In December, Atul Kochhar opened his Rang Mahal restaurant in Dubai’s
new JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai with an emphasis on locally-sourced
Indian cuisine, a concept that helped him snag the first Michelin star
ever awarded to an Indian chef.
Though the Indian celebrity chef currently employs an all-Indian
kitchen, he recently told sister title Caterer that his real goal is to
build a kitchen that is rooted in “multiculturalism”.
The London-based chef’s previous food and beverage outlets have
all incorporated international kitchen staff. He is now looking to Dubai
to bring that ideal to the UAE.
“I think authenticity is in the concept,” said Kochhar.
“I strongly believe a good Japanese restaurant can also be run by
English boys,” he says, implying the same is true of Indian cuisine.
“And there are many examples. It’s fantastic. It’s a matter of
thinking how we make the cultures meet; it’s not about pulling them
apart. For me, it’s pulling people in.”
He currently sources much of Rang Mahal’s menu from both the
United Arab Emirates and India, which he says outlines the close
relationship the two cultures share through a growing expatriate
population.
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