Chef Dhruv Oberoi from Olive Delhi believes India has several herbs and indigenous vegetables waiting to make it to progressive Indian menus. The chef is now in Hyderabad for a special pop-up at Olive Bistro Hyderabad, where he puts forth a progressive Mediterranean menu that combines Indian ingredients with Mediterranean techniques. He is making diners polish off Mediterranean salads that have the Indian amla and desserts with jamun.
Dhruv may be surprising his diners with his craft with food, but he says he discovered his inborn love for the kitchen quite late. He says, “At first, I was an interior designer. I slowly understood that my interest was in the kitchen and food techniques.
Once I realised that, I quit interior designing and trained as a chef. I went to Spain to work and learn; there I saw the how deftly they play with ingredients and flavour.” The pop-up by Dhruv is a splash of progressive culinary delights.
His tangy amla and green mango salad, the Himalayan cheese soufflé served with pickled jamun, and the minced Sirohi goat and quail egg kufteh meatballs, served with smoked aubergine labneh are a few of the best sellers. Then there is the butternut squash and harissa, tahini and seabass, cuttlefish, and pici. Do his interior designer facets show up in his food, say in terms of colour, symmetry, and looks? “Not at all.
I have completely let the interior designer in me remain dormant and not interfere with my chef life. Presentation is important for me, .