Tandoori Magazine

November/December 2014

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FRONT OF HOUSE

ouse:

Ramesh Jain of Caraway

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Operations Director Pervin Todiwala

Rohit Ghai top of his game NEWS...

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VIVEK SINGH SPICES UP A NEW BOOK

NEW COOKING SAUCES FROM THE CINNAMON

MUCH MORE INSIDE...

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in this issue

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EDITOR’S LETTER Gracing the Tandoori magazine cover this month is a true star of the Indian culinary world – Rohit Ghai, whose considerable talent as the group head chef for JSK Restaurants is on display at such Michelin-starred restaurants as Gymkhana and Trishna.

It’s a privilege to have interviewed him for this issue as he’s someone who deserves all the accolades he’s been getting for his phenomenally good Indian cooking.

Also this month, we talk to chef Madhup Sinha, who is doing wonders at Annayu, at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Heathrow whilst for our front of house feature we speak to Ramesh Jain, chef-owner of the excellent east London local Caraway.

Two ladies doing things their own way for Indian food at lunchtimes are Arti Bareja and Upma Arora, whose cosy little café Dhaba Lane, serving a mixture of fast and comfort food in London’s trendy Shoreditch area, has everyone captivated. We also have another lady featured in our magazine who is fiercely talented and happens to be the operations director for Café Spice Namaste and more, Pervin Todiwala, on our movers and shakers page.

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News

The very latest

National News

From across the UK

Ajay Patel Humayun Hussain DESIGNER ...................................................... Ian Blaza EDITORIAL CONSULTANT ................. Pat Chapman

Immigration The latest restrictions

Marketing

From Dhaba Lane

.................................................

EDITOR ....................................

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News

Hot off the press

Humayun Hussain PUBLISHER

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Recipe of the month Chef Profile Rhit Ghai

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Gold Star

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Movers & Shakers

Hans Ram

Restaurant profile Goldon Triangle

Back of House

Chef Madhup Sinha

Front of House

Caraway chef and owner

Pervin Todiwala

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news

Winning the National South Asian Chef Crown Celebrating a decade of co etition nals t e out sian ef o etition sa c ef irector us ur a an of e el i in ittle s ton utton ol el ta e t e restigious to ri e Specialising in dishes from northern India and Bangladesh, Rahman’s restaurant opened in February 2011and since then he has been runner up in the United Kingdom South Asian Chef of the Year competition in both 2012 and 2013. The Delhi estaurant was also a finalist in the newcomer category of the British Curry Awards. his ear the national finals of the South Asian Chef Competition (SACC), which awarded Rahman the £2,000 cash pri e saw eight finalists from across the UK compete for the hotl contested first pri e where the chefs were recognised for their outstanding culinary skills.

Held at the new state of the art Bradford College’s new David Hockney Building under the watchful eyes of respected industry judges and the Chairmanship of Andrew Green, vice president and trustee of the Craft Guild of Chefs.

The South Asian Chef competition (SACC), setup

by Mohammed Aslam MBE, Aagrah restaureant’s managing director and executive chef, is spearheaded by the Aagrah Group of Restaurants, UK’s largest chain of Kashmiri restaurants. The challenge called for competitors to produce among others a healthy option dish and an innovative dish. All the dishes had to be creative and adventurous, with chefs using their own original recipes to win the title.

For the SACC’s second place, the award of £1,000 went to Shire Yu, whilst the third place prize of £750 went to Marzena Nowakowska.

The competition also awarded two special prizes, for innovative and healthy dishes. The healthy award went to Matthew Carter and the innovative award to Shire Yu. Both the special awards were sponsored by a leading law firm iper a global law firm with offices in

eeds.

The competition aims to encourage chefs to be creative and adventurous with their own recipes. It is open to all professional chefs who are able to produce south Asian cuisine from all culinary and cultural backgrounds.

Chefs can come from any part of the industry and this year were represented from hotels, contract catering, restaurants, pubs and colleges.

covers, the orperation will be headed by ex-Maze and Savoy Grill chef Sanjay Gour as the

executive chef and Dayashankar Sharma as the head chef.

Emphasis will be on north Indian Awadhi cooking.

Dishes will include palak-pattak chaat, samudri khazana, hron keema and murgh kurchan, amongst various other items. esserts will reflect ours experience as a pastry chef, with the likes of ‘old monk’ rum baba, lau i heer and mat a ulfi on the menu.

The drinks list will include a number of Indian beers and signature cocktails whilst the bar menu will serve Indian snacks.

Zaika returns to Kensington The once famed Indian restaurant Zaika, which in its original guie bestowed a Michelin star upon its then head chef Vineet Bhatia only to be taken over by the Tamarind Collection subsequently and then shut down to be replaced by One Kensington, is making a return.

Opening in its original site,

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the restaurant will be a “reimagined” Zaika as the owners are proclaiming. With 120

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Lasan Group to expand The renowned and awardwinning Lasan Group has acquired another site with plans to open a new venture at a historic listed building in the heart of Birmingham’s business district.

Aktar Islam and Jabbar Khan, founders of Lasan, have signed a lease on the Grade II-listed 130 Colmore Row, which is opposite Birmingham Council House and once ready to launch, will give the duo an additional venue to the existing Lasan, the street food café Raja Monkey along with their Argentinian restaurant Fiesta Del Asado.

“We’re looking to invest in young, passionate individuals from the local community,” said Lasan’s chef director Islam.

