Restaurants in the Capital tend to shine for two or three years before being upstaged by newer, shinier places. In Las Vegas, Chef Akira Back’s Yellowtail restaurant is a favourite of celebrities, such as Taylor Swift and Eva Longoria. Therefore, to visit Chef Back’s eponymous two-year-old restaurant at the JW Marriott in Delhi and see it throbbing with customers on a weeknight, it is no surprise that he has beaten Delhi’s jinx. Over the signature dish of tuna pizza, Back tells us the food trends to look out for in 2016 and what makes the Indian diner different.
How did you make the leap from Vegas to Delhi?
I moved to Vegas from Aspen, Colorado. My partner and I agreed on expansion of the Yellowtail brand. But that didn’t happen. So after seven years I called my friend who used to work with Marriott and said it’s time to start Akira Back. I didn’t have too much hope. It was out of the blue. But in two days he asked me if I could fly to New Delhi. I was like what’s New Delhi? And he said well, it’s Delhi, but the newer part of the city. I came here the next day. I saw the project.
We went to a lot of local restaurants and I noticed the palate is friendly to me. I knew my food would work. The food was very fast and simple. That’s how I like to do things too.
When you started, what exactly did you want to offer the Indian diner?
I wanted to infuse more Korean palate. Koreans use a lot of spices, a lot of fermented stuff. So the flavour profile is strong and, in that sense, similar to Indian food. Indians are quite similar to Koreans. They either like you or they don’t. They don’t beat about the bush. I like that.
My menu is universal. I don’t change it very much. For India, the only thing I studied is a way to add more vegetarian options. Our restaurants in Vegas are so busy that if someone came in and said I am vegan, I would say, sorry, we can’t help you. But coming to India, I really had to figure out good vegetarian options. And it has been great, because in the recent years, US has also seen a shift to vegetarianism and I have used my experience in India to create a vegetarian and vegan menu in Vegas. I hate it when you go out with your friends and one is vegan, one is vegetarian and one is not a fan of seafood. I create the menu such that six picky eaters can all have a great meal and enjoy themselves.
What has India taught you?
My big learning has been in understanding vendors and supply management. We understand the local sources a lot better now. For this restaurant, we started growing our own micro-greens. Now everyone is using our micro-greens.
The diner for me is the same as everywhere else. The tuna pizza is my number one everywhere I go. It doesn’t matter what your roots are, food is becoming universal. Our palates have changed significantly and we all have global palates now.
The Indian approach to food is not very different. Our customers here are well travelled. They know their food. But Indians really eat crazily late. In Korea we have dinner at 5 pm. In Vegas, we close the restaurant at 10.30 pm. People eat early and go to the nightclubs. Here, at 10.30 pm we start getting busier. That’s one difference in India.
What are the top food trends in 2016?
Garlic will be the most significant flavour this year. And spices are getting very popular. Flavours are going to be very strong in 2016. Mild food is over. It’s a cycle. In five or 10 years we’ll go back to traditional food. I hate the term fusion food. All my food is non-traditional.
How has the advent of celebrity TV chefs changed the food scene?
TV has been good for publicity. The chef has changed in the public eye; he or she has become a star now. That’s great. But, to be honest, there’s a lot of nonsense on TV too. I sometimes wonder if these winners of cooking shows can really cook. So there are both sides to it. There is a lot more gimmick around food because of TV and more people are obsessed by plating and not flavour. But on the other hand, it has also led to awareness about good food and different cooking techniques.