Atul Kochhar

19 March 2014 by
Atul Kochhar

Atul Kochhar, owner of Michelin-starred London restaurant Benares, is set to join Tom Kerridge at Royal Ascot this year, heading one of the iconic race meeting's fine-dining experiences

How did you come to be involved with Royal Ascot?

About a year ago I was asked if I'd like to be a part of this and I happily said yes. I don't know how they found me. As an Indian chef, to get invited to Royal Ascot is a big thing.

I think I may be the first Indian chef to come and cook here.

Do you think it's a sign of the increasing influence of Indian food on the British culinary scene?

I think it is. Over the years Indian food has edged a bit closer to British cuisine, so to speak. I recently spoke to chef Phil Howard about how the boundaries are becoming blurred, and he completely agreed. He said: "I find myself using more and more ingredients that you would use, and I see you using more and more techniques that we would use."

I have a lot of French chefs coming over and training with me these days. I get at least one request a month from France. They want to learn about spices. I've never had that kind of interest before and I've cooked [in the UK] for 20 years. In the last two years, the French market has gone mental.

Why do you think that is?

The French have realised that British chefs have edged up, because British chefs are very natural in that regard. Even if they're cooking French food, their understanding of spices is a lot better than people cooking in France. I think the French are a bit scared and they want to catch up, so they're sending their young kids to come and train, which is a nice thing, I would say.

What did you serve at the Royal Ascot hospitality launch?

I said I was going to do pan-fried sea bass with beetroot mash, but at the last minute I realised that the mash, when served for 200 people, wouldn't have the ripples through it from the beetroot, and I didn't want that. In the restaurant it is very easy, because we're dealing with smaller quantities, so we made a beetroot ketchup instead. The way I would describe the dish now is south Indian-flavoured sea bass with coconut sauce and beetroot ketchup.

What considerations do you have to take into account when it comes to preparing dishes on this scale?

You have to be practical. There are dishes that can be done easily and without challenges, but at the same time, if you want to serve a palatable and presentable dish, there will be some hurdles.

And finally, did you place any bets on the horses?

No, no I didn't. Running a restaurant is a big enough gamble.

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