Golgappas are a chef's special here. You won’t find coffee here. Instead, you’ll find hot karak tea or spiced chai that will zing down your throat as you take the place in. Pincode by Chef Kunal Kapur has just opened in Abu Dhabi on Al Maryah Island. But we visited the flagship branch in Dubai Hills mall for our chat with Kapur. The walls are full of knick-knacks – mirrors and old photographs – the ceilings bare the weight of chandeliers and the menu is a heady dose of nostalgia for people who’ve spent time in India, especially Delhi.
That’s because this MasterChef India judge has brought classics from his city (and the country) to our doorsteps. “One of my childhood favourites is the doodth walli bread (milk bread). Delhi winters can be really cold, so we would be tucked into a blanket after an early meal at night. And later before sleeping, we would be given bread with thickened milk and tutti fruiti. We have created something very similar, based off my memory,” he explains.
Chef Kunal Kapur
However, don’t think for one second that heading to Pincode in Dubai is the same as eating a meal at Pincode Abu Dhabi. “Almost about 20- 25 percent of the things that you'll find in Abu Dhabi you won't find it in Dubai and vice versa,” he says. Every store is tweaked for authenticity and uniqueness.The next import is Delhi momos – steamed dumplings with chicken or vegetable stuffing that’s served with a chutney. Similarly, he’s been collecting recipes from around India to plate-up fare that would tantalise internationally developed tastebuds.
Like the tender bun-kebabs from Kanpur – which we joke is really the ‘desi hamburger’ - and Hyderabadi mutton biryani.His commitment to take the Indian menu in his restaurants was in particular display when he talked about his journey to a tiny town in the foothills of Darjeeling called Siliguri. Because it’s so close to the Nepalese border, there’s a heavy influence of flavours in the regional cuisine. “I stayed in Siliguri with a family, because one of my friends from the industry said, ‘they can help you with Nepalese Indian food’. And that's what we've tried to bring - very local food, that’s very well accepted within India, but possibly not many restaurants could kind of put that in forefront of their menus,” he explains.
Purandar Anjeer
He concedes that the level of heat you will find in the dishes Pincode delivers is a tad tepid compared to the sort found in its Indian counterparts – “We've not gone berserk on chili, because we understand the entire dynamics of Dubai and Abu Dhabi is very multicultural. Barring that, all the other spices, we haven't held our hand back. We've tried to recreate whatever you get in India,” he explains.
A cosy corner at the restaurant
The one thing Kapur is stringent about in his kitchens is hygiene; something drilled into him by the time he was a young man. “I think hygiene in this country is huge and that is something that is super critical. It stems from the fact that my grandmother [when I was young] wouldn’t let anyone into the kitchen until they had had a bath,” he says. The food cooked had to be handled carefully, since while the men in the house ate non-vegetarian food, the women did not. So, the cookware was different, and the men were in charge of cooking the meat and keeping everything used in its preparation clean.In the case of a commercial establishment, being aware and sensitive to hygiene to prevent cross-contamination takes on new meaning.His childhood also prepared him for the kitchen, for one thing, his parents were supportive of his unconventional career choice. “I'm glad that my parents supported me wholeheartedly and that's the only reason why I'm happy and successful. Because had they put doubts in my head, it would have been a very difficult choice; it's a very hard industry,” he says seriously.
Saag burrata
Kapur has made a name for himself not only as a celebrity with a restaurant but also as a fair judge in the reality TV space. But ask him to talk about the more ‘unusual (read unpleasant)' encounters, and he smirks: “At the time, I thought it's bold, maybe the dish will surprise us. It was so bad, I was on the verge of puking, and because I was the first one, the other two judges looked at my face, and they didn't even try it,” he recalls a plated-up piece of chicken with coffee. He shivers as he recalls some other interesting combinations such as aubergine and chocolate mousse before he explains that while he’s all for experimentation, it’s not something that ought to be forced. It should consider the flavour profiles of the ingredients and their interplay before a dish is put together.One of his own successful food adventures is the pani puri – also known as puchka or golgappa, depending on the Indian city you are in. “What I've done is, with the metha pani (sweet water), we've infused fruit flavours into it, just to enhance it a little,” he says. Passion fruit makes an appearance here.Indian food then with a flair for originalality – would you like a bite? The address is simple, just remember Pincode.
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