LONDON'S
TOP TEN BEST CURRY CHEFS
By Lopa Patel (April 2008)
It
is almost a crime to describe this group of London's top ten curry
experts as "curry chefs"! Pioneers of Indian cuisine,
they are leaders in innovation, authentic textures and flavours,
fusion cooking, artistic presentation, culinary performance and
are all round masters of the art of cooking. I had considered
calling them Britain's Top Ten Best Curry Chefs, but the eagle-eyed
among you will have noticed that they are all based in London,
a city widely-recognised as a global capital for Indian cuisine.
I
am pleased that these top chefs are forging ahead with introducing
regional Indian cuisines to the international palate: Cyrus Todiwala
is a world leader in Parsee cooking techniques; Mehernosh Mody
will satisfy your curiosity about Indo-French cuisine, Das Sreedharan
will delight you with South Indian delicacies and Atul Kochhar
is well-known for getting us to try new adventures in sea food.
Many host cookery classes for the aficionados of Indian cuisine
and this group have collectively won just about every Award going
for their talents.
Four
of these top chefs have also firmly planted Indian cuisine as
one of the great cuisines of the world by winning an all-important
Michelin star inspired by the Roux brothers.
So
go forth and enjoy, provided you can get a booking, of course!
LONDON'S
TOP TEN BEST CURRY CHEFS
| NO |
CHEF
(RESTAURANT) |
| 1. |
Vineet
Bhatia (Rasoi) * |
| 2. |
Sanjay
Dwivedi (Zaika) |
| 3.
|
Atul
Kochhar (Benares) * |
| 4. |
Mehernosh
Mody (La Porte Des Indes) |
| 5. |
Alfred
Prasad (Tamarind) * |
| 6. |
Vivek
Singh (The Cinnamon Club) |
| 7.
|
Das
Sreedharan (Rasa) |
| 8. |
Aylur
Sriram (Quilon) * |
| 9. |
Cyrus
Todiwala (Café Spice Namasté) |
| 10. |
Andy
Varma (Vama) |
Listed
in alphabetical order by surname. * Michelin star rated.
VINEET
BHATIA
Chef-Patron, Rasoi
Born in India in 1967, Vineet Bhatia was born into an educated
middle class family in Bombay. He studied at catering college
in Bombay from 1985 until 1988. He went on to gained an economics
degree 1989 and then trained at Oberoi Hotels.
Driven by a desire to elevate Indian cuisine Vineet was backed
by investors and in 1999 Zaika was born, which in 2001 became
the joint first Indian restaurant in London to win a Michelin
star.
He
opened 'Rasoi Vineet Bhatia' in June 2004 with his wife and
gained a Michelin Star in 2006. In 2008, he launched the London
flagship 'Urban Turban', a tapas-style restaurant that brings
Indian "street food" to the UK.
Click
here to read a full profile of Vineet
Bhatia.
(Vineet
Bhatia) Rasoi, 10 Lincoln Street, Sloane Square, London SW3
2TS.
Tel: 0207 225 1881, Fax: 0207 7581 0220, www.rasoirestaurant.co.uk
Top
SANJAY
DWIVEDI
Chef-Patron, Zaika Restaurant
Sanjay
Dwivedi, originally from Delhi, grew up at a coastal hotel in
South India, which was owned by his family. A young Sanjay was
immediately thrust into the world of catering, of kitchens and
of restaurants. In
1999 Sanjay was part of the opening team at Zaika which at the
time was under the stewardship of Michelin-starred Vineet Bhatia.
Under
Bhatia's guidance, Sanjay also spent 6 months consulting for Tantra
in Los Angeles, and 2 months at Tabla in New York, adding to his
global experience. Now
back at Zaika, chef patron Sanjay has managed to make the menu
his own and the dishes offered truly represent his unique skills
and experience.
Click
here to read a full profile of Sanjay
Dwivedi.
Zaika
Restaurant, 1 Kensington High Street, London W8 5NP.
Tel: 020 7795 6533, Fax: 020 7937 8854, www.zaika-restaurant.co.uk
ATUL
KOCHHAR
Founder, Benares
Born
in Jamshedpur, eastern India, Atul was trained and worked at the
Oberoi Hotel Group in New Delhi where he established himself as
one of the leading chefs of his generation. His reputation brought
him to London in 1994 where he was appointed head chef at Tamarind
restaurant, in Mayfair. By the age of 31, he had become the first
Indian chef to be awarded the coveted Michelin star. 'Benares'
restaurnt represents Atul's most ambitious venture to date, with
a menu that reflects his passion for food from India.
Click
here to read a full profile of Atul
Kochhar.
(Atul
Kochhar) Benares Restaurant, 12a Berkeley Square House, Berkeley
Square, London, W1J 6BS. Tel. 020 7629 8886, Fax. 020 7499 2430
www.benaresrestaurant.com
Top
MEHERNOSH
MODY
Executive Chef, La Porte des Indes
Originally
from Bombay, Mehernosh mastered the art of cooking and began working
in the Taj Hotels group. The
creation of his famous restaurant is as much a love story as it
is anything else. In 1986, Mehernosh Mody hired a young chef,
Sherin, as his assistant. They soon were inseparable, and their
mutual love for one another and French-Indian cuisine bore the
very first 'La Porte des Indes' in London.