“It’s important for us to continue investing in Birmingham. Both Jabbar and I were born and bred in the city, so when we’re expanding it’s key for us that we are reinvesting here. The location means it’s one of the largest investments we’ve

made, so it’s an exciting time for us.

“We want to add value to the city’s culinary scene, which is already world class, but what we intend to do here will push it a little bit further. We’re known for taking cuisines and concepts and pushing the boundaries and we’ve got a proven record of doing it.

“For us, it’s a great statement for the brand. We’re an independent group born in Birmingham and it’s great for us to put our mark on the city. It could be a big part of our lasting legacy.”

Lasan was named the best local restaurant in the UK by Gordon Ramsey’s Channel 4 television show The F Word in 2010 while Mr Islam has also been a winner on the Great British Menu on BBC2. The new venue will sit next to Pure Bar and Kitchen in a part of the city which has become increasingly popular with food and drink firms.

An 8,000 calorie breakfast A café in Cheshire called the Bear Grills Café is serving a breakfast platter called “The Hibernator containing 8,000 calories worth of breakfast food.

The meal is served on a turkey platter and includes: eight pieces of bacon, eight sausages, four hash browns, four waffles four pieces of toast, four pieces of fried bread, one four-egg cheese omelette, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, a large portion of fries and a large milkshake.

“It’s called ‘The Hibernator’

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because if anyone completes it they’ll have to sleep for a year,” said owner Mark Winder. “We weighed all the cooked food and it came to a whopping seven pounds. That’s the weight of a baby.”

The breakfast costs £19.95.

According to EatingChallenges.co.uk, it is the “biggest brunch challenge in the U.K.” When the challenge was first issued ou had to finish it in minutes to get your money back and a free t-shirt. After 20 failed attempts, now ou ust have to finish it.

First though, a person will to be over 18 and sign a waiver. The Hibernator is so intense that Winder makes anyone who wants to attempt it sign a release — just in case something happens due to the sudden calorie intake.

A pub visit preferred Consumers still prefer a visit to the pub over any other out-ofhome leisure activity, according to new research.

Of the 1,800 peopled polled

by Carlsberg, 34% said that they visited the pub weekly.

This compares to 30% who said they chose a coffee shop, 22% who played sport and 17% who visited a restaurant each week.

The Carlsberg UK Consumer Insights Report 2014 found that pub visits were up 1%, compared to 2010, with growth in visits from SWAGs (single wise affluent grown-ups typically 36 to 54 years old) up 5% to 42% in the same period.

However, the report found a substantial decline in pub visits from young people, with 7% fewer 20-35 year old couples and 6% fewer single 18-25 year olds visiting pub weekly than in 2010.

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national news

Zest Quest Asia returns With prizes including a culinary study tour to an exotic Asian destination, round trip ticket and deluxe hotel, the Zest Quest Asia culinary competition offers a chance to full-time students with British residency to learn about and demonstrate their understanding of Asian cooking.

Individual colleges throughout Britain have been asked to encourage their students to enter the competition in teams of three, supported by their lecturer.

Last year, a team from Westminster Kingsway College

enjoyed a 10-day tour of India following their winning performance at a cook-off held at Hilton London Heathrow T5.

This year’s cook-off and gala dinner will be held in February 2015, and will likewise be held at the Hilton.

Zest Quest Asia has caught the attention of many of the industry’s top suppliers, who have pledged their support.

Gold and silver sponsors include Tilda, Cavity Protection Systems, 3663, Panasonic, Cobra Beer, Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Whisky and Hilton T5.

Cyrus Todiwala, who created Zest Quest Asia, said, “We’re looking for ambitious student cooks who want to make their mark in this industry; what better way to stand out than to be recognised as a hotshot in Asian cuisine?”

The competition will be judged by panel comprising top chefs and food experts led by Todiwala and the masterchefs of Great Britain.

Geoff Booth, Chairman of the Professional Association for Catering Education (PACE), said, “This is a great competition and at PACE we want all our member colleges to take advantage of getting involved.

“Great colleges don’t just offer great teaching; they offer students the chance to benefit from great opportunities.

The Zest Quest Asia is an exceptional chance to develop

skills by taking part in this exciting challenge. It creates the opportunity to gain wider recognition too, with an amazing reward for the winning team.”

Atul Kochhar opens new restaurant A new Indian culinary destination has been launched by one of the UK’s top Michelin-starred chefs Atul Kochhar.

Named Sindhu, the restaurant has opened its doors in the Compleat Angler hotel, in Marlow, Bucks. With a contemporary yet innovative take on traditional Indian cooking, the menu features such dishes as hiran ka boti (venison saddle with cardamom and mace), meen moilee (wild sea bass with coconut moilee sauce) and bathak falliyan (Gressingham

Battersea Power Station street food A street food market featuring 60 vans and stalls is being planned as part of the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station. The market will be located on the third floor of the rebuilt industrial building, which will include 115 food and drink

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duck breast with three bean stew and coriander cress) to name but a few.

The space has been elegantly transformed in what was previously Aubergine restaurant in the five star hotel. ith its backdrop of Marlow Weir, the restaurant also takes inspiration from the rivers of India, bringing a fusion of complementary colours with splashes of saffron across plush furniture and vibrant canvases with subtle muted tones.

outlets. A central lift will be installed to enable food trucks to be transported up the building.

Battersea Power Station Development Company chief executive Rob Tincknell said, “It will be the most amazing food court in London with the vehicles being able to go up and park in their space on the third floor.

