Vanika Choudhary is surrounded by a mindbending array of salts, pickles and ferments. There are yuzu-fermented cherries, achars (pickles) made from swede-like tamyung from Ladakh and herby Himalayan salt. “It’s my way of spotlighting and preserving recipes and foraged ingredients that are precious to our country but never make it to the mainstream dining scene,” she says.
The founder of Mumbai’s fine-dining restaurant Noon is in London for a two-day residency at restaurant 180 Corner. It’s part of an international tour, during which she’s been gilding her reputation for creating innovative dishes that offer a taste of India’s regions. Last night, her 10-course tasting menu revealed her flair for marrying flavour and texture, with dishes including charcoal-grilled lamb in a fermented pumpkin marinade, foraged mushroom with
