Vivek Singh
Chef
Why did you choose London as the place to launch your first restaurant?
When I started cooking with the Oberoi hotels, I realised quickly there was so much potential with Indian food that we weren’t tapping in to. I had that appetite to do more but wasn’t able to, so I started looking at other restaurants. In those days people either went to London or New York and it was evident that Indian food in the UK, and London in particular, was on a different scale altogether. I’d never been to London before and it didn’t have a reputation as a restaurant city but the thing I loved was that there was so much affection, affinity and appetite for Indian food.
Did you see that there was a gap in the market in London for the food you were making?
I felt that so much more could have been done, but we weren’t doing it because we thought nobody wanted it – why fix something that isn’t broken? I think that lack of ambition was something I saw as an opportunity. More so when I arrived in the UK and saw The Cinnamon Club dining room for the first time.
Were you not daunted by such a large space?
One part of me was, but the other was not prepared to listen to anything that might suggest failure. When you’re young and foolish, you have nothing, you know nothing, but you fear nothing. I was in that phase where I didn’t know much – I certainly didn’t know about business – but it worked in my favour.
How important is it when launching a restaurant to choose the right venue and location?
Eating out is so much more than food and drink – a setting and sense of occasion helps. You could say I have a fetish for locations and iconic venues, from The Cinnamon Club in Westminster to the spice warehouses of the East India Company in Devonshire Square, where Cinnamon Kitchen is. I have my fingers crossed for Battersea Power Station, I’m really excited about it. I think it will be cracking.
What is your favourite place to eat in London?
Bistro Vadouvan in Putney – it’s a quirky take on French and spice.
My favourite Londoner? Sherlock Holmes. He’s witty and insightful.
What is your favourite London building?
Probably The Shard because I can see it from everywhere we go – that’s our point of reference when my daughter and I go cycling on the weekend. I love Somerset House too.
Where is your favourite London view?
From the bus on Waterloo Bridge when you look left and you see The Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and the famous skyline. On the same point you turn right and see a beautiful view of St Paul’s and Somerset House. I think it’s one of most fascinating views of London that really puts into context what the city is all about.
