![]() Later, when lots of rich sethjis (acquirers) came to buy him and his company with massive dahej (dowry), he said ‘no.’ Zucky had redefined the ‘art of the no’. The trick is to let your teams relax, look after your guests and that’s what matters,” chef Bhatia adds.Zucky said ‘no’ to advertising moneys very early on, in the Facebook growth story. There will be a lighter approach to it that is more relaxed, which is where chefs like me come in. So, fine dining will never go out of fashion. That kind of dish can fit into both fine dining and a roadside place. It feeds the soul, it feeds your palate and feeds your mind. ![]() Something like nalli korma is enjoyed by people irrespective of whether it is served in a high-end restaurant or a roadside eatery. Not everything has to be avant garde, not everything has to be ultra modern. It’s about the love and care and attention to detail that you put into the food. But these days people are trying to do fine dining with a lot of overheads on it. “There is a sense of charm and nostalgia about fine and luxury dining. ![]() We can’t compromise on that.” Fine dining doesn’t mean fancy or fussyĪt a time when fine dining is being hotly debated across the globe, triggered mainly by Noma’s closure, Bhatia has a rather matter-of-fact response to it.Īlso read: Meet Rohit Sharma, an influencer who leads a luxurious lifestyle Know about his journey, expensive things he owns, and more Beautiful food is a requirement yes, but swaad is a 110% requirement. Jab tak bhatti pe khana nahin bhunega, lagan pe khana kurchoge nahin, swaad nahin aayega. It might look good on Instagram, but the swaad goes away. So you can modernise the food to whatever extent, but you have to cook it in a traditional manner. The lagan and kadahis are what make Indian food. Several Indian chefs have Michelin stars and are being acknow-ledged. In places like Tokyo, New York and Dubai, today you will see Indian restaurants of high calibre. “When I went to London in 1993, Bangladeshi cuisine passed off as Indian food, but there is a complete mindset change now. While cooking for the ‘khaandani’ people of Delhi is another matter, what about the perception of Indian cuisine abroad, where still it is not considered refined or haute, with reluctance to shell out top dollar for what is considered just curry and naan? As chef Bhatia says, “The dishes look and feel different, but close your eyes and the flavours are intact.” Indian cuisine abroad Some daring combinations look surprising on the menu, like baingan bharta with mustard chicken, and peas kachori with kadhi, but somehow work on the palate. The ubiquitous butter chicken comes not dunked in gravy, but on a grill enveloped in the same sweet sauce. Nalli comes with an added luxury of morels the makki ki roti is cleverly turned into nacho-like crisps complementing a mustard oil flavoured tandoori gobhi and the routine rajma chawal metamorphosises into a crisp rice tikki on a bed of rajma topped with papad chura and a drizzle of aam ka achaar oil to complete the flavour profile. The dahi bhalla from Chandni Chowk becomes chatak chenna chaat-spongy chenna dunked in yogurt parfait, with a bhalla ice cream completing the flavour profile and a yogurt bark adding that Michelin-star touch. ![]() Like the famous gobhi samosa of Chawri Bazaar gets converted into a samosa-choley chaat board with small, delicate samosas. The result is a menu that delivers nostalgia to the hilt but with adequate surprise of innovation. Money matters: Here’s a hard-hitting commentary on state of capitalism, inflation and policy
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