How does it feel to be the king of fine dining?I’m more a ‘slave’ of fine dining. I don’t feel like a king or anything. The only thing I do feel is bigger around the waist!Do you think people are becoming too serious about food?Absolutely. Food has become more of a cerebral experience than a gustatory or olfactory experience. I mean, food satisfies a very basic need. It should be about having fun. The more you intellectualise food, the more you alienate yourself from it.Do our cities have different eating habits?Yes, in the North, Indians tend to have heavier and heaty food. Whereas in the South, where it’s hotter, food isalmost pre-chewed. It’s softer and sweeter.Indigo has given rise to many eclectic eateries. It’s so damned easy to open a restaurant. Anyone with a bit of money can do it. The tough part is in keeping it going. So what does Indigo’s future hold?We’re opening another one in Mumbai, at the other end of the city, in Juhu. You’re also coming out with the Indigo Cookbook?Yes, but that’s still a long way from home. It’s too premature as it won’t be ready before the year’s over.What’s it like to be around your wife 24-7?Bad question.Did you just fight?Oh, we fight constantly. It’s hard enough to be in a profession where you work when everyone else plays. We try to demarcate our work clearly, she handles one aspect, I handle another and we never ovestep our limits.Where do you eat out?Usually the same places for the same thing. We frequent Trishna for its squid, Ling’s Pavilion for its clear pork soup and Golden Dragon for its duck and pepper beans.What do you think about aphrodisiacs or foreplay food??I think the very idea of savouring a meal is a total tease for all senses. You can touch food, smell it and taste it, and it’s all revolves around the mouth. I think it’s a Zen thing, like the Japanese tea ceremonies that draw attention to all the senses.What kind of food turns you on?It could be anything. You have your traditional beliefs — oysters, asparagus, saffron — things that can make you horny as hell. But it’s usually whatever works for you.Tell me your favourite breakfast-in-bed story.It was Christmas morning of 1980, in Italy. I was staying somewhere close to Turin with a friend’s family. And there was this girl that I was madly in love with at the time. One morning, she brought me this steamy fresh brioche and great espresso. It was a simple rustic room, with snow falling outside. It was special because it was young love, fresh food, snow and a simple room — all the right ingredients were there.The best food compliment you’ve received?A couple came up to me after they had just finished their meal. The man said that everyone had recommended Indigo to them and when he would ask them what kind of food did it serve, they just answered ‘we don’t know, but it’s really well-cooked’. I thought that was great as it wasn’t about the food, but the way it has been cooked.And the worst?People have said that it’s the worst meal they’ve ever had. But I’ve always believed you can’t dispute taste. If you want ketchup on your pasta, I’m not going to stop you.