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14/12/2014 19:52

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Top hospitality apprenticeship employers named Three hospitality companies have made it onto the country’s Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list. KFC, Mitchells & Butlers and River Cottage were selected by a panel of judges from the employment and skills arena. The list, compiled annually by the National Apprenticeship Service, in partnership with City & Guilds, recognises excellence in businesses that employ apprentices. Mitchells & Butlers director of learning and talent development, Jan Smallbone, said: “Not only do our apprentices gain technical skills in both cookery and hospitality, they also build transferable skills that are essential to getting ahead in their careers, as well as the opportunity to further their studies to degree level and beyond.”

Indian Summer launches own App Brighton’s award-winning restaurant Indian Summer has launched its own App for its growing number of regular customers who book online, mostly through their smart phone.

Users of the App have a built in loyalty card, can view the latest menu, make online bookings, receive exclusive offers an ene t fro a refer a frien iscount e App can be downloaded from Apple’s App store, through a link on Indian Summer’s website or by scanning their unique QR (quick response) code, using a free scanning App on a smart phone.

For FREE information pack phone 01924 488619 or 07880 239524 www.sweetheat.co.uk sales@sweetheat.co.uk

Restaurateurs warn of wine scam Restaurateurs have warned of a series of scams where seemingly high-spending customers ask for cases of wine, only for payments to turn out to be fraudulent.

David Moore, owner of Michelin-starred restaurant Pied a Terre, reported that his restaurant had been defrauded of £12,000 of champagne and wine by a group pretending to work for wealthy Arab clients.

Moore stated that restaurateurs should be wary of new, high-spending customers who ask to buy a couple of cases of ne ine es eciall if t e sen a ta i an a by credit card. “It should be viewed as highly suspicious that they want to pay a 100% or more mark-up to buy cases of our wine,” he added.

Diners urged to check hygiene ratings The Food Standard Agency (FSA) is urging diners to check food hygiene ratings before booking Christmas meals. Its latest poll found that 34% of people said they had suspected they had contracted food poisoning from eating out.

However, of the 2,500 people quizzed, 40% didn’t check hygiene ratings before booking. The biggest concern of Christmas meal bookers was that the food wouldn’t be enjoyable (25%), while 8% were most concerned about price and only 3.2% had worries about the restaurant’s hygiene.

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MAGAZINE

Would like to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year

Subscribe to Tandoori Magazine at www.tandoorimagazine.com/subscriptions/register

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14/12/2014 20:58

news

Papad wins at Asian Curry Awards

Vivek Singh spices up a new book Super-chef and MD of London’s famed restaurants The Cinnamon Club, Cinnamon Kitchen and Cinnamon Soho, Vivek Singh, has launched a new cookery book entitled Spice at Home (Absolute Press).

The new cookery book offers a partnership of Indian spicing and western culinary styles with dishes combining Singh’s traditional Indian heritage as well as items from his home in Britain – all along offering a twist on tried and tested recipes.

With a collection of simple yet very accessible and well-

photographed dishes, the book starts off with a range of breakfast recipes including such richly formed partnerships as duck egg curry with layered parathas to uttapam with chutney. The trajectory being then the middle of the day, where one gets suitably light recipes such as Bangla scotch eggs to pulled lamb wraps and aubergine fritters with popyy seed.

The “day’s end” section offers more substantial items albeit with Singh’s customary flair with recipes including crab and curry leaf risotto, mullet in a Bengali prawn and vegetable broth to several more imaginative dishes.

Whatever your Tableware Requirements we should be able to supply it

In front of over 1000 leading Asian restaurateurs, VIPs and dignitaries, the top award of the Asian & Oriental Chef of the Year, South East category, at the Asian Curry Awards 2014, went to Chef Ashrafur Rahman, of Papad restaurant in Chesham, Bucks.

Held at the London Hilton Hotel Park Lane, the glittering ceremony, which included amongst the attendees, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg, saw Chef Rahman beat off stiff competition from scores of other chefs from establishments across the country.

“I’m completely taken aback and so pleasantly surprised,” said Chef Rahman of his award win.

“I really didn’t expect such an accolade, especially when you know that you are competing with a highly talented and select band

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of other chefs. I’m very honoured b this award. It s a ver fine testament to all the hard work my kitchen team and I have put into the cooking and how our clientele have appreciated it.”

Launched well over a year ago, Papad is a modern, vibrant and intimate restaurant, which under Chef Rahman, whose background is couched in training in such renowned Indian hotel groups as the Taj, Oberoi and the Sheraton group, focuses on dishes emphasising eclectic and healthy, casual Indian dining.

“Ever since it opened Papad has proved to be very popular with locals and those further afield said proprietor iron Miah.

“With our chef winning at the Asian Curry Awards, gives us such a tremendous boost and a real shot of confidence in what we are doing.”

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news

New cooking sauces from the Cinnamon Kitchen Inspired by the menu at Cinnamon KItchen, the awardwinning restaurant has created a range of chilled sauces under the header of the At Home Range for the consumer sector, available exclusively at Waitrose.

The four-strong collection features cashew nut korma sauce, tomato and fenugreek makhani, Kerala curry, and Goan spiced vindaloo.

Vivek Singh, executive chef and head of the company which owns Cinnamon Kitchen, The Cinnamon Club and Cinnamon Soho, Indian Restaurant Ltd, commented: “I wanted to offer shoppers an at-home range with the authentic flavours and textures that diners enjoy at Cinnamon Kitchen. My aim was to develop a range of sauces that will inspire and excite

foodies and curry-lovers to head to the kitchen and get creative.”

