Chef Ravi has developed his culinary skills over the past 23 years. After graduating from IHM Goa, he started his career with The Leela in 1992. Soon after, he joined The Holiday Inn, Pune as second-in-command to the Executive Chef. He spent a fruitful year in 1999 at Baisan International Hotel, Bahrain where he honed his skills in Mexican, Mediterranean, Italian, Arabic and Continental cuisine.

At the Imperial, he joined as a Junior Sous Chef and opened the Italian Restaurant ‘San Gimignano’ and was later promoted to Executive Sous Chef in 2005. During this stint at Imperial, he was exposed to two 2-star Michelin restaurants in Siena and Verona in Italy to hone his skills in Italian Cuisine. He joined The Claridges in 2007 as an Executive Chef.

His dedication, talent, eagerness to relearn and determination to train those working with him are just a few of the attributes that he brings to the table along with flavours and tastes that charm gourmands in an instant.  “No matter what cuisines we try, Indian food is what we have grown up on and desi tastes will always remain close to our hearts. With Dhaba by Claridges, I have tried to please our guests with signature dishes which resonate the typical flavours found at dhabas like Balti Meat and many more delicacies.”

In a candid conversation, he talks more about himself and his work:

What is your working mantra?

Very simple, have the right people at right place and the right time. To run a big set-up, one needs to have strong, reliable team. Human resource is the key to any successful operation.

What is your cooking philosophy?

Simple, honest and no-frills food using the freshest ingredients and bring out the maximum flavours in the food is my cooking philosophy. Also being consistent in deliverables is equally important, as that is one strong reason why the customers come back to any restaurant

How do you de-stress?

Spend quality time with family and go on long late night drives

Your favourite spice?

Turmeric, for its health benefits. Also it’s available in fresh and dry forms as well. 

Last meal on earth?

Home cooked meal, any time

Recipe

Balti Meat
Ingredients:
• 1 kg mutton
• 100 g ginger-garlic paste
• 250 g grown wnion paste
• 5 g salt
• 2 black cardamom
• 2 green cardamom
• 1 mace
• 1 clove
• 175 grams refined oil
• 10 g Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 350 g tomato puree
• 5 g garam masala powder
• 15 g fresh coriander
• 100 g curd
• 50 g coriander powder
• 20 g cumin powder
• 1 black peppercorn
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 green chillies

Preparation Method:
• Heat oil, add black cardamom, green cardamom, mace, cloves, cinnamon stick, black peppercorn and ginger garlic paste
• Add chopped ginger, green chillies, mutton boti, brown onion paste, chilli powder, salt and mutton stock, cook on dim
• When mutton gets 80% cooked, add tomato puree and powdered spices
• Cook till oil separates