I love meat. Today, I had the most delicious lamb biryani at the Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai. At the end of it, that little treat of sucking the marrowbone out was just sensational. It’s so deliciously good. But there was one problem. Someone joined me at the same time that my biryani arrived. So, I had to offer the biryani. I’m more possessive over my food than over my partner. I don’t like sharing my food since I don’t share my partner either.
What role do you think vegetarianism plays in the future of food today?
Well in England, veganism is going down. There are a few of them. I like vegetarian food. When I’ve been to India and Sri Lanka, I’ve eaten delicious vegetarian food; I ate it for three weeks in Sri Lanka. If you want to be a full-time vegetarian, go live in India or Sri Lanka. You can live like a king. I like vegetarian food when it’s done very well.
Having said that, I think we like meat, fish and shellfish too much. Don’t you? It’s good, isn’t it? It’s deliciously good. I could vegetables all day today. I could eat them all day tomorrow. But I’d still want some meat [eventually]. I’d still want some fish and poultry. I want to indulge. When I surrendered to meat, fish, lobster, cheese and all those delicious things with lots of calories, there was no going back. A life without calories is not a life. If you ever noticed it, the more calories, the more delicious.
What I love about gastronomy is the indulgence. Gastronomy is not about small portions. Technical ability is very exciting. But just give me something that’s real. A real portion.
When you go out, do you go out to have dinner with the waiter or your family and loved ones? Going to a restaurant should be about you and them making your evening rather than being patronised
What do you think is the future of fine dining?
Do you have those restaurants here in India where you sit down for 12 courses for little knick-knacks? They tell you what you’re eating and how to eat it. You have one little mouthful…and they ask, ‘Did you enjoy it?’ They do that 12 times or 18 times. When you go out, do you go out to have dinner with the waiter or your family and loved ones? That meal is about them, isn’t it? It’s about their eating, not yours. You’re paying them. Going to a restaurant should be about you and them making your evening rather than being patronised.
I went to a two-star Michelin, and I remember they said, ‘We pushed the oysters through 64°C to kill all bacteria. And I said, ‘Wow, in England, we just eat them raw.’ I went to a three-star and got a little Malteser for my first course and they said, ‘This dish is designed to be eaten with your fingers.’ It’s obvious! That’s patronising people.
People don’t use the word molecular any more. What is molecular? It’s a label. Chefs have been using science and temperatures for years. The soufflé—is that not chemistry? We didn’t say this is ‘molecular’ gastronomy. It’s boring! Do you like those little portions? I don’t like them. I didn’t get as big as I got by eating them. And there’s something rather beautiful when you sit down and everyone orders different food for dinner rather than having the same food. Where’s the indulgence? Where’s the sharing?
There’s only one thing within our industry that never gets dated. And that’s romance. The greatest cooking I saw was in Sri Lanka. I saw four generations of one family—all cooking together. It was the greatest show on earth. The problem with a lot of these posh restaurants is that there’s no romance.
Indian food is not designed to be served how the French serve their food. Think of those grand households and palaces. They don’t give you tiny portions, do they?
Some of London’s poshest restaurants reflect a growing clout of Indian restauranteurs. Do you think Indian food is finally getting its due?
Firstly, Indian cuisine is without question one of the greatest cuisines of the world. There are very few countries, if any, that understand how to use spices like the Indians do. Fact! Chefs like Vineet Bhatia have refined Indian cuisine, and that’s great. But where I think they go a bit wrong is that they try and present it in a French way. Indian food is not designed to be served how the French serve their food. Have confidence. Serve your traditional food in beautiful dishes. Think of those grand households and palaces. They don’t give you tiny portions, do they?