He’s been a part of some of the most celebrated kitchens in the country and abroad, and has now come to Kolkata at The Park hotel to test taste mettle in the city. The Telegraph chats with The Park’s new executive chef Ankit Pahuja on cuisine, philosophy and future plans. Excerpts.
What is it like being in Kolkata?
As they say City of Joy, it indeed is. This is the second time I am working in Kolkata and so far the place has not disappointed me. It’s a city of foodies. One can get food reasonably priced as well as expensive too. I am enjoying the current weather as it is the best time to be in the city with Christmas and the festive season coming up. I am sure the city, its people and food culture will remain to be the top-notch priority for me to go around and explore.
What was your chef training inclined towards?
I started my career with IHCL (Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces) about a decade ago and I would say that was my Mecca of learning. The mentors I found, they are the reason that I am at my current position. My training was inclined more towards European food, but as my assignments evolved so did my cooking, travel and exposure. It was hard in the start as the working hours in hospitality are really long and especially being in the kitchen you are always on your toes with your plates full. I had to grind like everyone does in the hotels, long hours, no festive holidays, no time for family and friends but in the end I started enjoying this profession and since then there has been no turning back.
How would you describe your cooking style and food philosophy?
I believe in creating refined plates as my training has mostly been in speciality restaurants of the Taj, Graze at MG Road Bangalore, Orient Express at The Taj Palace Delhi, and many others. My cooking style has multiple textures of food on the plate, a minimalistic approach, without diluting the authenticity of flavours and its pairing. As far as my food philosophy is concerned, I believe in balancing the flavours, including the local flavours into my dishes as well as working with locally sourced ingredients and being more focussed on sustainability while making menus.
(Clockwise) Crab XEC XEC; Kerala Duck Roast Tart; Black Cod Malwani Garvy
You’ve travelled across the world. What was your favourite destination?
I did a stint in AUH (Abu Dhabi) back in 2018 and all I can say is that the country remains my anytime go-to place and also one of my favourite assignments so far. If given an opportunity, I would love to work in Melbourne and Sydney because of the ingredients availability, the produce and the lifestyle that the country has to offer.
What is your signature cuisine and dish?
I have been trained majorly in European cuisine and even after 12 years of working it still remains my anytime go-to cuisine to work. Major reasons being the freshness of the ingredients, and its own flavours. Whereas in Indian cuisine one has to impart the flavours while using whole spices and sometimes grounded spices, European cuisine remains simple and elegant. But over time I have worked with lots of restaurants and have been doing modern Indian food for the last few years. With time my cooking has evolved and I use lots of my cooking techniques in Indian food while creating menus. There are many dishes that I have created but my signature remains Rogan Josh Strudel that I pair with mango ketchup.
Your last stint was with a standalone restaurant chain, how different is that from running a hotel kitchen?
To my working ethics, there is no difference as such. Yes, the teams are a bit smaller in running a standalone kitchen and one has to be always on their toes as there are no such support departments available right then and there. Basically, it’s a one-man show. Whereas, in hotels it’s the opposite, depending upon the size of the hotel and everything is in-house as well as managing multiple hats is one heck of a task.
What’s your plan for The Park’s menu and F&B outlets?
We are on the verge of revamping all the bar menus. The concept of the menu is tapas style, aka small plates packed with flavour, as well as a dip along with all the dishes to accompany with. We have recently done a sit-down dinner with Glen pairing it with a five-course menu with a concept of global ingredients and regional Indian touch at the Beer Garden. There are many more such events planned for The Bridge as well as Zen in the times to come. We are also launching the new menu for Zen and taking the legacy restaurant to new heights.
Young chefs in the country are doing great. Do you follow anyone on social media? Who are your favourites?
Yes, the young chefs are doing superb. I do follow some of them. To name a few, Chef Himanshu Saini, Tresind Studio (Dubai); Chef Hussain Shahzad, Bombay Canteen (Mumbai); Chef Apoorva Kunte, The Westin (Melbourne). I would not like to name any favourites as such; yes, I do take some inspiration while crafting menus from them but everyone is great in their own craft.
Given a chance, who are the few chefs you’ll like to cook for or work with?
I have cooked for Gary Mehigan back in Delhi in 2016. If given a chance, I would love to get feedback from Marco Pierre White on my cooking style as I consider him the most honest and genuine. I would really like to work with him as well as a few others: George Colambaris, Cedric Grolet and Daniel Humm.
Bengali cuisine is a distinct one. Have you adapted any recipes from the cuisine?
Oh yes very much! My last assignment in Kolkata was in 2014 and that was the first time I got a chance to explore Bengali cuisine. As far as adaptation is concerned, the recent sit-down had two dishes that were adapted from local cuisine — Purple Potato Croquette, Posto and Radhuni Salmon.
What are your most sought-after ingredients to work with?
I like to play very much with local ingredients that give a distinctive flavour to food, which are available at ease as well as are very adaptable to the local crowd. I like to work with gondhoraj lemon, poppy seeds and of course some local fish that are very much available round the year.
What are your childhood fave dishes?
There are multiple dishes that I like to eat when I am at home, cooked by my mother — Baigan Ka Bharta with dal-wali roti. Home-cooked meal at any given time that could be as simple as dal and rice is my all-time favourite.
Pictures: The Park Hotel, Kolkata