massage rooms. “We are working hard to ensure customer service won’t suffer during this transitional phase. Our Demolition Deals, like the 10 meals for $10 at Spin, will continue over the core construction period.”
The new hotel lobby will be a fresh, light space, continuing the retro inspired aesthetic of the resort.
“We’ve taken an all-in approach to deliver multiple developments before 2018, which will pay off come summer when our guests can enjoy Resort Rooms, new restaurants and bars, an incredible pool and the property will finally take advantage of its breathtaking ocean-island aspect,” says Brent. The next delicious development on the menu? Aqua restaurant’s transformation into The Palm House, which will be a modern market buffet with live cooking stations, bi-fold doors connecting the indoors to a shaded outdoor terrace and a poolside bar for afternoon cocktails. The Palm House is scheduled for completion early 2018. “We are witnessing this iconic property’s transformation into a fully integrated resort and entertainment precinct. I’m as excited as our customers are to see the result.”
For updates on The Ville’s redevelopment, visit the-ville.com.au
A casual-dining restaurant will replace the space previously occupied by the Lobby Bar, and extend out to a generous deck.
Sun lounges and private cabanas will fringe the pool on one side, while the Pavilion function space will border the other. Vibrant greenery will feature throughout the resort.
THE PAVILION COMING E ARLY 2018 TO THE VILLE RE SORT - C A SINO
*Artist impressions. Subject to change.
MEE TIN GS. CO NFEREN CE S. WEDD IN GS. SPECIAL E VENTS VIE WS TO O CE AN, ISL AND + R E SO RT P O O L | U P TO 70 0 G U E S T S | FLE XIB LE RO O M SIZE S the-ville.com.au