The Week India – June 30, 2019

@LEISURE

PEOPLE

@LEISURE

PEOPLE

120 THE WEEK • JUNE 30, 2019

BETWEEN US WARRIORS

Ranveer Singh has been having a ball

with the men in blue in the UK. He post-

ed on Instagram pictures with Hardik

Pandya, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan

Singh, Virat Kohli and many other crick-

eting greats. He had a word of praise for

each of them, calling Dhawan “a beacon

of positive energy” and Saurav Ganguly

“God of the off-side”. But he saved the

best for the “kaptaan” himself. He de-

scribed Kohli as displaying “a rare brand

of ferocity and passionate expression...

leading the country like a true alpha war-

rior”. Spoken like a true alpha warrior! BY SNEHA BHURA

How are you planning to make

Imperfecto SHOR Cafe stand out?

Imperfecto SHOR Cafe is a casual

dining option. The cuisine has a

strong respect for the seasonal-

ity and abundance of Delhi. We

believe that the beautiful balance

between the Romanesque and

Renaissance architecture of SHOR

Cafe provides the perfect ambi-

ence for our style of food prepa-

ration.

What are some of your most

innovative dishes and cooking

techniques?

At SHOR, we keep our food simple

and hearty. Our quinoa fruit pud-

ding, for example, is an innovative

dessert. People mainly use quinoa

in salads, but at SHOR, we have

created a delicious pudding with

it. We are using traditional meth-

ods of cooking but presenting [the

food] in a modern way.

What are some hacks you have

learnt from Massimo Bottura that

is helping you in the kitchen?

Cleanliness, teamwork and pa-

tience. Chef Massimo is a genius

and visionary. He is a true-blue

example of a chef who has man-

aged to popularise traditional cui-

sine in a whole new way. Modena

is a small town, but diners come

from all over the world just to dine

at his restaurant. He is truly my in-

spiration, and I was very fortunate

to get the opportunity to work in

his kitchen.

What are some features of casual

dining in India that you would

want to change?

I do not think I want to change

anything. That said, it is impera-

tive in today’s hospitality scenar-

io to think and act differently.

Understanding the pulse of the

market is key; it is a great weapon

in the hands of a chef.

AKANKSHA DEAN

chef

At 23, Akanksha Dean is among the youngest Indian chef manag-

ers with her Goth-inspired resto-bar, Imperfecto SHOR Cafe, in

the Delhi-NCR region. Dean is the first Indian chef to briefly train

with Massimo Bottura at Modena, Italy; the top chef ’s three Miche-

lin-starred Osteria Francescana is still considered the best restaurant

in the world.

AFP