new ideas or is it to see family or a bit
of both?
I visit India whenever my mum says, “I’m
missing you” I board the plane and it’s
true. My mum still lives in India and I go
there as often as I can. I have consulting
work in Dubai so that takes me there three
times in a year. So every time I’m in Dubai
I go to India, but apart from that, another
three or four times I do go. So I’m there
quite often. And next year I’m opening two
of my own restaurants in India.
I’m going to Mumbai. So, yeah, that will
take me more often.
Perfect. Your mum will be pleased.
I’m sure she will be! But it’s 20 years later
I’m returning to open a restaurant, I can’t
believe it. So I’m very excited about that.
And do you still find that when you go
over you’re still discovering new ideas
and inspiration?
I do, I do. You know, because I grew up
in such a way with my family from north
India and then I grew up in east India and
then for my education, I was then sent
down to south India, in Chennai, which
used to be Madras.
My understanding of cuisine evolved or I
kind of understood flavours in a different
way and once when I was cooking Indian
food in India, I had a German executive
sous chef and he was married to an
Indian lady so he understood India pretty
well as well. There was one time when I
was cooking for him and his wife and he
said: “Do you know that your food in a
very weird way is a fusion? And in a good
weird way!”. I said: “Okay, what do you
mean by that?” He said: “I can’t explain,
Atul, but all I can tell you is you are 20
years ahead of what India needs. Go
away somewhere, experiment and come
back and India will be ready for you.”
And it’s funny, those words have