Sriram Aylur

OT: How does it feel to be the first South Indian restaurant to bag a Michelin star? What helped you achieve this milestone?

Sriram Aylur: It feels great to know that we have rewritten the perception of South Indian cuisine, especially cuisine from the west coast. The greatest strength of Quilon is our unblinking focus on what we do. Mine is a great team that believes in our quest to be better than we are. We tend to up our own benchmark constantly and then chase it.

OT: What do you lay emphasis on in your kitchen at Quilon — authentic preparations executed in the time-honoured way or innovative new takes on traditional fare?

Sriram Ayur: In Quilon, we cook in the time-honoured way but also do a lot of what I call progressive cooking. Like everything in life, food too should evolve.

OT: Who or what inspired you to take up cooking as a profession?

Sriram Aylur: I loved good food from a very young age. My mother is a very good cook, my father a brilliant one. They made me look at food more seriously.

OT: What’s your most innovative dish?

Sriram Aylur: The baked black cod — a dish inspired by the Japanese miso black cod. But we have done a 100 percent South Indian interpretation.

OT: And what do you like to eat yourself?

Sriram Aylur: I love Japanese, French, Italian, Chinese and, of course, Indian food.

OT: 51 Buckingham Gate, the hotel where your restaurant is located, is a long way from the backwaters. Do you enjoy living in London or do you miss the lagoons?

Sriram Aylur: I do miss home (I’m from Kerala) but I also enjoy London. It is the culinary mecca of the world, the only other great food city being New York. I explore the city when I can, but with so much going on it is hard to keep up.

OT: Chefs are notoriously busy. Do you manage to squeeze in any holidays at all?

Sriram Aylur: It is quite difficult to manage even a day off. When I can get slightly longer leave, I do tend to travel. My favourite hotel is the Taj Malabar in Cochin. I love that place and the food scene in and around Cochin.

OT: Your dream destination?

Sriram Aylur: The highest of them all, the Himalaya.

OT: Your dream culinary destination?

Sriram Aylur: I have two — New York and Paris. New York for the astounding variety of its culinary offerings, Paris for the finesse.

OT: Is Indian the national cuisine of Britain?

Sriram Aylur: Yes, without a doubt. It is here to stay. Indian flavours and spices are so addictive after all.