Award-winning chef Julien Royer’s culinary beliefs are deep-rooted in emotion and tradition. Not only is his Singapore-based Michelin-star restaurant, Odette, named after his maternal grandmother but each guest also goes back home with a little bottle of jam made from her recipes. “The restaurant is named after my grandmother who showed me how much happiness can be given to people through food.
Similarly, we are trying to make people happy in a very simple and genuine way by serving good food. This is a notion that lives inside me because of her,” says Royer, who recently visited India as part of the Masters of Marriot program in JW Marriot, Delhi.
Reminiscing about the dishes his grandmother made, the 35-year-old says, “She was really good at pastries, tart, and making meat stew. She made amazing apple pie and apple stew, chocolate tarts and jams. The jams we give at my restaurant are made depending on the seasons. Sometimes it’s strawberry or raspberry or black and red currant jams that the patrons take back.”
Royer heads and owns Odette, which has not only been globally lauded but has also been ranked number 28 among the World’s Top 50 Restaurants by the British food magazine, Restaurant, which comprises over a thousand industry experts that make up the World’s Top 50 Restaurants Academy.
When asked about Odette’s stellar rise, the chef says, “Our success factor is that we don’t cook for any ranking or award but for the guests. Maybe, it’s because I am not running after awards that the awards are coming to me. Each award is a great a recognition for my team and I. But ultimately the most rewarding part of being a restaurateur is to have the full restaurant every day.”
As part of the Masters of Marriot event, Royer curated an elaborate menu comprising cauliflower and curry tartelette, potato gaufrette, cured trout, quinoa crackers, smoked eel, horseradish, king crab with apple and coriander, paired with bellinis. The tasting was finished with mochi cheesecake and a dollop of ice cream. Royer garnished each plate which the patrons devoured and later sat down to share how he enjoyed the kebabs at Bukhara in Delhi.
“Every time I visit India, I discover new flavours. This time I have been eating a variety of kebabs at Bukhara. I also ate this dish called raan which is lamb shoulder in yoghurt with spices such as cumin, coriander, pepper, pink peppercorn. I love bread so I really liked the naans that were served,” says the chef about his local food expeditions.Royer is a big endorser of procuring ingredients from small producers and farmers from around the world. But he is also known for his unique innovation and creativity.
“I like that my food falls between the range of tradition and innovation—food that’s
tasty and uses classic cooking techniques, but is interpreted in a modern way,” he explains.
But can Indian food be innovated? “Indian food is diverse and rooted in tradition. It’s transmitted from generation to generation and is strongly linked to the country’s history and geography. I am sure Indian cuisines can be modernised but the history of the food also needs to be respected,” he quips.