What did you have for dinner last night?
I ad a bowl of alphonso mango puree with khajali, which is a crisp puff pastry-like Guajarati speciality fried in clarified butter.
What are you reading now?
A Cook Tour by Anthony Bourdain
What's your favourite recipe book? And why?
Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine by René Redzepi published by Noma. It takes an innovative look on food and new presentation methods.
Next vacation? What do you plan to eat there?
Cebu, Philippines. It’s famous for the Lechon baboy: a crisp suckling pig grilled over charcoal.
Best meal?
Most recently at a sushi bar near the Tsujiki fish market in Tokyo at 6 a.m. I had the freshest sashimi and sushi prepared in front of me by the master chef.
What about the worst?
I once had a starter at a restaurant where the air conditioning was not working. When I stepped out to catch a breath of fresh air, I found my main course sitting at the pick-up counter from the kitchen and it was covered with flies. I walked out!
Places you eat at most often?
Dalia, a small Japanese restaurant in Nungambakam
Lessons learnt in the kitchen?
The ability to touch so many lives with ones cooking.
Any secret junk food confessions?
Perhaps a McDonald’s burger once every 2 months.
Last meal on earth: What would you choose?
A roast baby lamb marinated with rosemary, garlic, mint, red wine and mustard and spit roasted over charcoal.
Chef Dharmen Makawana is the Executive Chef at The Leela Palace Chennai
