Back to the Table

Chef Alex Sanchez of The Table is back with new dishes, a catering service and some edgy techniques up his sleeve.

Chef Alex Sanchez worked at New York-based Eleven Madison Park.

Rarely are we presented with life-changing opportunities. They can be difficult to recognise, even when they’re staring you in the face. Due to their elusive nature, their once-in-a-lifetime kind of reputation — we are often taken by surprise, and ultimately unprepared,” chef Alex Sanchez wrote in his blog four years ago, when he decided to move from San Francisco to Mumbai to helm the kitchen at Colaba-based The Table.

Now, as he returns to the restaurant for a second innings after a year-long stint at the three-Michelin star Eleven Madison Park, New York, he says, “I have a renewed confidence in my abilities.” Sanchez worked under celebrated chef Daniel Humm and made his way up from a commis (trainee) to handling the toughest task, the meat station. “I went there believing I was not good enough to work at a place like that. I had to prove it to myself that I could,” says Sanchez, who loves the pressures of a Michelin-starred kitchen and even “thrives in it”.

In the past, he has worked at celebrated establishments such as Manresa in California, had a short stint at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry and also some of the finest restaurants in San Francisco’s Bay Area. It is noteworthy that most of the restaurants received stars in the Michelin Guide during his tenure. When Eleven Madison Park was ranked fourth among the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list earlier this year, Sanchez was one of the 20 chefs who manned the kitchen at all times. Reminisces Sanchez, “When we got the fourth best, we had a staff meeting and a little celebration. And then we were told, ‘If you are not the first, you are the last. You have to strive harder’.”

The Table shares its core philosophies with Eleven Madison Park. “What we do here is beautiful and genuine,” he says. Within a week of his return, Sanchez has already added new dishes to the menu. For instance, the refreshing Kale salad has been an instant hit with the diners who love the crunch of Iranian Dates poached in apple juice and toasted pistachios. Another addition is the Ricotta Raviolo, which is a large ravioli stuffed with home-made ricotta, egg yolk in brown butter and sage sauce. When one breaks into the ravioli, the egg yolk fuses with the fresh cheese.

“The temptation to have 20 components and everything exquisite is of no use if I cannot execute it,” says Sanchez. The toughest dish he’s ever prepared is the Royal Sterling Caviar “Vichyssoise” of Caraquet Oysters at Eleven Madison Park for 130 guests. “Thirteen individual beads of caviar had to be evenly placed with tweezers,” says Sanchez. The experience taught him that consistency and precision have no substitute.

During his absence, his team continued to showcase the best of food. He’s happy he let them fly on their own. Once they complete four years this January, The Table plans to set up its catering arm for parties and weddings. “Now that we have built this brand, we want to cater to people outside of the restaurant too,” says Sanchez, who will be in Mumbai till March next year. Now, the chef feels deeply rooted in India. “Even though it is crazy, loud and a lot of stimulus keeps coming from everywhere, every time I leave I want to come back,” he says.

meenakshi.iyer@expressindia.com

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