Asked why he chose to start his one — and till now only — restaurant in Asia in India, at the JW Marriott in Mumbai, two Michelin starred chef Sergi Arola asks, “Why not in India?”

And he’s not done with his questions. Almost as passionate about India as his food, he says that over the last 10-15 years most of the famous French, Italian, American and Spanish chefs have opened restaurants in China, not India. “Tell me one good reason why?” For better business, and perhaps because China has more numbers, more rich people, I shrug.

“I don’t think so. You have large numbers in India too, and the richest are probably in the same numbers in India as China, but the middle class is much larger in India,” he argues. And then, there is the important cultural issue — “You and I are talking in English, I don’t need a translator from Spanish to Chinese and then from Chinese to Spanish. In Mumbai I can go to all guests and say ‘Hello’, and ask them directly what they like or dislike… which is most important for any chef.”

And as Arola at the Marriott celebrated its first anniversary last week, chef Sergi had on board his brother Natxo Arola, who is the resident DJ at The Arola in Barcelona. “Last evening we had an amazing jam session with different musicians. It was fantastic, magical and the most amazing thing for me was that an Indian male and two women singers sang in a texture so close to the Flamenco that they could sing Flamenco songs like this (snaps his fingers)!”

Naan and rotla

Even as he chats with me, Sergi keeps disappearing into the kitchen every few minutes; I am an early diner at 8 p.m., but the tables are filling up fast and the restaurant is soon packed. Within two minutes of his first exit, I get a glass of Sangria so delicious that I could be dining at a fine restaurant in Barcelona. Next, a platter of naan , with large chunks of garlic, fresh tomato pesto, olive oil and rock salt. It is called Naan Tumaca (Spanish for tomato); the naan is his most favourite bread, says the chef. I rub the garlic on the naan , spread tomato pesto on it, drizzle olive oil generously, sprinkle a little rock salt, roll it up, and devour it. Simple yet delicious, and the perfect recipe for a lazy evening. It took me back to my childhood rotla (thick roti ) dripping with ghee, which my Ma served with a fresh chutney of coarsely ground garlic, jeera , green chillies, jaggery and a dash of lemon juice. It was the Gujarati farmer’s meal, she’d say!

Well, the naan is about the only Indian touch to the delicacies the chef puts together that evening. He is at pains to explain that this isn’t a fine dining restaurant. He runs six restaurants — in Madrid, Barcelona, Sintra (Portugal), Paris, São Paulo (Brazil), and Mumbai — and all of them strive to provide a unique dining experience. “My restaurants are very funky, there is music, nice décor, beautiful tables but no tablecloth. You come with a friend, or your partner, order something, share it, then order a little more. This is typical Barcelona style.” And Indian too, I quip.

His only regret is that families with kids cannot come to his restaurant because of the lounge bar “where alcohol is exposed. People below 21 can’t come; you can vote at 18, get married and have children but you can’t drink! But despite that this restaurant has done well.”

At this Spanish restaurant in Mumbai, I can feel the energy and vibrancy of Barcelona’s buzzing little cafés on its happening square, Le Rambla.

Early beginnings

Of course, behind such a kitchen, he adds, is a two Michelin starred chef who obviously knows his food, which is inspired by the philosophy of Barcelona’s food. “I don’t claim any big creativity,” he shrugs, adding that a lot of what he offers his guests is modified from homemade recipes he learnt as a child from his maternal grandfather. “Like all children I used to be fussy about food and didn’t like what was given to me, so my grandpa said: ‘Make you own food’ — and I did!”

Meanwhile, I’ve been getting a steady flow from a tasting menu. First comes the Porcini Carpaccio with Iberian Ham. Thin slices of Porcini mushrooms tossed in parsley, pine nuts and olive oil, and served with slivers of delicious Iberian ham. The ham is soft and crunchy, and all the ingredients blend together to make it a winner.

