Q&A with One of Bangalore’s Most Influential Restaurateurs, Chef Nimish Bhatia
Bangalore has enjoyed a steady rise as a culinary destination, enticing the most innovative chefs, eager to stimulate the palate of the most diverse, dynamic, and experimental audience in the country. I sat down to talk about Bangalore cuisine with the founder of Nimisserie, Chef Nimish Bhatia.
Q&A with Chef Nimish Bhatia
Tanya Fontes: It’s been said that Bangalore is in the midst of a food revolution. How has the culinary scene in our city evolved?
Chef Nimish Bhatia: Change is the only constant. Everything ages, changes, and evolves. This city, for instance, has changed from a charming metropolitan called Bangalore to an even more beautiful cosmopolitan called Bengaluru.
Bengaluru a few decades back was known to be a pensioner’s paradise, and also a place for idlis and coffee; today, due to modernisation and urbanisation it has changed dramatically. Bangaloreans of today are well travelled and have experienced global gastronomy. Bengaluru’s food scene can very well be said to be adapting and transforming every single day; as they say ~ “Food is a universally accepted exploratory.” The competition today is not between good and bad, but within good and good; so there is a race to win all the time, and the ‘Triumph’ may not be long lasting ~ it changes its culinary face before it stays to be new.
Tanya Fontes: What was your vision in setting up Nimisserie?
Chef Nimish Bhatia: For me, Nimisserie is not just a Modern Indian fine dining restaurant; it’s also my dream. I want to give my diners culinary ecstasy and dazzle them with a sensuous dining experience!
Tanya Fontes: How big a role do restaurants play in a city’s revitalisation, and how is Nimisserie travelling?
Chef Nimish Bhatia: Bengaluru has a large population between the age group of 30 to 40, who live in nuclear families, and they eat out four to five times a week; in my opinion, that’s the connect of togetherness, of revitalisation, of rejuvenation. Nimisserie does its part by offering the city a taste of progressive Indian Cuisine, interspersed with our own creative take on food.
Tanya Fontes: In the age of the “Celebrity Chef”, do you see yourself as having a public role to play, being a successful restaurant entrepreneur?
Chef Nimish Bhatia: I have been in this profession for close to thirty years and have seen many highs; I have achieved the highest position as a Corporate Head Chef for The Lalit Group, I have also received recognition via media ~ television, print, magazines and now social media. I think I have made my mark as a Chef, and hope to continue to be a successful entrepreneur and an inspiration to the younger generation.
Tanya Fontes: What are the specialties and/or experiences at your restaurant that you would recommend for your prospective diners?
Chef Nimish Bhatia: Nimisserie offers ‘Aspect Cuisine’, which is Indian cuisine with a global twist. Aam Papad Tartare, Methi Thepla Cigars with Philadelphia Cheese, Smoked Salmon with Chilli Ginger Bhakarwadi, Raita Drops, Chlorophyll Panna Cotta with Curacao Pearls and Paneer and Chilli Oregano Dust are just some of the innovative recipes on offer. While restaurants in our city have seen their share of molecular gastronomy and enterprising Indian cuisine, I see Nimisserie as covering comparably new ground in Bengaluru by offering an element of surprise through an amalgam of visual and sensory experiences!
Tanya Fontes: If you could give one piece of advice to a young chef with aspirations to own his/her own restaurant, what would you say?
Chef Nimish Bhatia: I would say, “Dream and Aspire to actualise your vision”. Whetting of the process before it actualises is the most critical part and career turning; so there is a learning, upsurges and lows at all turns before the winning line.
Nimisserie is the perfect place that binds the history of Bangalore to the new times. The same is reflected in the food too; be ready to be surprised every time you order!
Nimisserie
Address: 120, Off Wood St, Bangalore, Karnataka 560025
www.nimisserie.com