Chef Suresh Pillai
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Spices and Stories: Kerala Reimagined, a pop-up,is where chef Suresh Pillai showcases the beauty of food with his two secret ingredients—love and simplicity. The chef, who was recently in Hyderabad for a two-day pop-up at The Leela Hyderabad, shared that he has long wanted to open a restaurant in the city, given the number of Telugu patrons who frequent his Bengaluru restaurant, Restaurant Chef Pillai (RCP). With nearly 25 restaurants across India, he sees the pop-up as an opportunity to introduce Hyderabad to his food philosophy. “This year, we are certain to open a restaurant in Hyderabad,” he confirms.
From chopping onions to Michelin-starred kitchens
The foundation of his culinary journey was laid with a simple task—chopping onions. After discontinuing his pre-degree due to family circumstances, he worked at various establishments before joining a hotel in Kollam (in Kerala) in 1993 as a waiter, earning a monthly salary of ₹450.
“I was 16 years old, working at Chef King in Kollam. One afternoon, I was asked to help in the kitchen by chopping onions. I did as instructed. Seeing my work, the head cook told me I had the potential to be in the kitchen. From then on, I started assisting with chopping and cooking,” he recalls.
His career had a turning point in 2002 when he moved to Bengaluru to work at The Leela Palace, where he officially became a chef. In 2005, an opportunity arose to work at Veeraswamy, a Michelin-starred restaurant in the UK, marking a new chapter in his career.
He has had no formal training in hotel management. Instead, he attributes his cooking instincts to his mother. Growing up by the Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam, where seafood was abundant, he recalls, “There were times when we didn’t have rice to eat, but we always had fish.”
At Veeraswamy, London’s iconic Indian restaurant established in 1926 by Edward Palmer, Suresh’s career took another leap. In 2017, he had the opportunity to contest in BBC MasterChef, a cooking reality show on television, which, he says, transformed his journey.
“My career changed completely. I was cooking and serving Indian food while constantly innovating to elevate it to fine-dining standards. I experimented with flavours to appeal to Western palates and explored endless culinary possibilities. I have enjoyed every moment of my career and still do,” he says.
After three decades in the industry, he transitioned into the restaurant business, taking his passion for food a step further.
His career has taken him across England, Australia, and the Caribbean Islands, where he mentored university students in culinary arts. In 2018, he returned to India and has never looked back. Post-COVID, he launched Restaurant Chef Pillai in Whitefield, Bengaluru, followed by an outlet at Le Méridien in Kochi. In addition to expanding the RCP brand, he has introduced Kothu Xpress, a food-on-the-go concept, and is set to launch North Rasoi, a tandoori-special chain.
Beyond love and simplicity, his expertise lies in blending traditional spices to create what he calls a “flavour bomb.” His culinary imagination shines in dishes such as Sambharam kadumanga pani puri—a pre-starter where the pani is replaced with spiced buttermilk, and the puri is filled with Kerala mango pickle. Another standout dish is inji puli chicken wings, a fusion of a sadya-favourite flavour infused into crispy fried wings. Then there’s Venad paal konju—prawns cooked in virgin coconut milk and served with sun-dried shrimp chutney.
How would he describe his food? Traditional or modern? “My food is a blend of traditional flavours with modern elements. Authentic, with a glimpse of fusion here and there,” he says.
Chef Suresh Pillai’s pop-up at Raen, The Leela Hyderabad is on till February 1 for lunch and dinner
Published – January 31, 2025 12:54 pm IST