Another new offering for the company is the appointment of Tina English as commercial director. English’s new role will see her hone and develop the Cinnamon Kitchen brand, in addition to exploring and executing other brand development opportunities for

the Cinnamon Group.

“We are delighted to welcome Tina into a newly-founded position at the company,” stated Singh. “Her main focus will be to strengthen refine and build the Cinnamon Kitchen brand and I’m sure with her extensive experience and industry knowledge, she’ll be a real asset to the team.”

Aagrah scoops two major awards The renowned Aagrah group, which currently has 15 branches in Yorkshire, has won two major restaurant awards, Best South Asian Restaurant in Yorkshire & Humber at the London based Asian Curry Awards 2014 along with the Best Indian Establishment at the Food Awards England & Wales 2014, held in Manchester recently.

With the former award going to the restaurant’s Leopold Square, heffield site its manager and regional director Zahid Iqbal, said: “I am grateful to all our customers and staff who helped us achieve this much sought after award.”

The group’s Aagrah Leeds City site won the Best Indian Establishment at the Food Awards England & Wales 2014.

Receiving the award at the

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inaugural ceremony, its branch director said, “We must thank our customers and our staff, their loyalty, dedication and commitment has helped us achieve this national award.”

Voted for by the English public, The Food Awards England & Wales, which were held at the

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Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel, are designed to recognise the efforts of England’s restaurants, takeaways, pub food, hotels, cafes and bistros.

A family owned business launc hed over 35 years ago, the Aagrah group employs 450 staff across its 15 sites.

Madhur Jaffrey gets vegetarian

Every year or two, the doyen of Indian cooking Madhur Jaffrey, launches a cookery book that gets everyone talking and this year has been no different.

Jaffery was in the UK recently to promote her latest offering Curry Easy Vegetarian (Ebury Press), which as the title suggests, covers vegetarian recipes though the famed writer doesn’t just cover India – though due to the very nature of the recipes here, it remains very much the focus – via her easy to make dishes, but instead crosses borders to other nations close by too.

There’s vibrancy to the recipes along with a sense of ma ing them fit ever type of meal. So if you are staring with soups, appetizers and snacks then sure enough, grains will bring enough recipes to cover rice, semolina and quinoa. We don’t just get breads either, but pancakes, savouries and noodles as well. Comprehensive and a near companion piece to her one of Jaffrey’s previously published books World Vegetarian.

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14/12/2014 19:55

in focus

More Stick Than Carrot Now that the summer season is over and the elections are around the corner, says Maria Fernandes there is a renewed vigour by the Home Office to cut numbers

T

here is a drive to pursue employers who have sponsor licences (who have volunteered to have their systems checked in return for employing a small number of migrant staff).

Restaurants are deemed to be in the high risk category as they fit a stereot pe which usuall involves harbouring illegal workers.

When restaurants hold sponsor licences they can expect unannounced visits that can last the best part of a day. s the officers arrive for a visit, they approach whoever is on duty that day regardless of the fact that he/she may not be in charge of the human resources part of the business. It is a well -known fact that Asians particularly do not question the reason for the visit or decline to answer if they do not have the knowledge or authority to do so. Many are too timid in the presence of immigration authorities.

It is quite common that a junior person has answered questions, as has happened on many occasions, and this has resulted in inaccurate information being given and relied upon. A sponsor licence has an uthorising fficer who should be identified prior to the visit and should be the person who is questioned unless this responsibility is delegated by this person to someone else. fficers should identify the relevant person to speak to.

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Maria Fernandes has been an immigration lawyer for 28 years and is accredited by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

was a measure of collaboration and an opportunity to put right things that went wrong as they must in any organisation from time to time. There has been a sea change in that attitude now with more punitive measures being taken. As an employer recently remarked there are visits by other bodies but none are sonegative as the Immigration Authorities.

It is time that the employers who have licences make their views known. Less of the stick and more of the carrot.

Maria Fernandes has been in practice exclusively in immigration for the past 28 years. Fernandes Vaz is based at 87 Wembley Hill Road Wembley in Wembley and can be contacted by telephone on 020 8733 0123, by email on info@ fernandesvaz.com. n

The other more worrying aspect of the licensing system is that suspensions and revocations are meted out when there are minor infractions.

Employers are expected to have experience of an online system and where they fail to report issues, they are dealt with severely. This is so even though the UKVI themselves continue to make mistakes on a regular basis. They want a gold standard that they are not able to meet themselves. The unequal relationship should not give them an unfair advantage.

Employers are not immigration officers. a e one e ample that has come up again and again On a visit, the Immigration fficers conclude that an employee concerned is an overstayer and not permitted to work. They only cave in once provided evidence from the helpline for employers that they set up that the employee concerned is in fact allowed to work.

An issue that relates to unfairness is a recurring theme of

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employers accused of breaching their duties without evidence being presented to back up the claims. In many cases suspicion takes precedence over the facts.

Immigration is a civil matter and as such the burden of proving a fact must be on a balance of probabilities, in other words more likely than not.

Criminals are given better treatment and judges would not hesitate to throw out a case which did not strictly comply with the rules of fairness. In immigration there is no right of appeal, no means of challenging a decision other than expensive proceedings in the High Court which does not consider the merits of the case as such.

The licencing system was brought in to allow employers the ability to employ staff providing they followed the rules.

