French, Italian cuisine featured in pre-wedding cruise party of billionaire Ambani heir

Anant Ambani, son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, with his fiancée Radhika Merchant. Photo courtesy of Anant's Instagram

After the first event in March made global headlines, Anant and his fiancée Radhika Merchant held another lavish party on Celebrity Ascent, one of the world’s largest cruise ships, for a four-day journey from Italy to the south of France between Wednesday and Saturday last week.

The cost of the wedding party was estimated at US$144 million, of which cuisine accounted for a large part as the Ambani family had invited Michelin chefs from around the world to prepare dishes for honored guests.

Some Italian dishes on the menu included margherita pizza, risotto ai funghi and Eggplant Parmigiana which uses slices of eggplant that are breaded and fried, then layered with marinara sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses, according to the Times of India newspaper.

Eggplant Parmigiana. Photo by Shutterstock

To serve vegetarian diners, chefs also prepared French-style dishes such as quiche, a savory tart with a flaky crust, creamy filling and a variety of vegetables like spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes.

Tarte tatin, a caramel apple tart sometimes made with other fruits such as pears or peaches, was also available.

Another vegetarian dish was gratin dauphinois, made with creamy stewed potatoes, garlic and cheese.

A post on the Instagram account of Rameshwaram Cafe revealed that the Indian establishment was one of the food providers for the grand party on the cruise ship.

The premium South Indian chain said it was the only restaurant serving South Indian cuisine at the party. The restaurant is famous for its popular dishes such as ghee podiidli and ghee thatteidli.

Ghee podiidli is served by Rameshwaram Cafe. Photo courtesy of Rameshwaram Cafe

Anant Ambani, 28, is the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, who oversees the Reliance Industries conglomerate, with annual revenues reported at US$110 billion.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index reported on June 3 that Mukesh Ambani's fortune is valued at US$109 billion, positioning him as the second wealthiest individual in Asia, after fellow countryman Gautam Adani, founder of infrastructure conglomerate Adani Group.