VERVEMAGAZINE.IN 205acidity, a good play of sweet and sour.
The margarita cocktail profile, the chaat
flavour profile. That’s why we’ve been
doing a lot of pickling of late. I’ve got
500 to 600 jars of pickled produce
on the walls at Qualia, a sort of live
installation, which we’ll use in the food
so that it’s also an interactive experience
in some way. Should be fun. Guests
will watch us cook and chat with the
chefs. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s
fun and relaxed.
There’s an inventive playfulness that
we have always tried to bring to the plate,
decade after decade, inspired by local
ideas and ingredients. But not for the
sake of being clever or different. We never
lose sight of what makes good, honest,
tasty cooking. For example, a dish we’re
debuting at Qualia, a goat cheese agnolotti
with a ragu sauce made from banana
flowers, is inspired by something we ate
at a Bengali restaurant. It’s an innovative
pasta and it’s effing delicious.
We don’t play with every recipe,
though. I continue to gravitate towards
the straightforward supper — like a good
steak and sauce or a succulent roast
chicken. Tough to get right every time!
All I ask of my guests is that they keep
an open mind. Ask yourself if you’re
enjoying what you’re eating and where
you’re eating it; and if the answer is yes,
then have the gumption to say, “Thanks,
that was a great meal!” For God’s sake, just
don’t tell me this is how it should or should
not be done. Or that this is authentic and
that’s not. I hate that word — ‘authentic’.
What the hell? It’s my food and I’m doing
it my way.