Vineet Bhatia

One of the first Indian chefs to win a Michelin star in 2001, Bhatia now has ten restaurants across the globe and his own brand of Indian fusion. He tells Mark Sansom where he goes for his inspiration...

What made you choose to settle in England?

I saw what was happening when I arrived in 1993. A gourmet revolution was about to kick off and I wanted Indian food to be part of it. I started at Star of India in Chelsea, what you’d call a real British curry house. I brought in authentic flavours and scrapped the anglicised versions of Indian dishes. The locals took a while to come around to it, but after five years there we had a following who’d know the dishes by their Indian names.

Do you think it took a while to change British tastes?

I was one of the founding chefs at Westminster’s Cinnamon Club, which did a great deal to bring Indian food to a fine dining level and familiarise it to those people eating in top-end restaurants. Since opening Rasoi in 2004, I’ve developed Indian fusion, which people have really understood. I’m not fusing Indian food with other cultures, but rather the techniques and flavours from all across the Subcontinent: north, south, east and west.

Where do you look for new ideas?

I’ve always loved travelling. When I was younger, I had my heart set on becoming a pilot, but I failed the medical so threw myself into cooking. Now I’m away most of the time visiting my restaurants in Geneva, Mauritius and the Middle East. Wherever I go I eat in the neighbouring restaurants to see what’s working there. The best intel is taken from the area surrounding your base – if you really want to succeed, you can’t be closed-minded.

Where is your favourite place to travel?

I simply love Tokyo – the people and the culture. The cooking there really interests me. The locals can’t take spice, so it is more of a visual food. Colour and freshness are at the forefront and people eat out for every meal. I had a great meal at Sukiyabashi Jiro, where a 90-year-old sushi master still works the pass. New York also means a lot to me. I’ve had some great meals out there.

What’s the best dish you’ve had recently?

The wild muntjac biryani at Gymkhana in Mayfair blew me away. The pastry lid is authentically Indian, but I’d never seen it in the UK before. What Karam Sethi is doing with Indian cuisine really resonates.

What is the dish you are most proud of?

The first dish I created was a lamb shank rogan josh. I was introducing the flavours of Mumbai, but keeping it familiar for British tastes.

What’s next for you and the empire?

I get offers from investors every week, but I’m not into expansion for expansion’s sake – quite a lot of it is about greed and ego, but I want to stay true to my philosophies. I’m looking to set up something casual in Doha and do more with Qatar Airways, where I’m trying to bring fine dining to the sky. I find the science behind creating good food for air travel absolutely fascinating.