Vikram Sunderam - Chef of Rasika
Rasika chef comes direct from London
If Vikram Sunderam had had more patience, he might have become a doctor — or a lawyer, or something other than the chef he is. But when he finished his schooling in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and applied for admission to medical college, law school and more, he accepted a place at a catering college because it was the first of the bunch to offer him one.
Sunderam, executive chef of Rasika, an Indian restaurant in Penn Quarter, has had to sacrifice a lot for his choice of profession. He hasn’t been back to India since 2005. And since he arrived in Washington 17 months ago to open Rasika, he has seen his family only twice.
The demands of a restaurant mean chefs seldom have much time to spend with their families. But in Sunderam’s case, his wife and children, 11 and 8, live in London. He’s flying back soon for his son’s birthday, and not long after that they will all be together at last in his new home in Falls Church. “This summer they will definitely be here,” he says.
Until then, he uses the one day a week he has off from work to do household chores like laundry. “I’m fending for myself,” he says. “But mostly I try to relax, watch a few movies at the local cinema, watch a nice Indian movie.”
He has not had time to do much else. The 14 months since the restaurant opened have been hard work. “The first year is crucial, all eyes and ears. Everyone is looking at what you are up to.” Before coming to Washington, Sunderam had run the award-winning Bombay Brasserie in London for 14 years. But he’d never launched a restaurant, so the challenge to open one from scratch was impossible to resist. “London is saturated with new restaurants. This was a chance at a new country, a new continent,” he says.
Until asked to head Bombay Brasserie, Sunderam had worked for the Taj Hotels (which also runs the restaurant) all over India. “They sent me ‘round to various hotels, north, south, east and west. It was good exposure.”
He has applied the culinary experience he gained to the menu at Rasika (which means flavors). “The dishes I do try to project all parts of India, not just one region,” he says.
He says Indian food here is not as good as in London, where the colonial connection parlayed it into the nation’s top-selling cuisine, but it’s improving. “As far as Indian restaurants here are concerned, the impression I have been given as a food lover is that they are not as good as London. But they’re developing, growing in a fast way. London people liked Indian food many years ago,” he says.
So far, Sunderam has had time only to try out his native cuisine at IndeBleu and Indique, but he’d like to investigate more than the local competition. “I would like to eat something non-Indian, something different.” Though he’s met a lot of the local chefs, it’s because they’ve come into his restaurant to see what he’s up to. “To socialize with chefs is a problem: When you’re free, they’re not.”
And he wants to get to know his suppliers better. Sourcing Indian ingredients in London, which supports Europe’s largest Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi community, was easy. “You just pick up the phone and ask for what you want.” Here, he can depend on the purchasing power behind his restaurant. Rasika is the newest of six owned by Ashok Bajaj (the others are The Bombay Club, 701, the Oval Room, Ardeo and Bardeo). “So
there was not so much running around to do as a total newcomer. But it’s important to know your suppliers personally.”
The quality of local Indian spices and vegetables is “pretty good,” he says. The curry leaves and the white pumpkin called doodhi he likes to use are flown in from Florida. But he gets his Kashmiri chilies from India. “They’re the best kind, not too hot, and when you grind them, they give you a very good color.”
His marinades and spice mixtures are his own concoctions. “Indian food is a blend of flavors, up to 10 different ones. I don’t have any curry powder as such.” He says he’s been “pleasantly surprised” by his diners’ response to his curries. “I’ve not really toned the heat down.”
Paneer, the Indian cottage cheese used in many of his dishes, is one thing he does not make. “We use 100 pounds a week! I don’t know how much milk I would be using to make all that!”
Rasika offers a modern take on classic Indian food. Ingredients like duck breast and Scottish salmon that would not be common fare back in Mumbai appear on the menu. Black cod is served with fresh dill, honey, star anise and red wine vinegar. One lamb dish contains apricots and straw potatoes. A samosa (usually a meat- or vegetable-stuffed puff pastry dumpling) appears on the dessert list filled with chocolate.
“Seasonal,” a Western chef buzz word, is not one associated with Indian cooking. “There are no clear-cut seasons [in India] — it’s generally hot all the time. But I do change the menu seasonally.” It’s gone through three revolutions already. “There’s a lot more variety to try, more to do.”
Rasika (202-637-1222; http://www.rasikarestaurant.com) is located at 633 D St. NW. Main courses cost $15 to $28
This article by Julia Watson first appeared in the Northwest, Dupont, Foggy Bottom and Georgetown Current Newspapers. Photo Bill Petros/The Current. atson first appeared in the NorthWest Current.