Click
here to read a full profile of Mehernosh
Mody.
(Mehernosh
Mody) La Porte des Indes, 32 Bryanston Street, London W1H 7EG,
Tel: 020 7224 0055, Fax: 020 7224 1144, london.reservation@laportedesindes.com,
www.laportedesindes.com
Top
ALFRED
PRASAD
Executive Chef, Tamarind
Alfred
Prasad, Tamarind's Executive Chef, joined Tamarind restaurant
in 2001 as Sous Chef, and graduated to Executive Chef the following
year. His expertise, talent and ambition have ensured that Tamarind's
cuisine continues to receive praise from guests and critics alike.
He is a rising star and was the youngest Indian chef to receive
a Michelin star at just 29 years old. The restaurant has retained
its Michelin star since 2001.
Click
here to read a full profile of Alfred
Prasad.
(Alfred
Prasad), Tamarind, 20 Queen Street, Mayfair, London W1J 5PR
T: 020 7629 3561, F: 020 7499 5034, www.tamarindrestaurant.co.uk
Top
VIVEK
SINGH
Executive Chef, The Cinnamon
Club
Vivek
Singh spurned family expectations by announcing his intentions
to be a chef. After graduating from catering college, he joined
the Oberoi Hotel group where first worked at their flight kitchens
in Mumbai producing meals for airlines. He
was then fast-tracked to become the Indian chef of the Oberoi's
flagship Rajvilas in Jaipur- at the tender age of 26. In
2000, Restaurateur Iqbal Wahhab talked Vivek Singh into helping
him set up renowned 'The Cinnamon Club' in London.
Click
here to read a full profile of Vivek
Singh.
(Vivek
Singh), The Cinnamon Club, The Old Westminster Library, 30-32
Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BU. T: 020 7222 2555 , F: 020
7222 1333, info@cinnamonclub.com, www.cinnamonclub.com
Top
DAS
SREEDHARAN
Founder, Rasa Restaurants
Das
Sreedharan grew up in a small village near Cochin, Kerala, on
the lush, spice-rich south west tip of India. As
a young man, he moved to London to study accountancy, but food
was always Das's destiny. After
managing a vegetarian restaurant for a while, he opened the first
Rasa in 1994 - it
was an instant success, with its the now-trademark pink walls.
Since
then, seven new Rasa restaurants have been added to the chain
and now Das
owns a beautiful riverside farm in Kerala which he has converted
into 'Rasa Gurukul', a centre for culinary excellence, hospitality
and culture.
Click
here to read a full profile of Das
Sreedharan.
(Das
Sreedharan) Rasa W1, 6 Dering Street London W1S 1AD Tel: 020 7629
1346, www.rasarestaurants.com
Top
AYLUR
SRIRAM
Executive Chef, Quilon Restaurant
From
the first time Sriram set foot in his father's kitchen, it was
the beginning of the long quest for knowledge of food. He
gave up his Law studies for his first love and in 1984 he joined
Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied
Nutrition in India.
In
1989, he joined the Taj Group of hotels which secured him position
at The Gateway Hotel in Bangalore, but it was two years before
he became its executive chef. In
1999, Sriram earned the opportunity to start the Quilon Restaurant
in the heart of London for the Taj Hotels group. In
2008, Aylur Sriram was awarded one Michelin Star by eponymous
guide of gastronomy.
Click
here to read a full profile of Aylur
Sriram.
(Aylur
Sriram) The Quilon Restaurant & Bar, 41 Buckingham Gate, London
SW1E 6AF. Tel: 020 7821 1899, Fax: 020 7233 9597, info@quilonrestaurant.co.uk,
www.thequilonrestaurant.com
Top
CYRUS
TODIWALA MBE
Chef-Patron, Café Spice
Namasté
Cyrus
Todiwala is Proprietor and Executive Chef of the Café Spice
Namasté restaurant, renowned for its innovative and fresh
approach to Indian cuisine. Born and brought up in Bombay, India,
he graduated from Bombay's Catering College and trained as a chef
with the famous Taj Group in India. He left India for Europe in
1991, where he set-up.
Café Spice Namasté, the only Indian restaurant in
the UK to be awarded the Investors in People Standard.
In 2000, Cyrus was awarded an MBE in recognition of his extensive
knowledge, skill, commitment and expertise to the restaurant and
catering industry.
Click
here to read a full profile of Cyrus
Todiwala.
Café
Spice Namasté, 16 Prescot Street, London E1 8AZ. Tel: 020
7488 9242, Fax: 020 7481 0508, www.cafespice.co.uk
Top
ANDY
VARMA
Co-Founder, Vama
Head
Chef and co-owner (with brother Arjun) Andy Varma opened Vama
on the King's Road in 1998. Previously, Andy had managed the restaurants
of top hotels including the prestigious Oberoi Hotel chain. On
one of his trips to London, Andy discovered a niche in the restaurant
market and so decided to wrap up his business ventures in India
and joined his brother Arjun in London. Together, Andy and Arjun
launched Vama in 1998 in the heart of Chelsea to an enthusiastic
response.
Click
here to read a full profile of Andy
Varma.
(Andy
Varma) Vama The Indian Room, 438 King's Road, Chelsea, London
SW10 0LJ. Tel: 020 7565 8500, Fax: 020 7565 8501, www.vama.co.uk
Top
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