Bengal Tiger

Starting his career at The Oberoi hotels in India to now owning a chain of Indian restaurants in London’s Westminster, chef Vivek Singh talks exclusively to L’Officiel India about his 15th anniversary of The Cinnamon Club, his son Eshaan’s cooking skills and his mother’s secret chutney recipe.

Born and brought up in Bengal, son to an engineer father, how did becoming a chef come about? What was your father’s reaction, considering like most traditional Indian families, it was expected that you too become an engineer?

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With my upbringing in the environment around me, the expectations of the family, becoming a chef was in some ways a happy chance of falling into the world of food. As you would expect, it wasn’t received with much enthusiasm by my family. Conventional wisdom of the time suggested that I follow my father’s footsteps and become an engineer, but clearly fate has its own designs, and here we are.

You worked at The Oberoi hotels in India before opening your chain of restaurants in London. How would you differentiate the culinary industry of London from India?

Certainly in the time that I was cooking at The Oberoi, I recall the culinary industry in India being rather classical in its approach towards food, paying more importance to authenticity and tradition than we do now. On the other hand, at the time, the culinary industry in London seemed like a breath of fresh air – much more open to experimentation, new ideas and to trying new things.

How do you strategise yourself and your dishes in this competitive industry where Indian cuisine is highly popular amongst the Londoners?

Strategy usually involves around working with the seasons, the market and creating dishes that do not have an easy point of comparison. Because most of the dishes or combinations that we have are not usually seen in other restaurants, it helps from direct points of comparison. I can’t speak for the other restaurants, but our mantra throughout has been to embrace change as the only constant on our menus.

Your food is…

Three words - evolving, modern and Indian.

Evolving because change is a constant, and standing still isn’t an option.

Modern because, we are not content to stay tied to the age-old recipes. We are intelligent thinking chefs that are questioning every technique at every stage and not afraid to bring in new influences and ingredients into our cuisine.

Modern Indian cooking; it’s the best of both worlds.

Your favourite dish from the menu?

Carpaccio of home cured Shetland salmon with caramel jhal muri. This is the perfect example of combining influences from connecting different worlds. Fish and mustard is a typical Bengali combination of choice. ‘Jhal Muri’ is a street snack sold in Bengal using puffed rice.

Your restaurant, The Cinnamon Club, celebrated its 15th anniversary this year…

The Cinnamon Club and its success over the last 15 years is a great example of what is possible when one is prepared to move away from the reasons for not doing things, and is willing to embrace change, and venture into the unknown. The possibilities are endless. The world has changed over the past 15 years, the restaurant industry has changed - the energy, creativity and willingness to push boundaries in the industry has developed throughout the years. What hasn’t changed? We are still having fun!

The ideal family meal…

The ideal family meal would be something hearty and wholesome for the whole family to share, like chicken biryani or Bangla fish pie (from my most recent cookbook Spice at Home).

Do you cook for your children? Do they cook too?

Of course! Their favourite dish has to be lamb biryani. My eldest, Eshaan, loves experimenting and isn’t shy in trying new flavours and tastes.

How does it feel to represent India internationally?

It is a sense of great satisfaction and pride, particularly, as when I’d first joined a catering college in Delhi in 1990, it was told to us in one of the first lessons that you’re more than just a hospitality professional, you’re almost an ambassador for your country’s culture and cuisine. I’m delighted to be able to spread this with the world.

How do you tackle a situation where the customers waste food?

My experience in London, in the last 15 years may be slightly different. I don’t think people like to waste food, purposefully, so every time something does come back on the plate, I like to take notice of it and see if it is because it’s not very good, or because it’s too much. We like to correct these little things from time to time just to make sure that we can do our little bit to minimize waste.

A culinary secret/skill passed on by your parents…

My mother’s chutney recipes; I have more recently starting it putting on my menus.

Any chances of opening your own culinary school or a restaurant in India?

Watch this space.