When are you happiest at work?
Guest satisfaction and feedback makes me happy. Also, when my hard work is appreciated by team members and by my owners.
What trends are you noticing regarding wine and food pairings?
While pairing wine with food, it is important to consider basic flavours: sweet, salty, bitter, sour and savoury. The body of drink should match with the weight of the food. An ideal rule is, light wines should be served with lighter food dishes and heavy wines with heavier food dishes.
What was your biggest disappointment as a chef?
A bad experience and service to the guests is the biggest disappointment for me.
What do you always avoid ordering on a menu?
I always avoid seafood dishes on a menu.
Of the dishes you prepare, which one would you never eat yourself? Why?
Again, seafood. Because personally, I don’t prefer it.
Which is your favourite restaurant? What would you prefer to eat there?
In Jaipur, Baluchi is my favourite restaurant and I would prefer to eat laal Maas with Hindustani rotis.
Describe one incident when you messed up a recipe real bad.
I was trying to make multi-grain gluten-free bread with the flour of Buck wheat, millet and maize in a clay oven (Tandoor) and tried many times, but failed to make it since there was no binding in a dough. Then I added grated potato into it and finally made up.
What is the best recent food trend?
Regional cuisine is the best recent food trend. Many chefs are trying to explore uncommon flavours of India. Nowadays, you will find speciality restaurants that serve food from Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha.
-Barun Pratap Singh,
Executive Chef, RockSalt