In the Kitchen: A Conversation with Chef Arjun Mehta

Arjun Mehta has cooked in Bangkok, Singapore and London, and now runs one of Delhi's most quietly ambitious Asian dining rooms. We spoke to him about rice, restraint and what premium actually means in a professional kitchen.

You say you audit kitchens by their rice. Explain.

“Rice is the only thing on the menu with no hiding place. No sauce, no garnish, no technique to distract you. If a kitchen respects its rice — right water, small batches, proper rest — I already know how they handle fish, stock, everything. Care is a habit, not a garnish.”

What changed when you switched to Siamora?

“Honestly? The pass got calmer. When your rice is identical batch after batch, a whole layer of service anxiety disappears. And the fragrance holds through a four-hour service, which was the thing we tested hardest before committing.”

Premium is not a price point. It is the absence of surprises.