Winds of change

Hi

The storm is still not over but we can feel winds of change blowing now. This week started off with a bang! We had a full house on Monday and the restaurant was booked out till Thursday.It was a little taster of the great old times the business has seen here. But the weekend fell like a pack of cards. The wild and exotic festival was a success. We had fun creating the wonderful dishes and the local press backed us up with great coverage. Thank you to Tom Betts and the editorial team at Kent on Sunday. Should we keep selling a premium and expensive product in the current climate ? Will cutting into profits by reducing prices ensure volumes? I am always looking to find answers to these questions.My beloved Margate had a carnival today. I wonder if the town needs these events? Does it really help local businesses by bringing the right people into the town? Or do we need more serious events directed more towards families and a more mature audience? Two things seemed to have done bumper sales today...balloons and endless pints of beer in plastic tumblers.

Travel to the heart of Kent

I am in love with the Kentish country side. Some places seem to be unreal...as if from a painting,untouched and unspoilt.Our search for Kentish wines took us to Biddenden,the oldest vineyards in Kent. Its also the new home of friends David and Karen. The shop at the vineyard was full of elderly people on guided tours. I picked up a brilliant crisp and dry white made from ortega grapes. Wasnt too impressed with the red wine (dornfelder). Though smooth and easy drinking, I felt it lacked character.Streams of thoughts flow through my mind when I drive through this beautiful country side. I think of the people who live here. Do they realise what they have? Is life boring and monotonous or is it total bliss hidden away from the hustle and bustle?Some day I should have a home here in these endless meadows and valleys...etc etc. May was a great month for the restaurant. June has rolled on slowly and sleepishly. I have created a challenge for myself. The vision is to pass on skills in Eastern cookery to budding chefs from the local area. The first interview is tomorrow. People ridicule me when I talk of English boys making Naan breads and cooking South Indian Chettinad sauces.But somebody has to make a beginning. Lets wait and watch ...
Dev

Hello

Sometimes we all go through stages in life where there is a lack of control and consciousness. Life is more of existing on a day to day basis than living. The current climate has pushed us towards a similar state of being. Reality of the market, a lot of appreciation but no tangible support from a lot of patrons has chipped the pillars of aspirations we had built in Margate. At times I feel as if I am standing on the shores of a vast ocean poised to jump as time passes beneath my feet. I have been swept away by a different kind of pressure . The team at the Indian Princess is now reduced to half of what it used to be. We are artists. We weave dreams ,concepts and ideas , create beautiful food and live flavours and tastes. Today we are busy looking at profits and losses and cash flows. A big and heartiest thank you to those who have stood by us in these two and a half years. They are truely our special people.

Roe deer from Faygate

Hi
Roe deer is in season . A friend is a professional game stalker and brings us fresh Roe deer from the village of Faygate in West Sussex. The meat is quite subtle with a lamb like texture. It does not need strong acidic marinations to melt it down.The restaurant has received a series of positive press reviews in the past few weeks.So thank you to the newspapers and publications who have written about us.I am currently working on a menu with rare and exotic meats such as zebra ,ostrich and believe it or not python! CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between Governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. All meat offered can only come as part of this policy. This means that it is either farmed - usually for the skin and the meat is a by product, or under a hunting licence in order to keep the population under control so that the ecosystem is not harmed.

Small break

Hello!
Apologies for the short break. Radical changes sweeping through the company . They say it is recession. I donot understand it a lot but it does have profound effects on customer behaviour. The other day I had a first hand experience of how it feels when I sat down for dinner at the Indian Princess. Even the most exotic and complex ingredients lose their effect when the mind is heavy with worries. So two findings...first, dining out is a fantastic psycological experience when you are mentally ready for it. Second the current climate requires chefs to concentrate on using and cooking mind blowing flavours and textures.The "feel good" tag is the call of the day

Wood pigeon as a starter!

My morning started with the hunt for a new starter as we had run out of silver pomfret in the restaurant. The tasty flat fish is difficult to source. Choices in fresh fish is poor at the moment due to the strong winds in the sea. Wood pigeon from Godmersham was the only option left. We marinated them in ginger and garlic then chargrilled the breasts on a slow flame . Fantastic! The loins of pork were resisting our efforts to melt them since the past few weeks. But thanks to molecular gastronomy, we are finally victorious! Acids in the fruit juice used to marinate them did the trick! I went to bed last night watching a part of "Apprentice". Sir Allan Sugar and his talk of business objectives and profits have had a drowsy effect on me. Isint it common sense?"A business is a profit oriented venture". But how many of us realise that?? In the mad rush to achieve perfection in our arts all sense of finance and profits are swept aside.

Hello to the world of foodies

This is the first post in my blog. Lets take it as a test post. I spent the day looking for a syringe to use for injecting flavours to meats. A brown man in a chef coat asking for a syringe with needles generates amusing looks from the chemist staffs. I had to make extra efforts to look as gentle and be as explanatory as possible. The evening was interesting. I have been researching similarity of chemical compositions in wines and spices. Isint it amazing to know that Sherry and Madiera wines are great match to dishes with coriander due to the presence of aliphatic aldehydes in the fresh herb as well as these wines!!