South African Mobeen Akhalwaya is basking in the sun. Perched atop an umpire's chair next to the Cherating Beach Resort pool, the fitness trainer-cum-lifesaver seems to be in a holiday mood.
His referee whistle is at the ready as he keeps his eyes on his charges - a rowdy group of "mini-club" members who have descended on the water. Mobeen is what, in Club Med speak, is known as a Gentle Organiser, or GO for short. Guests are GMs - gracious members. He's one of 110 GOs at the Malaysian resort on the South China Sea. Akhalwaya has only been here for a couple of weeks and, clearly, he's very at home. Not like any ordinary employees, the GOs play, dine, drink and dance together with the guests - day and night.
I've arrived here by air from Johannesburg via Kuala Lumpur and then a short flight to Kuantan on the eastern coast of Malaysia. From there, it's a 45-minute drive to the resort.
I've come for Cherating Beach Resort's Gastronomic Cuisine event. Held late last year and spread over three weeks, the event was billed as a memorable gastronomic experience, with a full programme of daily cooking classes.
The resort sits in a lush, tropical rainforest, with accommodation in attractive, sea-facing wooden bungalows that rest on stilts. Reminiscent of kampong houses found in Malay villages, they blend perfectly into the surroundings.
It is an idyllic setting in a tropical Eden filled with loads of palm and other trees, exotic plants and abundant wildlife - birds, giant lizards and monkeys.
The resort has three different beaches.
What's more, the Cherating Turtle Sanctuary - established in 1972 as a turtle hatchery to protect the endangered species of leatherback turtle that used to be prolific in the area - is located just to the left of the resort's entrance.
Club Med is formula-driven and the price of a stay includes all meals and drinks. The bar, open from early in the morning, is the hub of the resort.
The large Mutiara restaurant is where most guests dine. I enjoyed eating out on the terraces - of which there are four - overlooking the pool and gardens.
The Rembulan restaurant, a short distance from the resort, is on Pantai Beach. Informal meals are served on the terrace at lunch time. In the evening, it transforms into a formal, à la carte venue where guests can dine on the French-style foods.
Fairly subdued at night, it is the one venue where children are not permitted.
Meals at the Mutiara restaurant are themed-based, with different cooking stations spread out in the buffet area. Every meal here offers a choice of Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Italian and, naturellement, with Club Med being a French organisation, French food.
I particularly enjoyed the Indian food, which was the closest I got to Malaysian flavour. The nasi lemak for breakfast was unusual - coconut-flavoured rice simmered with pandan leaves, served with tasty bits like anchovies, egg and roasted peanuts, which you add yourself.
Every evening, the Indian station offers a spread of curries - beef, chicken and seafood, including a tasty, robust beef rendang of well spiced meat simmered in coconut milk, and different flatbreads.
Chef Khiang from Malaysia is in charge of the Chinese station, which offers a myriad of Asian flavours including dim sum and stir fries he whips up using a selection of guests' hand-picked ingredients.
At the Japanese station, chef Kong's speciality is sashimi and sushi, and his tempura moriawase - deep fried prawns and vegetables - are delicious, coated in a light-as-air batter.
I do watch bemused, however, as young Malaysian chefs attempt to put together the French classics - badly. And I marvel at the long queues of Asian guests piling their plates high with their favourites - spaghetti Bolognese, pizza and French fries.
Executive chef Puchon Bassodeo clearly has his hands full trying to appease all palates. The resort caters for close to 700 guests, rising to 800 in the high season.
Apart from the full programme of leisure items on offer, I fill my time with the daily cooking classes on offer. At morning tea, the prelude, trainee chefs demonstrate - usually something sweet like chocolate chip cookies. One day, a group of trainees undertakes fruit carving, urging the audience to take part.
In the afternoons, the classes become more serious and there is a chance to learn how to cook various specialties from China, Japan, India and Vietnam. Organised by chef Bassodeo, the classes are well planned and take place in the Mutiara restaurant. At every lesson, students receive the recipes, an apron, cap and a certificate on completion. Most classes are demonstration style, with some hands-on involvement.
Indian chef Santhana hosted my first class and showed us how to make a basic curry sauce. This done, everyone was given a portion of flour, salt, ghee and water and he guided us step by step in the art of making good chapattis.
The best part is always eating the fruits of one's endeavour. We used the flat breads to mop up his curry sauce.
Chef Khiang, a charismatic cook, wooed us the next day with two dishes - a Szechuan-style chicken with chilli and a spicy-sweet clam dish.
On day three, a quietly confident chef Ketut Gede Artawan, in charge of the pastry section, had our group of predominantly Singaporean visitors spellbound with his lesson in making lemon-butter ganache macaroons.
Macaroons, the French original, are difficult to master and the chef patiently took us through the steps, urging our participation.
But the lesson I enjoyed the most was offered on my fourth and last day. Visiting chef Paul Liao of the Sao Nam Vietnamese restaurant in Kuala Lumpur was a skilled master. He had our large group lined up at the counter mastering the art of stuffing and rolling rice-paper rolls for the fresh spring rolls we were making.
He'd quickly chopped and seasoned the filling of finely chopped greens, which we topped with prawns - delicious. We dipped our rolls into the sauce while he whipped up Ga Xao Sa, a well known Vietnamese lemon-grass chicken dish.
He threaded the chicken onto lemon-grass sticks - though wooden skewers would work just as well.
While they were cooking over the brazier, the chef prepared some rice vermicelli, tossed with carrot, cucumber and peanuts in a Vietnamese dressing of fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, chilli, garlic and lime juice - superb. I've made this dish a few times at home - the true testament of a good course.
Recipe: Vietnamese lemon grass chicken salad (Serves 6-8)
Ingredients:
Salad:
Dressing:
Method:
Combine the chicken, sugar, garlic, chilli powder, pepper and lemon grass. Combine the fish sauce, shrimp paste and soya sauce with the sunflower and sesame oil. Mix to a paste, then add to the chicken and mix in. Thread chicken onto kebab sticks. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Grill till the chicken is cooked on both sides. Cool.
Prepare the vermicelli as per package instructions. Drain well and allow to cool completely. On a serving platter, combine the vermicelli with basil and mint leaves.
Top with carrots, bean sprouts and cucumber. Toss to mix. Remove the chicken pieces from the sticks and add to the salad.
Top with peanuts and sesame seeds. For the dressing, mix all ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour over salad and serve.
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