When the system began there

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14/12/2014 19:58

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14/12/2014 20:02

marketing

Two for

Dhaba Lane

launched in July this year. The premises being a basement, exvintage café, the interior still harbours some of the eccentricity and cosy atmosphere of its predecessor.

“Being in a basement location isn’t exactly the best of spots,” admits Bareja, “but you’d be amazed how many people drop by just because of the aroma of our cooking wafting outside. You then get heads turning in appreciation as to the

look of our café, which is very gratifying. Then they’re impressed by our light and quite varied style of the food we offer. I’m Delhiborn and Upma is from Uttar Pradesh and we each bring our own influences to the coo ing style. But then I also married into a Mangalorean family and that itself makes me even more creative with what we can offer.”

Both Bareja and Arora get involved with the business equally where required and the priority they said is to stay focussed. n

An eye-catching café in London’s Shoreditch area is a foodie dream come true of two friends Arti Bareja and Upma Arora. They talk to Tandoori about the lunchtime concept

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t’s always worth lending one’s ear to something that’s just that little bit different and just that little bit more interesting. The UK and of course London as we know, is chock full of Indian restaurants of all kinds. Throw a stick and you’ll hit ten of them!

One might even say that’s it’s an observation which is at the very root of why two friends – Arti Bareja and Upma Arora – decided to open a lunchtime-only café in fashionable Shoreditch. The thinking behind it being that with all that is available in Indian restaurants, even in the form of street food, not to mention the scores of sandwich and a gamut of other non-Indian fast food outlets for a lunchtime crowd – well, why not Indian?

Initially, being two working

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professionals, Bareja and Arora, started out slowly last year by making deliveries and doing a few pop up sites here and there by using the latter’s domestic kitchen, which had already been put through the various health and safety checks.

“We set out,” says Bareja, “with the intention of offering homestyle cooking albeit not in the normal sense, combined with simplicity. Yes, we were always going to offer curries, but we wanted to incorporate a healthy cooking style with no usage of ghee clarified butter ver little oil, yet have lots of vegetables and lentils both as separate items and mixed with meat. “ fter its first wave of success haba ane didn t actuall find a permanent base till its current location which was officiall

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14/12/2014 20:04

recipe of the month Spice at Home - By Vivek Singh (Absolute Press, £25)

Honey andtoes Chilli Pota SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS 450g new potatoes, boiled in the skin, peeled, cut in half and allowed to cool 2 garlic cloves finel chopped 1 teaspoon red chilli fla es 2 teaspoons nigella seeds 1 teaspoon salt 50g cornflour vegetable oil, for deep frying

Combine the peeled potatoes with garlic red chilli fla es nigella salt and cornflour in a large bowl and set aside for 5 minutes.

Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180ºC. Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with approximately 2 tablespoons of water to make the cornflour stic better to the potatoes. Deep fry in batches for 3–4 minutes until crisp and golden, then drain on kitchen

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For the sauce 1½ teaspoons vegetable oil 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 teaspoon red chilli fla es 1 tablespoon sesame seeds 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup 2 teaspoons vinegar (rice, malt or white wine vinegar work well) 1½ tablespoons honey 1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves (optional) or spring onion greens

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Toss the fried potatoes in the sauce, sprinkle with coriander or spring onions and serve immediately.

15/12/2014 19:54

chef profile

Top of his

Game

Group head chef of JKS Restaurants, which owns the Michelin-starred Gymkhana and Trishna amongst other restaurants, Rohit Ghai talks all things food with Humayun Hussain

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s recent as a mere two years ago, it’s hard to imagine that a chef’s name of Rohit Ghai would have registered in the wider circles of restaurant gastronomy as it does today.

Not that those in the know wouldn’t have blinked an eye lid even then. In his previous guise, he was after all, the senior sous chef at the Michelin-starred Benares as well as head chef of what remains one of the most innovative Indian restaurants of recent times in the UK, the now-defunct Vatika.

What’s changed though is that Ghai, once recruited as the group head chef of JKS Restaurants, the company which owns London’s top Indian restaurants Trishna and Gymkhana – along with Verandah in Copenhagen – landed on the UK culinary map with a bang. But if this was because Trishna, under the guidance of chef-patron and co-owner of JKS alongside his brother Jyotin and sister Sunaina, Karam Sethi, had acquired a Michelin star even better news was to follow suit.

The moment Gymkhana was launched by Sethi in 2013 Ghai was truly on the culinary map – arguably even becoming one of the best chefs in the UK and there was no looking back. The reason being that Gymkhana was critically an overnight smash with unprecedentedly positive reviews for an Indian restaurant. Some even having hailed it as the “restaurant of the decade”. The establishment evokes a certain kind of Anglo-Indian institution – the old bars and gentleman’s clubs of that era which are still prevalent in some parts of India and Pakistan. Atmospheric, dark with oak wood flooring leather ban uettes and even signs of

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hunting trophies and black and white photos and prints of ester ear. dd to that some ver fine wines and cocktails, a battalion of well-informed waiting staff and you have a top-notch set-up. hen there s the coo ing at first glance the menu seems a tad familiar and full of traditional Indian dishes albeit with an elevated style. But look closely and you begin to notice that this is tradition of a superior kind. Shades of familiarity for sure, but with a huge emphasis on seasonality too, game being a particular strongpoint. Where else in an Indian restaurant would ou find wild munt ac bir ani gilafi pheasant see h ebab or wild rabbit nihari, to mention but a few dishes?

