Celebrity chef Kunal Kapur opens his signature restaurant, Pincode, at a Tricity mall
When a young, aspiring hospitality management student from a bankers’ family came to Chandigarh, little did he know that 25 years later he would open a plush restaurant here. A journey that would be the testament to his success with a string of high-end hotel kitchens in the country, reality show franchise MasterChef, books and prestigious culinary events around of the world!
Celebrity chef Kunal Kapur, who has kept in touch with the city over the years, is back with his pan-Indian restaurant called Pincode. “I feel very fortunate that life has come full circle. I hope Pincode here does fantastically well.”
A day before the launch, dashing in a powder-blue shirt, Kunal sits down to talk about his vision. “It’s Pincode’s fourth outing. Pincode generally specifies a location. For us, it specifies a particular cuisine. Here, under one roof, we bring together diversified Indian menu and hence the name,” he avers. Courtesy Google maps, pincode is now old style and it invokes the old-world charm. This is the hallmark of Kunal’s Pincode too. Wooden and cane chairs, postal stamps for décor, old cameras to elaborate chandeliers, oriental lilies interspersed with fresh Rajnigandha, Punjabi folk playing in the background, the place is warm and welcoming.
Kunal is proud of his robust cuisine. Gujarati dhokla gets a chaat makeover here, bedmi poori from Braj is served with doobki-wale aloo; Old Dilli ki nihari to Bombay’s tawa pulao, there is plenty on offer. Interestingly, Pincode at CP67 mall gets some signature dishes that are not part of Pincode in Delhi, Abu Dhabi or Dubai.
There are beetroot kanji salad with avocado and arugala, palak salli chaat—crispy, shredded spinach served with sweet yogurt, Rajasthani style mutton, kachri ke shole and Kolkata’s chicken bhartha. Dakhani matar mushroom—mushroom stuffed with spicy green peas and cheese, marinated with spiced Decaan flavours!
Food is complemented with a hearty drink menu. Their paan mocktail with gulkand is a frozen delight. In the dessert section, Amritsari kulfa with rich kulfi, faluda and basil leaves stands out.
Kunal compares food to art. “For a chef, riyaaz is every important, if you don’t practise consistently, the art will be lost!
Back in the day
Kunal fondly remembers his days as a student at Dr Ambedkar Institute of Hotel Management, Chandigarh. While like any youngster he frequented the popular joints, he remembers one in particular. “There used to be a Chaplin Fast Food in Sector 34 or 35. The person who ran it was a generous soul. He gave extra portions to students as well as free salads. We used to frequent that place.”
Serving Big B
Once, in Noida, my off was cancelled due to staff crunch. I was miffed, but then to my surprise Amitach Bachchan showed up for lunch. Since I was the only chef on duty, I got to be up, close and personal with the legend. He asked for simple UP-style tarkari and dal with roti. I felt over the moon after that encounter.
Being on MascterChef
Not just MasterChef India, Chef Kunal Kapur also was part of MasterChef America as a judge. “There, I realised that food was inherently connected to emotions. When you cook with all the intensity, the drama comes out in the play.”
His comfort food…
Mumma ke hath ki namak ajwain ki paranthi!
In his downtime…
Kunal loves to watch wildlife and mystery documentaries.
On his bookshelf…
Wlliam Dalrymple’s The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World.
Up next
There are two books—one called The Table For Two–Recipes For Nuclear Kitchens and the other on Indian ingredients. Post Pincode at CP67, he is in the process of launching it in Indore, Goa and Bengaluru.
Entertainment