Revelations: Padam Raj Rai, executive chef, Hot Stone, London
What was your best subject at school?
Geography
What was your first job?
A sushi restaurant in Nepal in the teppanyaki section
What do you do to relax?
I love yoga, I listen to music and I go for walks
What do you normally have for breakfast?
No breakfast, only ginger water
Which is your favourite restaurant?
Liman and the Little Viet Kitchen, both in Islington, and Hoppers too – I love their spicy curries, especially the bone marrow
What is your favourite drink?
Lassi, ginger water, green tea
What is your favourite cuisine?
Nepalese, especially dhido and gundruk (fermented leafy vegetables)
What flavour combinations do you detest?
Sweet and bitter
How would you describe your desk?
Clean and organised. I have allocated spaces for my things so it's easier. Same in the kitchen: you have to put everything back exactly where it was after using it
If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Mahatma Gandhi
If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?
I would still be back home working as a farmer
Describe your ultimate nightmare?
Not being able to provide for my family
When and where was your last holiday?
Last June in Nepal for a month
Tell us a secret...
I love potatoes… a lot!
What irritates you most about the industry?
I don't like when restaurants only focus on sales and fail to provide adequate training and growth opportunities to their staff
What's your favourite film?
White Sun, a Nepalese movie
Who would play "you" in a film about your life?
Jackie Chan please
What's your favourite book?
Khusi, which is a Nepalese book. Khusi means happiness in Nepali
What is your favourite prepared product?
Crabstick
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