Dominic Chapman - Michelin-starred Chef Shines in India

India is home to many magnificent restaurants and chefs but the subcontinent has no equivalent to the sought after Michelin Star.  Curry Life took the Michelin starred chef, Dominic Chapman, to cook his brand of quintessentially British food in Kolkata. Here’s what he made of his experience and (just as important)… what the Indians made of him.

Dominic Chapman, Michelin-crowned chef of the Royal Oak, Paley Street summed up the Taste of Britain Curry Festival in one word: “Amazing!”

“It’s been one of the most incredible weeks I’ve had for a long time,” he told us with boyish enthusiasm over a beer in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kolkata.  Dominic had just completed a jam-packed four-day stint at the festival and, in his own words the experience had been “full on”.  As a seasoned traveller he admitted that this first trip to India had been an eye opener. “I feel that I’ve been cheating a bit. “There is no denying it – India is a one hell of a country. If I was out there on my own with my back pack on, without the luxury of being able to afford to stay at the Hyatt I would find it hardcore.  As it is I’ve been able to be involved with the festival here with the opportunity to go out there and sample what’s going on out there. Yes, it’s crazy but you just kind of harness that and go with it. I’ve had an absolute ball.”

 Dominic with festival organiser Nahas Pasha

Dominic is the head chef at The Royal Oak Paley Street in Berkshire and Holyport’s Belgian Arms, but he’s also no stranger to adventure. He spent some years exploring Australia before coming back to the UK and working as chef de partie at Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck, later moving on to take on the role of head chef at The Hinds Head in Bray. In 2007 he moved to The Royal Oak Paley Street, co-owned by TV personality Michael Parkinson, now one of only 13 Michelin star pubs in the UK. It’s perhaps not surprising that Dominic has achieved such incredible culinary success; his family has owned and run the Castle Hotel in Taunton for over 60 years. The passion for cooking is in his blood.

After a chance meeting with Lord Karan Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beer, Dominic was invited to accompany the Curry Life team to India for the Taste of Britain Curry festival.

Although India is not covered by the Michelin food guide, there is considerable interest in the concept, not least in the idea that a British chef can produce good food. Dominic’s arrival was greeted with a barrage of local and international press and customers who were keen to sample his British classics of Lamb Roast and Fish and Chips. They went down very well! Even allowing for the customary politeness of the Indian people, there were compliments all round, especially for the Lemon Tart which was a sensational success. In fact it was so popular that Chef Vikram Ganpule, Executive Chef at the Hyatt, decided to keep it on the menu.

Dominic with chefs Jamal Uddin and Partha Mittra

Dominic has a huge respect for British curry chefs. “They have an intimate knowledge of spices that leaves me feeling somewhat of a novice,” he said. “The Curry Life chefs and the team of chefs in the kitchens here are very passionate about cooking and they really want to learn. It’s the same if you are a chef in the UK, in India or any other part of the world - you love cooking, you want to learn about cooking and ultimately, to cook great food.”

Does he see many differences to Indian dishes produced in the UK? “The heat of curry in the UK is quite harsh – over there it’s a case of ‘wow that has really blown my head off, have another drink of lager’,” he says. “Over here it’s chilli hot and it warms your mouth but it’s fresh, you can really taste those spices and flavours. But I still enjoy eating curries in the UK because when you’re not sitting in a 5-star hotel, out there, if you don’t know where to go, it can be pretty, pretty rough.”

When Dominic was not having a ball the festival threw up some stiff challenges. Perhaps the hardest of these was producing a 7-course, completely vegan meal for a high powered business man in Kolkata who had heard about his expertise and wanted to test his skills out for himself. Dominic rose to the occasion with customary aplomb. “I challenge any chef to come to India and do the same and not find it difficult. And of course, you want to reach a certain standard; you want your ingredients to be the best. One thing about India is that you have to get your food from the market fresh in the morning, and then cooked for lunch; food does not keep. In the UK, everything is perfect – we get perfect leeks, immaculate aubergines. In this country if you’re not careful spring onions look like chives, cauliflowers may have seen better days and herbs are wilting before they’ve even got to a fridge.

“And there are a few problems with supply. I’ve ordered everything from here; you expect things to arrive in two hours but they’re more likely to arrive in two days. It took four hours for my quail egg to be delivered because of traffic but at the end of the day that’s OK - you have to embrace it and it’s fantastic. The team here has been brilliant and so supportive. And I’ve learned things to take away with me – I’ve been especially impressed by the standard of the breads which are freshly baked here in the Hyatt.”

Talking of the street life he said: “Coming from the UK it makes you realise that we have easy – you really think these guys are so resilient; there is poverty everywhere and yet they’re so smiley. And they all work hard and just get on with their own lives.”

One of Dominic’s main aims on the trip was to go out and embrace the life, country and culture of India, in particular to sample the street food for which Kolkata is justly famous. To that end he was taken on a whirlwind tour of the city by local journalists in search of the origins of British curry. At Collin Street at the home of Rubin and Pamela Ribeiro he was cooked a typical Anglo-Indian meal; “They were a lovely, lovely family,” he enthused. “They made me a mutton curry, yellow rice and red pepper curry. It was brilliant food – the lady took great care in preparing and cooking it and it was delicious.”

Sampling Kolkata’s famous street food, he wasn’t quite as enthusiastic. “It looked good – it was great street food and it looked a million dollars but to be honest with you I was a bit conscientious about tasting it rather than eating it because of hygiene issues.” Nevertheless he pronounced the Phuchka “flavoursome” whilst he described the spicy chickpea stew or gnugni with coriander, onion and tomato as “one hell of a snack”. At Gariahat he ticked off another item on his wishlist - a visit to the famous fish market. “It was like a farmer’s market,” he said. “The produce was fresh and there was such variety. The tent-like structure was typically Calcutta as were the broad flat blades with which they cut the flesh but the people, the chaos and the noise was just like any fresh food market the world over with its own local characters.” From thence he was whisked off to sample the delights of mishti at a 159-year-old sweet shop, all nicely rounded off with a mandatory Darjeeling tea and Rum Ball.

It’s evident that Kolkata made a massive impression on the chef but what did the people of Kolkata make of Dominic? It seems that in the brief time he was there the genuinely enthusiastic and friendly chef left his own indelible mark on the city.

The following day we, ourselves took a sightseeing trip round Kolkata and were amused to discover that the tour guide had already incorporated the legend of Dominic Chapman into his patter.  “Did you know that only a few days ago we had a visit from a very famous British Michelin star chef who came especially to sample the food and culture of Kolkata?” he asked proudly. ‘Yes, we did know’ we replied – and we can vouch for the fact that he was more than impressed.

Follow the link to see a film of the Taste of Britain Curry Festival on youtube.