CHEF HASAN FROM THE HUT, KUTA, LOMBOK
Meeting The Challenges With ‘Food Made Good’
H
uge healthy salad? Chunky chicken curry? Luscious lava cake? There’s all that and more at The Hut , in Kuta Lombok. A relatively recent addition to the range of dining options on the island, the restaurant offers local and international dishes, with a focus on fresh. In a year like no other, it has kept its promise: ‘Food Made Good.’ My Lombok spoke with John, who directs operations at The Hut , to find out more…. Is there one dish you love and remember from your childhood? Yes, there is – my father’s fantastic Spaghetti Bolognese. He used to make it in huge quantities and then freeze it. In the UK in the 1960s, this was considered to be quite an exotic dish. I’ve never got tired of it. Tell us about your background and how you started out in cooking. My first career wasn’t in cooking at all. I studied medicine in Scotland then became an osteopath, in a specialist area of physical therapy. I did that for 17 years, and then decided to move to France. I opened a small hospitality business, where tourists stayed in accommodation next to my house – a bit like a homestay. For all of my adult life I have been a home cook, and I often cooked for my guests. I learned basic cooking skills from my mother when I was a child, but I'm mainly self-taught. I’ve also travelled extensively around the world and attended many cooking courses in various countries. After I left Europe I wasn’t sure what I would do, but my friends and family have always enjoyed my cooking so, with their support, I decided to open a restaurant. And now here I am at The Hut. How would you define your style of cooking? I would describe my cooking as simple and unpretentious. I always draw on my love of food from all over the world, and make my dishes using local fresh ingredients.
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