One can only imagine what it must feel like to be in a hot kitchen at this time of the year. So, when Chef Ananda Solomon steps out after the lunch service, and proceeds to sit opposite us on a table, his first question is, “Can I please have some water first?” As he settles down, the pen in his shirt pocket glints. It was a gift from former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who the chef had accompanied on many international tours.
The 64-year-old, who is perhaps best known for his long stint with the Taj Hotels (during which he launched and ran the popular Thai Pavilion at Mumbai’s Taj’s Presidency) has cooked for some of the country’s biggest names. He recently joined hands with Suraj Salian, owner of the 34-year-old iconic seafood restaurant, Bharat Excellensea at Mumbai’s Ballard Estate, which has recently been revamped. Solomon was roped in to reinvent and recreate the brand, and take its legacy forward.
Before the chef’s arrival, this writer had already been treated to a hearty meal which consisted of a wholesome crabmeat soup, a mildly spiced seafood biryani, chonak in a tangy peri-peri sauce and a prawn stew with raw mangoes — which can only be described as a hug in a bowl — with appams. Most of the menu remains unchanged, but with Solomon’s association, there are quite a few Goan and Thai dishes added to it. We cooled down with a chilled glass of Thai dessert Tub Tim Grob — diced water chestnuts in coconut milk — at the end of the meal.
Chef Solomon, who has been described as ‘the best chef of his generation’ and the original food influencer, has truly been there and done that. His career as a chef began from The Oberoi. He then moved to the Taj Group, where he set up the city’s first Thai restaurant Thai Pavilion at Taj President, followed by Trattoria and Konkan Café. He served at the Taj for 25 years before leaving for Thailand in 2016 and then returning to Mumbai in 2019 to start Thai Nam in Andheri. Chef Solomon has tried to go deep into understanding ingredients, techniques and flavours of multiple cuisines. The chef, however, does not take the accolades too seriously, stating simply, “Even today, I don’t know food.”
“I have learnt cooking the hard way, not by taking shortcuts. I burnt my fingers many times. I went on the field and met farmers and fishermen to understand produce,” he recalls. His father’s background in the army taught him to stay disciplined from an early age and his days at the Dadar Catering College and as a young chef in The Oberoi’s kitchen instilled in him the quest for understanding ingredients and techniques. “I am learning every day. If one wants to attain perfection in this field, they have to be on the ground, go to the markets, learn how adulteration works and spend time with the farmers, among other things,” he states.
Even today, his routine remains unchanged. Solomon is up by 5am every morning, visiting the markets — sometimes Dadar, at times Vashi and the Ferry Wharf for seafood. “I can’t do without cooking. I can’t do a managerial role. Although I manage my kitchen and restaurant, I don’t like to behave like a band master shouting orders at the staff,” he states. His association with Bharat Excellensea, he believes, came at the right time when he wanted to try his hand at working at an owner-driven setup. “I am still getting a hang of it,” he says, admitting that unlike five-star restaurants, where patrons usually prefer less spicy food, here the demands are slightly different and he is trying to understand them.
At 64, the chef is in no mood to hang up his boots. “After you have worked every day from 8am to midnight for all these years, sometimes with no break, it is boring to sit back and do nothing. I don’t think I am cut out for that,” he chuckles.
His search for excellence continues. For now, he is well-settled but, in future, he foresees doing something which can take the country on a global platform. “I want to raise the bar even further on the concepts and make sure that we are on a global platform. India is opening up so much; one has to be prepared, so that we are not only known locally, but internationally as well. That’s my aim. It will be great if I find somebody who understands what I am saying; it is not about capital but about having faith in my ideas,” he signs off.
