Sandhu flies solo

After walking past a string of car garages we hit a deadend Google Maps has erred we assume Just then a familiar voice floats through On pushing the black door we see chef Amninder Sandhu doling out instructions to a worker who is making a flower bed In her usual black tee denims and black chef coat she tilts her head her characteristic manicured bob in place and breaks into a smileWe are welcomed into her brand new kitchen space in Punersquos Wadgaon Sheri ldquoItrsquos all minerdquo she grins One half runs in an Lshaped central kitchen spread across 2000 sq feet that services Ammu her new delivery menu that is a monthold Butter chicken dosaThe rest is empty ldquoThis will be an experiential setting where I can cook for an intimate grouprdquo she says as we settle into a sofa and hog the fan The view on all sides is the open field This week she also launched Ammursquos Mumbai outpost in Bandra that offers a few of her signatures and new trials tooLast year three weeks before the pandemic Sandhu launched Iktara ldquoAfter Arth I wanted to do another restaurant which made sense prepandemic Meanwhile I felt it was the right time to do a delivery kitchen with a few of my signature dishes first up The city was ready for a qualityfocused delivery menu one that wasnrsquot just price sensitiverdquo says SandhuWhy did she pull out ldquoSometimes stars are not alignedrdquo she smiles referring to her faith in destiny Sandhu admits she doesnrsquot take herself too seriously The same cannot be said about her craft ldquoI like to walk into the kitchen and cook delicious food No extra ingredients nothing fancy Just good tasty food Whether it is wedding catering a restaurant or a delivery kitchen it doesnrsquot matterrdquoChef Amninder SandhuFinding investors on the other hand makes her pull out her hair ldquoThere is no such thing as the perfect investor They talk numbers and it is a challenge to show them what passion can do Sometimes it is exhausting to convince them that I know what I am doing You have to be open to rejection Our pitches are bettered by these rejectionsrdquo she sharesIn the pipeline are four Indian brands including a mithai venture and a Mexican brand Sandhu calls it ldquopiecing a jigsaw puzzle of multiple brandsrdquo ldquoUsually investors prefer testing waters with one delivery kitchen But running multiple brands from the same place makes a lot more sense as you are able to cover up costsrdquo she saysAfter being the captain of many ships in partnerships Sandhu is bullish about the road ahead ldquoWith Ammu which is what my friends call me I just wanted the brand to be an extension of my personalityrdquoAfter launching Arth Chef Amninder Sandhu says launching another brick and mortar restaurant in the pandemic did not make sense PicsNeel ParadkarTwo dishes which we try at the kitchen are oneoff meals she cooked for her family One has lauki that poor manrsquos vegetable we didnrsquot want to eat as a child In lauki mussalam bottle gourd is presented as discs stuffed with paneer and spinach and cooked in an aloo Bukhara gravy Lauki will never be the same again Another is a south Indian chicken in dosa made with Manipuri black rice batterThe flavours of butter chicken folded into the comfort of dosa is an ideal match Her famous Sandhu saabrsquos chicken makes its way into a biryani and her rolls are moist and juicy with no need to add a chutney or sauceHer signature dishes like the Naga mushroom gilawat Chefrsquos Table paneer and Deomali mutton cooked in bamboo are all available ldquoI didnrsquot want to keep them out just for the want of doing something new People love them and they deserve to be here with merdquo she saysHer packaging is simple and she steers clear of bumping up prices for fancy boxes ldquoI prefer to let the food do the talkingrdquo Are you liking Pune we ask and she breaks into a wide smile In July last year Sandhu married Yogesh Manwani ldquoWe didnrsquot see each other for four months during the first lockdown It made us realise that abhi nahin toh kabhi nahinWe wanted to be together and not wait to plan a grand wedding Wersquoll plan a party at some pointrdquo she says She now divides her time between Mumbai and Pune Sandhu met Manwani who is also part of the FampB industry in 2017 ldquoBack in the 90s Yogi ran some iconic Mumbai restaurants like Monza Azziano and Lemon GrassrdquoSandhu calls him her light at the end of the tunnel ldquoWhen I feel low and down he reminds me of how far I have come and that it is not the time to give up Yogi is blessed with the best tastebuds and he is the only one whose feedback I take I have been able to improve a lot of my dishes thanks to him He is my favourite eating partnerrdquoShe has also picked up a few kitchen tricks from her Sindhi motherinlaw ldquoHer nuances in the kitchen are exemplary To make green chutney she uses only the light green chillies to ensure the paste is bright and to make thecha she has her own novel ratio of light green to dark green mirchirdquo says SandhuCall 7977387107 Mumbai 81494 72454 Pune