Celebrity Chef Sarah Todd, Kelvin Cheung talks about embracing a foreign country

Ask any paparazzo in the city to pick a celebrity hotspot and the twoyearold Bastian will be on their list Headed by ChineseCanadian chef Kelvin Cheung Bastian and One Street however are serving flavours that dont just please the stars but other mortals tooFor Australian chef Sarah Todd a former MasterChef Australia contestant it was a chance episode for which she cooked alu gobhi that made her an overnight TV celebrity in India She went on to open two restaurants in the country Antares in Goa and The Wine Rack in MumbaiHow did two individuals from two different corners of the world find so much love in India The goodlooking chefs answer this and other questions over several plates of Thai food and jasmine tea at Nara in BKCDhara What made you come to IndiaKelvin I was teaching at a culinary school in Chicago and one of my students was a Mumbai boy Years later I returned to Toronto where I was born to open a restaurant Everything was fixed And suddenly the landlord wanted to increase the security deposit So I dropped it Fortyeight hours later I got a call from this student to work on a superexpensive and cool place that no one had done in India It was three in the morning and I asked him to call me later He called up again at five and said he had the owner on the line I gave the interview in my underwear I had never been to India it was a sixmonth contract and sixandahalf years later I am still hereSarah My story is a bit random too After my popularity went up thanks to the alu gobhi episode I came here for a cooking demo People recognised me at the airport I felt overwhelmed but I loved it from the first second I met this couple in Delhi who showed me around and took me to The Wine Company restaurant They called up the owner to ask if he could come and he refused His nineyearold son happened to hear him and when he realised that I was the guest he said Dad youve got to go We got along really well A little later he called to say that he had found an amazing property in Goa which I had to see I told him he was mad and there was no chance I was opening a restaurant in India But seven months later we opened That was threeandahalf years agoDhara What does it take to open a restaurant hereKelvin To open is not difficult finding what works is Its probably one of the most difficult places in the world Theres so much against you mdash sourcing issues staff work culture Plus in Bandra or Colaba your overhead is tripleSarah I feel its difficult everywhere But for us it took a lot of time to just understand the palate Once you figure that out you learn how to work in a different countryDhara How did you manage to crack the codeSarah Part of the code is becoming a part of the land When people walk in and see a piece of the city on the menu they relate to it The dishes on the menu might be different but its the flavours they can connect with To Kelvin I think you do that very well at your restaurantKelvin There has to be a connect right In the beginning it was extremely difficult We would work on intricate food prep for eight hours and finally have just one table that was occupied We wondered why no one was coming Then we went from 95 percent imported to two percent That changed everythingSarah It was worse in Goa I worked on the menu in Australia and when I landed here it all went to the bin One day I took frankies to a local orphanage mdash roti wraps with egg salad masala and lemon The kids ate all the roti and salad and they put the masala on the lemon and sucked it like a lolly Thats when I realised that it was crazy of me to serve mild flavours to Indians Today even if I make stew back home I add smoked paprika for that extra flavour No other country has diversity like IndiaYum som O larb mamuang tom yum soup gai mamuang kraprao goong tord kra tiem tord man goong phad see elw and pla jalamed nueng sii elw arriveKelvin I love the pomelo salad yum som o It is light and easy just for this weather The foods goodSarah I love the mango salad larb mamuang and the chicken mango krapao Its mango season I also liked the prawns goong tord kra tiemDhara Whats your take on the Indian restaurant industryKelvin Its a fun time Today the restaurateur and the consumer is knowledgable about food around the world because of social mediaSarah In the beginning it was hard to get people to savour foreign or unfamiliar food But today they will try it High standards are pushing everyone to deliver better food Tasty food is taking over gimmicksKelvin Our farmers need help Across the world governments have stepped in and chefs are trying to cook ethically In India though its an odd balance you need to eat clean but there are so many to feedQuick takesCurrent favourite ingredientSarah I love mango I grew up eating it in AustraliaKelvin Not an ingredient but a process I am in this fermenting phase Ive been making vinegars for a few years and they are ready now I also work with batches of fruits and use them as they age At the moment we are using strawberries that were treated two years agoFavourite Indian actorSarah Not an actor but I recently watched Hindi Medium it is a beautiful filmKelvin Ranveer Singh Itrsquos like catching a lightning bolt His energy is on another levelMy ideal stress busterKelvin Working outSarah My son I love to play football with him or have a fidget spinner battleGoto favourite exercise Kelvin Crossfit Most of my workouts last eight to 10 minutes It has helped me stay focused in that short timeSarah I like to play tennis or football Recently I started bouldering and post every session itrsquos like every muscle has been switched on I also like to practise yoga to maintain my balance and keep calmCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates