“Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think.”
Chinese proverb
I was at the Hyatt Regency Delhi a few days ago to shoot part of their new menu as the season changes. It was a fun, exciting and colourful shoot as always. My last one covered the very sweet stalwart corporate pastry Chef Bungla. This time around I was in for another exciting day as I spent a large part of it shadowing the energetic, persevering and friendly Chef Rohilla, chef de cuisine at TK’SOriental Grill. With TK’S Oriental 20 Anniversary celebration starting from 21st September 2015, the timing couldn’t have been better!
It’s always a great learning experience to shadow a chef, this one seemed rather young and new. Yet once he got down to business, he sparkled! Passionate, efficient, good team leader and very easy going, he’s another feather in the Hyatt’s cap. An Indian teppanyaki specialist who has trained under the experts, Chef Rohilla adds his own set of secret sauces and creativity to this popular restaurant.
An avid fan of cricket and Hindi movies, this young spirited chef is a jovial, meticulous and down-to-earth person. With nearly 11 years of experience in kitchens across the Indian subcontinent, Chef Rohilla has built a strong foundation for his preferred cuisine type, oriental cuisine.
Tossing eggs as high as vegetables, he enjoys every minute of what he does, and the attention he gets. I watch with my fingers crossed. He’s good at it! As good as he is with stirring a mean sauce, as making a spicy chicken salad, as adding that special crispy touch to the lamb chops. The chef animatedly talks you through his experiences, his food influences and much more. As busy as he is clearly popular, his young team exudes the same positivity and enthusiasm.
Working in perfect sync, it was an absolute delight to see them get the menu together. Bit by bit, each bowl is plated with love and care, each platter lavished with attention, the aesthetics balanced beautifully, the passion shining through. Here is some of what you might savour at TK’s Oriental 20 Anniversary celebration.Ever since it’s opening in 1995, the reputation of TK’S Oriental Grill has been built on its fine food and lively atmosphere. Widely recognised as one of the first teppanyaki kitchen-style dining venues in Delhi, it is also one the oldest restaurants to serve authentic Japanese cuisine.. The live sushi preparations and the drama of the chefs in action behind the hot grills makes TK’S Oriental Grill an entertaining dining option.
Do join them as they celebrate their 20th!!
{The celebration is on from September 22 to October 1, 2015 & October 20 to 29, 2015. Only dinner. For more information, please contact Chandan on + 91 98713 45577 }
“Recipes don’t work unless you use your heart!”
Dylan Jones
It isn’t everyday that you get to shadow a corporate pastry chef at a hotel, so I was in for a pleasant time. The Hyatt invited me to spend ‘A day in the kitchen of Corporate Pastry Chef Bungla‘ … a behind the scenes of the chefs at work! I’ve met the ever so sweet, down to earth and very humble Chef Bungla before, and was more than happy to peep into his happening kitchen.
More so since it was close to the red letter day of love, Valentines Day. I knew the creative chef would be painting his kitchen red, and I wasn’t disappointed. In fact I was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed at his creativity, the ease which which he churns out the best of goodies to ‘feed’ Sidewalk. It was a virtual Charlie’s Chocolate Factory in there behind the steely cold kitchen doors.
In the kitchen at 7am every morning, a well oiled schedule and a well choreographed team, he is at his creative best. It’s pin drop silence in here. Everyone on his team knows what to do, and they go about doing it professionally and perfectly.
A candid moment sometimes comes by with an old hand carrying a vintage willow basket that catches the eye. I want to grab it and make a beeline for the door. Oh yes, the envy for old rustic things! I try to ‘capture‘ the man and his basket and the whole kitchen peeps in to see what caught my eye! Then they get back to their routine…
A giant Isfahan macaron is being prepared under the chefs watchful gaze. Handpicked red strawberries, each chosen of the same size, tops neatly sliced off, then hulled and filled with cream. With clockwork precision, the team works around the huge white marble counter tops as I smile seeing deft hands gently pulling trademark Hyatt red ribbons to complete the V Day look. Ribbons are such a feminine thing in my humble opinion… here you see how male dominated the kitchen is! The chef gives his look of approval, then does the honours. A sprinkle of slivered pistachios, a dusting of red rose petals… and we are all set for V day! This is just one of the surprises that they are creating. My favourite of course is the English Mix Berry Cake topped with colourful fruits, decorated for V Day. So European, and to my delight, one of the most popular cakes that comes out of the kitchen.
The other very popular one and a huge V Day favourite is his luscious Red Velvet Cake. You can tell that V day is around the corner as strawberries paint the kitchen red. Strawberries in white chocolate lay in neat rows on the counter. Not just those. There’s beautiful raspberry mousse for two as well! So much love in the air, what’s not to love a kitchen like his!
What’s also not to love about a kitchen that has huge loads of bread dough being kneaded, sourdough the all time call. Chef Bungla treats each loaf as his baby, proudly tells me that no yeast is ever used. All bread is baked using sourdough, the culture over a 100 years old! He walks me through the ‘bread basket’ pointing to the slightly bubbled crust one some loaves. This is a sign of good bread he says.
Having honed his skills mostly in Europe, Chef Bungla is one well traveled chef. He’s been in the Hyatt since 1982, and has mastered every baking and patisserie technique in his time here. To my absolute amazement, ten years ago he even worked under the God of macarons, Pierre Hermes! Yet he is so humble, so nonchalant, so passionate about the bakery.
We talk about heart shaped chocolate truffles, macarons, choux pastry, profiteroles, recipe development, European trends, Japanese bakeries, panna cotta sans gelatin {you should have seen the twinkle in his eye}, bagels {sourdough again}. He relies on his authenticity, techniques, tradition and finally his intuition to invent his creations. The passion shines through, his humility endearing.
He accompanies me to Sidewalk, and as I take pictures of his creations, you can sense his pride. Take a shot of this one quick he says. Cakes get sold very fast here. After 4pm we don’t bake. Only the days’ bakes reach the counters, never anything from the the previous day. Sure enough, a patron stops by at Sidewalk and orders 7 cakes. Goodbye beautiful cakes, all boxed and expertly packed on their way to delight someones taste buds!
We stop by the Café for a bit. It’s buzzing with activity. At the heart of the cafe is the dessert bar, like a candy shop! It’s close to 3pm and there is a heightened sense of activity around it. The chef hovers around, a keen eye, a quick look over, then we head back for Sidewalk where a guest is waiting for him.
After a happy animated chat, he calls the kitchen below to hurry up and get ‘the cake for the lady from South Africa’. With a huge grin across his face he tells me that she has been a guest at the hotel for years, and the Orange Almond GF Cake is her favourite. She knows him by name, he knows what she’ll ask for… and he always obliges.In all this, I am the very fortunate onlooker who benefits. I get served a slice as well. I have to say, this is the best cake ever! Simple, flavourful, decadent. My type of cake. No frosting, no unnerving sweetness… just good good flavours. It’s one I like to bake myself, but being served by the chef himself, makes it the best ever!