Then there is a vegetarian delicacy, Char-grilled Eggplant with pine nuts, olives, olive oil and chives, sprinkled with a balsamic reduction. The Croquetas with Majori cheese are crisp and crunchy, and melt in the mouth. The Esqueizada Cod Salad served with spring onions and juliennes of tomato is passable, but then again I’m not a fan of cold food. Chef Sergi’s signature dish, Patatas Bravas — deep-fried potato rolled with a spicy tomato sauce and topped with garlic rings — is delicious. But then, who can resist fried potato? I like the Calamari sandwich, but just peck at the Seafood Fideu Angel hair pasta made with prawn, squid and bass.

However, the preparation to die for — to which all your senses just surrender and explain why Sergi is a world-renowned chef — is the Gambas al Ajillo, a preparation of soft and crunchy prawns, made in olive oil with fried garlic and fresh red chilli, and garnished with parsley (recipe in box story). You have to try very hard not to gobble up the prawns in quick succession. The meal is rounded off with another of Chef Sergi’s signature desserts — Caramalized Crema Catalon. It contains cream, orange sorbet and peel, cinnamon, and eggs, and is extremely light, frothy and delectable.

Difficult to believe but true — after sampling so many preparations (and I went berserk with both the Naan Tamaca and the prawns) washed down with two Sangrias — I felt neither stuffed nor heady at the end of the meal.

I quiz Chef Sergi on the Sangria, wanting to replicate it at home, and he is all smiles. “The secret in the Sangria is the fruit; it has to be the optimum degree of ripeness and sweetness, and then you mix the fruits with different liquors. There should be absolutely no sugar, because sugar goes straight to your head and hits you.”

Indian palate

Chef Sergi says the Indian palate is evolving, and as a chef he has to listen to what people want. Though not obsessed about changing the menu he replaces the “less successful dishes with new ones. Some things work and some don’t.”

He relates the story of how some years ago, at one of the Marriott restaurants, a guest asked for pasta with seafood. They cooked lobster in the tandoor and served it with pasta. It was a success! “People loved it. Trust me, I would never have imagined such a thing. It is not normal. But somebody got the idea and it worked. It is most important for chefs to listen to people; we cook for them, not ourselves. Other chefs cook for us. And we want the plates to come back empty; if a plate comes back full it’s very sad and disappointing for us.”

While Arola has to get the Spanish extra virgin olive oil of the right quality from gourmet stores in Mumbai — the supply chain is now being established — it manages to get most of its seafood locally. Except during the monsoon, when they import most of the fish and other seafood from France, the UK, and Dubai. He is also happy with the quality of the local lamb and chicken.

While Chef Sergi is delighted with his Mumbai experience, it is his two restaurants in Spain that cause him concern. With Spain’s economy in the doldrums, the challenge is to “first survive and then grow.”

So, are people cutting down spending on food during these difficult times?

“Yes, many Spanish people don’t consider gastronomy as a strategic value for the economy, specially now. They don’t understand that behind restaurants like ours there are thousands of euros, which won’t come if they don’t exist. They only see such restaurants as places where you pay €150 or €200 and they find that morally unacceptable. That, for me, is a very sad and discouraging situation to be in,” he sighs.

In such a situation, attitudes have hardened against speciality restaurants and fine cuisine. He is grateful to Mumbai for giving him recognition, knowledge and “special importance”, and says that apart from giving him a rich experience and love, such assignments will help him save his Madrid restaurant.

As for his two Michelin stars, he says they are important but “that’s not my religion”. He says he has no claim to being a creative chef; “I cook and sometimes new dishes come in… but being a molecular chef is not my goal. Nor do I have ambition to become the best chef in the world.”

What is important is his family, friends, “playing guitar with my friends, having the pleasure of seeing people enjoy my food and, above all, my brother being with me in Mumbai, that is most important to me.”

Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Prawns)

Ingredients:

Prawns – 15

Olive Oil – 50 ml

Garlic Cloves – 3

Fresh Red Chilli – 1

Fresh Parsley – for garnishing

Salt – to taste

Method:

Heat the olive oil. Add sliced garlic, let it become golden brown, then add chopped fresh red chilli, salt and prawns. Sauté the prawns till cooked. Finish with chopped fresh parsley.

rasheeda.bhagat@thehindu.co.in

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