Between Sethi and Ghai, the twosome has come up with an audacious, robust and polished menu. And then there’s the quality of the cooking: fresh distinctive and richl flavoursome with bold spicing and the kind of British ingredients, which if you know your food, you’ll realise are clearly wellsourced. his is refined precision-level Indian cooking of the highest order and Ghai, putting any pun aside, is at the top of his game.

The immense skill, which Ghai brings to the cooking at JKS Restaurants, is a far cry from his upbringing in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh: “My mother’s cooking,” Ghai says fondly, “runs through my blood. Growing up in a Punjabi family I tasted, learnt and embraced her cooking

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which seemed to come so naturally to her. Still to this day my favourite dishes are prepared by my mother – sarson ka saag and makkai ki roti. As I grew older and we started cooking together she taught me how important it was to taste each dish continuously throughout the cooking process and mould the flavour of the dish based on instinct rather than recipe.”

Eventually, after graduating at the Institute of Hotel Management in Gwalior, Ghai further honed his skills and gained creative freedom from the senior chefs he worked under whilst straddling restaurant kitchens for both the Taj and the Oberoi hotel group. It wasn’t though until 2008 that Ghai arrived in London and found himself truly exposed to modern Indian cooking.

But how does Ghai interpret “modern” Indian cooking?

“For me,” states Ghai, “it’s an interpretation of the styles, flavours and tastes that are tradition in India but have been adapted to today’s ethos. For example, I cook dishes that inspire me from my childhood in India but I use local and seasonal ingredients which is incredibly important in today’s environment. A great example of this is our pheasant Chettinad at Trishna. Chettinad cuisine is traditional and known

for its use of spices in particular freshly ground masala. However, we pair this style of Indian cooking with a local and seasonal British game bird.”

Though it might seem that Gymkhana or for that matter Trishna’s success has been just pure luck, as with any restaurants of such calibre, a lot of hard work goes behind them.

“In the case of Trishna,” says Sethi, “we had been going steadily until to our surprise we won the Michelin star. With Gymkhana, we were formulating the recipes and dishes for the place three years before it opened with all the work being done at Trishna.

Gymkhana’s success comes I think from being a restaurant, which is in sync with the eating out habits of Londoners at the moment. Very simple and accessible food along with food for all occasions, not just special ones.”

Ghai concludes: “I do believe that I was born to be a chef because I find the kitchen to be an incredibly exciting place to work as you never stop experimenting and innovating.

I’m thrilled that I can do this at JKS restaurants, where one can develop momentum by quality and service goals rather than just awards and accolades.” n

I cook dishes that inspire me from my childhood in India but I use local and seasonal ingredients

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Supplier profile

S

taffing or rather lac of good staff who want to remain in their obs permanentl is a perennial problem within the Indian restaurant industr . his applies e uall to both bac and front of house staff.

In recent ears much has been made of the curr crisis citing the dearth of s illed staff being available to the sector the lac of more oung and talented people entering the industr and of course the increasingl rigorous immigration rules which have graduall ta en hold spearheaded b the points-based immigration s stem particularl as it regulates immigration to the from outside the uropean conomic rea .

If there is a straightforward solution to the difficulties in a mar et which is becoming ever more sophisticated then no one has found it as et. ome sa it ought to be more catering courses centres of e cellence apprenticeship and various other training schemes. et putting aside a restaurant s own contacts or even deplo ing the services of a consultant of some sort the first port of call ought to be a recruitment agenc . hat s where a leading industr name such as the recruitment and sponsor licensing specialist oldstar hefs comes in. et up b ans am almost b default in he was a successful food and restaurant wholesaler wishing to change careers. fter some initial dealings to recruit staff with a compan which didn t uite turn out be ver legitimate in its intentions am decided to do things the right wa .

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Goldstar at your service Goldstar Chefs is a restaurant staff recruitment company name which has an unparalleled reputation for quality work. Its MD Hans Ram talks to Tandoori I strongl felt he sa s that recruitment should be done professionall properl and with transparenc and with sourcing the right people. t the time the Indian restaurant industr was hungr for manpower speciall the small to medium si ed restaurants. ear or two after setting up I was even reaching out to India and ubai for chefs to recruit but of what I was doing was recruiting chefs locall from within the and the business coming in was through word of mouth. old tar alwa s have live en uiries from restaurants who are loo ing for staff and the compan provides all inds of chefs. nce a placement with a restaurant has been finalised the will charge a one-off recruitment fee along with a one-off fee to the candidate though the latter is onl if visa formalities are re uired or when contracts and agreements have to be formalised. ver thing is done in compliance with ome ffice legalities and old tar are members of he ecruitment mplo ment onfederation . am is at pains to e plain that one of the crucial things about his compan is specialisation and the abilit to sit down with the client and see what their re uirements are.

I can use the opportunit he adds to gage if the prospective client is seriousl loo ing to recruit

staff or ust window shopping as it were. nce the have seen our terms of engagement I will give them s of chefs and other staff that the ma re uire which the can then peruse. ealing mainl with what am

calls three star and four star chefs does he find negotiations that ma ta e place between restaurant owners and potential chef candidates frustrating o I don t because we have a mechanism in place on how to deal with such things which we have developed over the ears. his is where we have the value proposition that we give. aving alread found out what each side wants we will deal with all the negotiating. e sa to the chef for instance don t start off with the wrong uestion li e the salar ! reate a situation in our emplo ment where ou can earn the mone ou re uire engage the restaurant owner and the latter can perhaps set a performance-led figure in place.

