Chef Speak

Fish fry for the soul

Owner and executive chef of Soul Fry restaurant, Chef Meldan D'Cunha speaks of his love for the kitchen, the secret of running a successful restaurant and plans for expansion in Mumbai and Delhi. By Beryl Menezes

Having had a passion for the kitchen since childhood when he would accompany his mother to the market, Chef Meldan D'Cunha firmly believes that hands-on experience, coupled with a love for cooking is all that it takes to become a successful chef - which is probably why all the chefs at both branches of Soul Fry have been personally trained by him, none of them being hotel management or catering college graduates.

"Every once in a while I make it a point to sit with my chefs and staff and train them about how to serve. I provide them with a background of the dishes, etc. I also make it a point to get into the kitchen and personally demonstrate new recipes. Besides, my daily habit of eating at the restaurants, checks whether the quality and standard of food are up to the mark," he says.

A graduate of the Dadar Catering College, D'Cunha served as the executive sous chef at the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai for nine years before moving on to train on a US cruise liner for two years. On his return to the city, he catered for the Otter's Club for three years, and then, having gained sufficient experience, was keen to open his own restaurant.

That's when he met restaurateur AD Singh through a common friend, and went on to partner with him in opening restaurants like Sol Kaddi and Out of the Blue in Mumbai and Trafalgar Chowk in Delhi, the latter two serving both continental as well as coastal cuisine. Soul Fry is the latest venture - another partnership with Singh. Having opened nine years ago, this restaurant has two branches in the city. For a person who is constantly busy tasting food, interacting with guests, churning out new recipes, as well as managing accounts, he wants to go ahead and expand further by opening at least two more branches of Soul Fry - in Malad, Mumbai and Delhi.

According to D'Cunha, Soul Fry's USP is its ambience, quick service, entertainment and of course, its reasonably-priced home-style food that is basically a collection of recipes from places on the coastal belt like Konkan, Malwan, Mangalore and Goa. "The fish is fresh, being hand-picked personally, and though we have adapted recipes to suit every palate, the food remains true to its roots," he claims.

The restaurant recently held its first-ever Koli Utsav - a seafood festival comprising a special a la carte menu accompanied by a complimentary glass of house wine. While the idea for the menu was D'Cunha's, the spices and recipes for the dishes were provided by local fisherwomen from the Pali market. "Preserving its juices and cooking at the right temperature is the secret to great food," says the chef who also believes that cooking just enough for the day, in small quantities and serving fresh food to guests on a daily basis, ensures economy and yet ensures a steady flow of customers. Having a food festival only adds to a restaurant's popularity, especially if it can deliver what it claims. The restaurant is planning another similar food festival in February.

The chef says that the new creations are basically just incorporated into the old menu as there is not much space for addition of new items, since loyal patrons come with their order pre-planned. "This is with the exception of the lunch thali served at Casa, whose menu changes on a weekly basis, and is very popular with office workers, being a quick and economically-priced meal."

However, the chef is not keen on the concept of serving authentic food either. "Authenticity is a concept that keeps changing from place to place and person to person. Besides, I cannot serve authentic coastal food at the restaurant, as North Indians, who form a major part of our clientele do not like too much coconut. Thus, we have to keep adapting to suit our cosmopolitan customers - the bottom line being tasty food." The restaurant which sees a lot of foreigners has tied up with several travel operators, offering packages for inbound tourists to lunch here. "Our food is moderately spiced but we still adapt the pungency to suit their taste buds - another example of variation in authenticity," says D'Cunha.