If I had to describe my job I’d say that I break eggs and make omelettes.
I’m not good at pretending. I want to do what I want and because of that the food industry considers me a bit of a rebel. I’d rather be a rebel than be a ‘yes’ man.
Determination and self-motivation are very important in these times, because if not from you, where the f*** is the motivation going to come from?
The first thing I notice about people who come to my restaurant is the emotion: how they eat; what they eat; and what the experience means to them. It annoys me when people come to the restaurant and spend all the time on their f***ing phone. You can’t spend two hours off your phone enjoying someone’s company?! Where is the love?
I left home at 18 to go to a catering college in Kerala and I never went back. It’s been a wild journey since that somehow landed me in Bangkok.
I was always curious growing up. I would ask a teacher, why does two plus two equal four? And they would just tell me that it does, and not explain why. I feel like the education sector in India kills your curiosity and ideas. If you tell your boss that you have a splendid idea, like turning a drab Starbucks cup into a fun pink cup with balloons all over, you will likely be told it’s a terrible idea. People there don’t want to adapt, they don’t want to change and they definitely don’t want your ideas. So I left.
I hate that word protein. It’s a leg of lamb, not a protein! I don’t like the scientific approach to food. Do you want to eat scientifically, or embrace life to the fullest and eat foods that make you happy?
Don’t fake happiness. Pretending to the world that you are happy just makes you lonely as hell. My restaurant won many awards but the rot of fame ends up eating at you on the inside.
I don’t act my age. I’m 18 until I die. I’d prefer to live my life as a rockstar. We all have to die one day, so why not just have fun?
Cooking from the heart shows in your food— that’s what my grandmother always used to say. When you’re happy, you put all your love and effort into a dish.
Coffee is important to me. The first thing I do in the morning is make my drip coffee. I grind my own beans, and love watching it drip slowly into that perfect cup.