It s alwa s important to have a dialogue and not start off on two polar ends. n

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TOTAL NUMBER OF COVERS: 70 - 80 AVERAGE SPEND PER HEAD: £10 - £15 at lunch, £25 at dinner MOST EXPENSIVE DISH: Tandoori Mixed Grill at £14.95

CHEAPEST DISH: Onion Bhaji at £3.95 CRITICAL REVIEWS: “There are too many main courses dishes to mention here but I would like to recommend that you ignore all the regular curry

house dishes. They, of course, will be cooked beautifully, but I want you to order some of the more unusual dishes - please believe me - you won’t be disappointed!” Pat Chapman’s Curry Club

The

Golden Triangle

As a youngster, Abdul Kadir had an ambition to open a good, Indian restaurant with refined cooking and achieved it with Golden Triangle, in Fleet.

Kadir talks to Tandoori

What made you want to open your own restaurant?

I started working in the restaurant sector as a waiter from a young age. So I saw all kinds of restaurants in operation and was also fortunate enough to see the business side of things. It wasn’t though till I came to work at a restaurant named Gaylord in Mortimer Street that I really found the urge to want to open my own restaurant but one which would encompass an ethos of quality cooking.

What made you want to open a restaurant in Brighton?

Fleet is not only a nice town, but for me it held a certain kind of potential where I felt there was a gap in the market for a good Indian restaurant.

What has been the upside and downside of being a chef and a restaurateur?

If you want to be in the restaurant industry you have to be very passionate and dedicated. It tends to take over your life in a way like no other job. In a sense, that is the downside in that you have to give up so much of your time to it that it has a bearing on your family life. It’s all consuming.

By the same token, it’s also the

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upside because you can’t be in the restaurant industry if you weren’t fully committed to it and prepared for all the hard work and hours you have to put in.

restaurant profile particular element that is at the heart of running a good business operation in a restaurant. But quality food, good service and a certain personal touch to how you treat your customers are some of the essential tools of doing things right. This is after all, the hospitality business and hospitality is all about making people feel good and comfortable.

What is the one key decision you have taken?

Sticking to my convictions that giving our clientele fine food is something that will always pay off and that it will make them come back time and again. And I have not been wrong.

What does the future hold for your restaurant?

I want Golden Triangle to keep on thriving and getting better and better. We are already Fleet’s finest Indian restaureant!

What was the initial investment you made in the business?

The investment I made was sufficient to get the restaurant up and running and that for me was the main thing.

How would you describe the cooking style at your restaurant?

I always wanted to have the kind of food in my restaurant which would be traditional, but done with a sense of refinement and be well-flavoured.

How do you maintain the different regional influences?

I have a team of chefs who have been recruited from both some of the best hotels in India and also from top-rated Indian restaurants in London.

What that given is scope and the ability to execute dishes which have influences from various regions in India. I’m very proud of that aspect of our menu.

What is your secret of running a good business operation?

I don’t think that there is any one

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back

of house

Flying High Near

Heathrow Madhup Sinha is the high flying head chef at the newly opened Annayu restaurant at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Heathrow.

He talks to talks to Tandoori about his approach to cooking

W

spicing levels at the subtle mark.

“I think achieving a certain kind of balance is very important in cooking and even to some extent presentation,” says Sinha.

“Obviously, a lot depends on the market you are aiming at, but at Annayu I really didn’t want

to get too hip or cutting edge.

It was more of a case of using different meats and spices being innovative up to a point and yet never losing sight of what is the essence of Indian cooking.”

Like so many gifted and experienced chefs, Sinha does not though concur with the view that Indian cooking should have any pre-determined barriers.

“From my point of view, everything is welcome,” he concludes. “These days, the customer is very aware of what he’s being served and at Annayu, we have no demands from anyone whether they should be served north Indian dishes or any other region.

“What they are concerned with is whether what they are being served is being done in an interesting way, and of quality.

Listening to customers will make me a better chef.”

of his personality. hen east-Indian With the gist of his formal born chef training coming from the Taj Hotel Madhup Sinha group, Sinha was also fortunate first arrived in enough to have done some stints the UK, in 2002, he noted that with the Oberoi Hotel group. there was still a certain lacking Having then become the chef of of ingredients in supermarkets a speciality seafood restaurant, here. It was only when he started Sinha’s passion for pastry made to visit more areas of high ethnic his UK-based brother suggest to concentration that he says his eyes opened up to the rich variety him that he come here and do a course in Le Cordon Bleu, which of year round ingredients that he did. Thereafter, Sinha worked were on display. He’s not looked at different London restaurants – back since. ranging from La Porte des Indes The abundance of different and Mela through to the Silk produce though isn’t exactly what at The Courthouse lit the fervour in Kempinski.

Sinha to become a Then came his chef, more so the current fixture: city of Mumbai, Annayu, a modern which he moved Indian restaurant, to whilst in his STARTERS which opened teens. It afforded Hazelnut vadi Duck rechade earlier this year at him he states, Gunpowder scallop the Radisson Blu the kind of career Edwardian Heathrow. paths one wouldn’t MAINS The result is a fine necessarily Baby haddock Prawn thoran dining restaurant, consider if one Chicken methi which utilises Sinha’s were nestled down talent to judiciously in a comparatively DESSERTS partner contemporary small city or town.

Passion fruit phirni White chocolate & items with refined Mumbai also bayleaf brulee traditional ones whilst played a crucial role all the while keeping in the development

Sample Menu

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The iPad menu which doubles as a take-away app.

