Executive chef Anil Kumar keeps on springing surprises at Indus Contemporary Indian Restaurant, especially by using local Thai ingredients in creating great Indian food for the guests of the multi award-winning restaurant.
By Percy Roxas.
Since he was a child, Anil Kumar – the new executive chef at Indus Contemporary Indian Restaurant on Sukhumvit 26 – says has always enjoyed being in the kitchen. He remembers watching his mother and grandmother getting busy in the kitchen cooking their favorite Indian specialties with fondness. Eventually he started helping out in food preparation, and as years go by, developed a wish to create the dishes himself. That led him to a career in the culinary field, which he believes until now to be the field where could continue to grow his passion.
He went on to graduate with a degree in tourism studies from the Delhi University, and boosted his credential with a professional diploma in Culinary Specialty from the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering, and Nutrition in Panibat, Haryana. After passing his course, he joined the ITC Group of Hotels in Gurgaon, India.
It didn’t take not long before he received an opportunity to work with the IHG Group of Hotels (at Crowne Plaza Today, Gurgaon). It was here that he first became Head of Indian Cuisine under the supervision and support of senior chefs.
After five years with IHG, he moved to the Sunrise Groups of Hotels in Egypt, where he opened a couple of Indian fine dining restaurants under the brand, Masala. “It was great exposure for me overseas – which was my first,” he recalls.
After that he joined The Sun Siyam Irufushi Beach Spa & Resort (Ex-Hilton Property) in Maldives, where he opened an Indian specialty restaurant, Taste of India. His responsibilities included heading a kitchen brigade of 116 chefs for four months in the absence of an executive chef. From there he returned to India, journeying to the South for a new challenge by joining The Park Hyderabad as master chef at an Indian specialty restaurant called Aish.
Today, Chef Anil works at Indus, which he says he enjoys to the hilt. “I have always loved being around people from different nationalities and so it was easy for me to adapt and adjust to living and working here,” he says. “Working with Thais is fun and I learn about Thai food too!”
Since he joined Indus, Chef Anil has been busy creating new, innovative dishes that made the restaurant – one of Bangkok’s most awarded restaurants in fact – even more popular. Indus patrons have raved over his signature dishes such as “Laal Maas (a spicy mutton curry),” “Tawa Lobster,” and “Hyderabadi Murgh Dum Biryani.”
While he is happy that Indus guests love his food, Chef Anil says he is not one to rest on present laurels. “Indus is a popular, multi-award-winning restaurant with very high standards in food and service,” he says. “I am excited to be in a key position to preserve the prestigious reputation of Indus in the Bangkok dining scene. Rest assured that we will keep on bringing surprises for our guests, especially by using local Thai ingredients in creating great Indian food.”
“Also, the restaurant prides itself in providing the most attentive, friendliest service in Bangkok, which makes the guests’ enjoyment of high quality, freshly made food with original Indian spices even more wonderful and delightful. It’s such an inspiring place to work in because of its great tasting food and its ambiance.”
