With over 28 years of experience, Chef Robert’s predisposition towards cooking goes back to when he was just eight years old. His home-made black pepper sauce complements all the signature dishes that he swears by.
His love for experimenting with flavours began when he gave an innovative twist to a simple recipe of dal, which to his surprise, received a lot of appreciation. This gave him the confidence to explore and create dishes which were different from the existing ones.
At the age of 20, he started his career with a Chinese restaurant club in Darjeeling, and then moved to Delhi. He worked at various places like Surya Crown Plaza, Park Royal Hotel and Ho Shao Kong & Bros. He became popular during his stint at Wok and Noodle Bar at GK-2.
Chef Robert was introduced to different cuisines and cooking techniques when he got the opportunity to work with chefs from various parts of Southeast Asia. Then, he moved to Dubai and worked there for 13 years as the head chef at Royal Orchid and Jinga Asian Kitchen.
He returned to India in 2018 and led a team of enthusiastic chefs to give the best pan-Asian experience to the diners of Delhi. He accentuated tastes and flavours like no other as the executive chef of Tanoshii Trail.
Chef Robert also had a keen interest in sports, football in particular, which was not only his hobby but he also played it at a competitive level. It helped a lot in his profession as he was able to incorporate qualities of leadership and teamwork in the kitchen environment to bring him where he is today and earn respect from professional chefs across the world.
In a candid conversation, he reveals more about his work and himself:
What is your philosophy about food?
Keep experimenting and innovating with various ingredients and techniques, while maintaining the authenticity of flavours.
What is your favourite cuisine?
Oriental cuisine
Who is your idol?
Sanjeev Kapoor
What is your favourite spice?
Madras curry powder and five-spice powder
What is your hot-selling dish?
All Sichuan-style dishes
What are the lessons that you learnt in the kitchen?
Just like our lives, there are both good and bad days in the kitchen. But it is very important to stay calm when you mess up a dish, as there is no problem that cannot be solved with a little twist.
How do you like to de-stress?
I generally sit patiently and think about the good old days.
What are you passionate about?
Cooking and football
If it were to be your last meal on earth, what would you choose?
If I had to cook, it would be Black Pepper Chicken and when it comes to eating, I’d prefer gulab jamun with ice cream.