026_TM_NovDec14.indd 26 2.indd 36 Tandoori JUNE JULY PART

14/12/2014 31/07/2013 20:19 23:23

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STARTERS Warm shakarkandi salad Mirchi murg

MAINS Safed maas Goan fish curry Hyderabadi dalcha chicken

Exceeding customer

expectations Ramesh Jain, chef-owner of the renowned Caraway in east London tells Tandoori a restaurant should listen to its local customer base and give them a talking point

A

s the chef-owner of the successful north Indian style restaurant arawa in ants ill east ondon amesh ain has built up a highly successful business. He had done so too within just a mere few years of being in the having arrived here in .

The Delhi-born chef and restaurateur is at pains to point out that what he has achieved is all down to a good foundation in India nowledge and e perience of what good food is all about and the ability to put his ear to the ground for customer feedbac of his clientele and then exceeding whatever their e pectations are. hat wa according to ain repeat custom is practically assured.

He still harbours fond childhood memories of his mother’s cooking – something he even tries to replicate in his restaurant’s cooking today as he

readily admits.

“It was very much a slow love of food and coo ing on m part sa s ain but because it s such an integral part of the subcontinental culture there was no getting away from it. I was even intrigued with how some people and chefs got their flavourings wrong in as much as I was with those who got it right. Sometimes I would even just observe and talk to the street vendor chaat wallahs to see what they were using and coo ing.

Enamoured enough with the world of food ain enrolled himself for hotel management though realised in time that he also wanted to become a chef.

It was a vocation he became completel devoted to getting better and better at it putting in long hours and working in top hotel establishments such as the Crowne Plaza and the Hyatt egenc around India. ain became so well-versed in what

front of house he was doing that he decided to up sticks and move to the UK and try his luck afresh on projects here.

Though he worked on a restaurant venture at first he took charge of his destiny by launching his own restaurant in the current outpost Caraway. etting m own first restaurant off the ground was not easy and proved to be uite daunting states Jain. “But I had experience behind me knowledge and a certain degree of professionalism.

I further took the view that if I was to offer well-flavoured traditional Indian cooking albeit in modern

surroundings I would do so in an area where there was a high presence of people from the subcontinent because they would understand the cooking much better.

Opening with no fanfare or advertising of an ind the cover Caraway was an instant hit. aim was alwa s to fulfil local needs he states. ut as a restaurateur if ou tr hard and exceed customer expectations by giving them your very best – from quality food to cocktails and most of all listening to what m customers want. are commitment and passion is what so many restaurant owners forget.

“I have families who come here to dine three times a week and we are so often full. I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved and with my looking to open another restaurant I couldn t be happier! n

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14/12/2014 20:27

s r e v Mo kers a h S & news

nt, staura ori e r e t o s Nama lks to Tand e c i p S ta ’s Café erself. She n o d n h o la of L l career for a w i d fu To Cyrus t a success f e h c u d owne lso carved o n e r o dt sa Marrie odiwala ha T Pervin

You are the co-patron and operations director of Café Spice Namaste, Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen The Park Café in Victoria Park East and the latest venture Assado. What does your role entail?

My role is very hands on.

As Operations Director I have to keep a close eye on everything that goes on in the business.

I work in the restaurant and that s a real benefit because I’m able to develop a rapport with all the staff as well as discover things that would not come to light otherwise. I also tend to oversee the financial aspects of the business and of course, it falls to me more than anyone else to manage my husband Cyrus!

What are the day to day challenges of what you do and how do you overcome them?

Every day is a new day.

Café Spice Namaste is now in its 19th year and even today when we walk into the premises each morning, often I have to expect the unexpected.

They say that behind

30

every successful man there is a woman.

Considering your husband Cyrus Todiwala OBE is one of the most inspiring chefs in the country, how true is it?

my life with the kids and work.

You have various awards yourself – from the 2013 World of Difference Award given

by The International Alliance for Women to being made an Honorary Dame d’ scof er of es a es scof er at oes being bestowed with awards mean to you?

Cyrus is one of the most inspiring and talented chefs I know. And you may think I am saying that because I am married to him, but that is not the case. I met Cyrus when I was around 18 and this year we will have been married for 30 years. I have seen him grow and today when I look around us I can see the depth of his knowledge and to this day his ideas can be so innovative they continue to surprise and challenge me. As I am a trained chef myself, we seem to talk food all the time.

If you knew when you starte out o if cult and time consuming the hospitality sector can be, would you still have been in it?

Any profession can have difficult times but the challenges that you face in hospitality would never put me off.

You and your husband have put in a lot of your

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I am so, so thrilled to be recognised and most importantly, these awards highlight the importance of the role of women in business and industry.

What do you like to eat and drink yourself?

effort and years into the restaurant business along with bringing up two sons. Tell us what it’s been like as a working mother.

Being a working mother has been very tough as I wanted to be the ideal mother and truly looking at both my boys now I do not think I wanted them

to grow up any another way. Some of my friends still remark about how much time I always had for their activities and their studies.

Of course I had Cyrus’s support and my closest friend in this country, Jayne, without whose support I would never have been able to juggle

I am very adventurous with food, as is Cyrus.

We have similar tastes.

We like to try anything new. We love eating out trying new restaurants and all kind of cuisine. In fact whenever we travel we always hunt down new restaurants, street food, name it.

How would you like to be remembered?

As Pervin Todiwala and nothing else.

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