back of house
Mastering EastWest Flavours
O
Ex-Cinnamon Club chef Palash Mitra is conquering Indian and
European flavours at the stylish Scarfe’s Bar, at London’s new
Rosewood Hotel. He talks to Tandoori
pening its doors
at the end of last
year, the new
Rosewood Hotel
site in London’s
casseroles”. The notion being
Holborn, is yet another example
that this would be the first high
of the capital’s vibrant and everend London hotel whereby Indian
sophisticated Hotel scene. Very
and European dishes would sit
much a 5-star venue, this is one
by side on a menu. Uniquely
of those glossy, magazine-photo
different for sure.
haunts, which promises lots of
To oversee it, the Rosewood
lu ury, fine eriod detail and food
recruited the Cinnamon Club’s
and drink of the finest kind.
sous chef – and one of the most
Like any good hotel, there are
talented chefs working in the
several options to dine here yet
UK today, Palash Mitra. The
the one getting the most attention
Calcuttan-born maestro had
for its uniquely different take is its
honed his skills in Continental
opulent bar – Scarfes Bar to be
cooking from an early age before
precise.
perfecting his art at the famed
If the name rings a bell – the
Oberoi Rajvilas in Rajasthan. He
first conclusion you reach will be
then moved to the fine dining
the right one - the interior pays
Veda restaurant in Hong Kong
homage to the great British artist
before joining his
and caricaturist,
longtime colleague
even lending his
Vivek Singh from
paintings and
Rajvilas at Cinnamon
drawings to the
Club.
bar. But there’s
“My stint at Veda,”
much more to
CURRIES
says Mitra, “coincided
this very British
Murgh makhani
Hyderabadi lamb korma
with the UK gradually
bar, steeped as it
Kari meen
seeing a shift in modern
is in a classical,
Paneer palak methi
Indian restaurants
almost timeless
becoming much more
mode than just
refined and elevated.
what’s hanging
CASSEROLES
Spring lamb stew
So not only did I then
on the walls. One
Baked potato, braised
fit into the innamon
sits in the shadow
beef, spring onions
Club nicely, my move to
of bookcases
King prawns, garlic,
Scarfes Bar made a lot
stacked with
parsley
Ratatouille, fried egg
of sense. The brief to
antique books,
steer a kitchen churning
there are velvet
out grounded, but
armchairs, lots of
very distinctive ndian flavours
knick-knacks and even a roaring
matched by modern European
fire. nd then there s the food.
dishes alongside on the menu, is
Lunchtimes being the only
interesting to say the least.”
period when Scarfes bar serves
“It may have presented a
main meals, the hotel’s director
learning curve for all of us,”
of food, beverage and kitchens
admits Mitra, “but the feedback
Bjorn van der Horst came up with
has been very positive. I had to
the novel concept of “curries and
be conscious of the fact that all
the items had to be light as they
were only being served during
lunchtime service, with evenings
not being so food orientated at
the bar and that the price points
were kept reasonable.
“There isn’t a single decent
Indian restaurant in the vicinity
of the hotel,” says Mitra, “and
that has certainly helped Scarfes
Bar secure lovers of Indian food
to come to us as customers.
Even the in-house guests of the
hotel have been quite taken with
what the kitchens are producing
here and to my surprise, hotel
customers booking for weddings
here have even started asking for
Indian food at their weddings!” n
Sample
Menu
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September/October 2014 2014 // T A N D O O R I
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27/08/2014 07:12