In October, while we in India were about to start the festive season preparations, the San Francisco Bay area’s anonymous Michelin inspectors quietly elevated Campton Place — the restaurant at the Taj’s Campton Place hotel — from one star to two. I say quietly, because there was no flurry of press releases from the Taj, and most people had not even heard of the chef at the helm of the restaurant, Srijith Gopinathan. It did, however, put the Taj Campton Place in rarefied company, as one of only seven hotels in North America to have a two-Michelin starred restaurant.
When I ask him about where he was when the news broke, Chef Gopinathan says, “I was in my kitchen! I was here when I received a phone call from Michelin Guide, and it will always be one of the most cherished few seconds of my life. My team and I are so humbled to be recognised for all the work that goes into plating up that perfect dish.”
Humbling maybe, but Gopinathan has spent time in kitchens around the world, working with chefs such as Raymond Blanc and Gary Jones. The former set up U.K.’s Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons (a boutique hotel with a two-Michelin star restaurant in Oxfordshire), where Jones is now executive head chef. Having graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, Gopinathan was looking to expand his range of European techniques, and that’s what brought him under Blanc’s tutelage in Oxfordshire. This widening of experience served him in good stead, and on his return to India it was a hop to the Taj Exotica at the Maldives where he was a chef from 2002 to 2007, before a sojourn in San Francisco in February 2008, where he was appointed to the Taj Campton Place.
Now, with his sous chef Amod Singh, he’s whipping out a three-course ‘Theatre’ menu (priced at $78), in addition to a six-course ‘Spice Route’ tasting menu ($129 for meat eaters and $110 for vegetarians). The latter includes dishes like slow-cooked lamb rack with basmati rice, biryani spices and spiced yogurt broth, and the ‘Spice Pot’ (which Gopinathan admits got a lot of press when it was first introduced) that features a pani puri mix made with spiced potatoes and peas, covered with tamarind and cilantro, topped with chaas to give it body and then garnished with puffed grains like rice and quinoa.
When asked about his Cal-Indian cuisine, as the food at the eatery has been christened, Gopinathan explained, “I’m a Mallu, so coconut and tamarind are very close to my heart.” Jaggery and curry leaves are two other ingredients that he uses a lot in his dishes. No wonder then that a popular item on the menu used to be his slow-cooked Maine lobster with coconut curry sauce. It’s not part of the tasting any longer though, because Gopinathan “got sick of it” and has instead put in its place a lobster with roasted lentil chutney, nasturtium leaves and turmeric whey.
“Change is something I embrace happily. There is always scope to invent and discover newer techniques, or experiment with different ingredients,” he says. He enjoys living in the “always almost spring” that San Francisco affords him and he speaks with fervour about his relationship with the farmers in the area. Vegetables like bitter gourd and okra are grown within a 100-mile radius of the property, while dry spices are shipped from India. But that doesn’t preclude him from experimenting with ingredients that farmers walk in with, and he’s been known to add those new ingredients to the menu if he’s happy with the final outcome of the dish. Locally, Gopinathan is currently excited by a bounty that includes ramps, morel mushrooms, beans and baby lamb. “It is spring in California, and this is without doubt my favourite season to cook.” As the produce changes through the year, Gopinathan and the restaurant change the menu about four times, “to keep the restaurant’s menu fresh and innovative.”
If Gopinathan has a food philosophy, it may be his bringing together of traditional European cooking techniques and India’s vast spice portfolio. During our email exchange, he says, “I do not shy away from my ethnicity regardless of where I am. We have to keep our roots in mind; that’s where our strengths lie, and we should work on our strengths in the kitchen.” In fact, his happiest memories are of “helping my grandmother with the cooking at home, and as I started observing her cook, I started developing a liking for it.” He admits that cooking with his grandmother is what set him on the path to culinary school.
Gopinathan acknowledges that he’s had to give his patrons “the chance to get accustomed to certain flavours and textures, which might be new to them.” His menu has evolved over time. On a follow-up Skype call, the relaxed chef, dressed in purple a T-shirt while eating his dinner (it was 10.30 pm in San Francisco when we spoke), was happy to elaborate on his yearly trips to India where he seeks out street food and flavours from all over the country. His most recent visits were to Rajasthan, Delhi and Mumbai.
All the while, he’s also been keeping an eye on India’s burgeoning food scene. “The metros are becoming new hotspots for a lot of chefs who have cooked abroad.” When I ask if he has plans to return to India, Gopinathan is evasive, only saying, “There are plans in the pipeline, but I don’t know when that will materialise.” After taking a taste of India to California, here’s hoping he has plans to bring a taste of California to India.
Aatish Nath writes primarily about food, drink and design.
