learning about spices while in India has been a privilege, says chef Claude Bosi. By Angela Paljor
French chef Claude Bosi, the man behind Michelin-star winning london restaurants Hibiscus and Bibendum, has taken over Upstairs at Indian Accent with an ensemble of Indian ingredients with French techniques. And he has managed to coax some of our home-grown ingredients — morels, chickpeas, coconut and curry powder — into effecting a cultural fusion of sorts.
Chef Bosi, who is being assisted by Manish Mehrotra’s team, has fixed a six-course and nine-course menu paired with wine for lunch and dinner respectively, along with a la carte dishes. The menu features dishes he serves at Bibendum, including Warm Beetroot Terrine Feta Cheese and Passion Fruit and Kanyakumari crabs. “As the dishes we have brought here are from Bibendum we already have a good idea of the flavour profile and what wines would work well. We took a look at the wine list at Indian Accent which is a great list and used similar styles for each dish. The mulled wine pairing with the dessert is one I wouldn’t necessarily have thought of so it’s been a real team effort,” he told us.
However, Bosi doesn’t plan to venture into the field of mixing spices with different cuisines. “My knowledge isn’t strong enough to change directions. I think it would confuse my customers and team if we were to incorporate more than we already do. I believe the mix we already have is the right one for us. That said, learning about spices whilst in this beautiful country has been a privilege,” said the chef who won his first Michelin star at 26.
Bosi served his apprenticeship at restaurant léon de lyon which has left a strong influence on his style. He later moved on to work at a variety of Michelin-starred restaurants in France including la Pyramide Fernand Point, Restaurant Chiberta, l’Arpège and Restaurant Alain Ducasse. He was working at l’Arpège when the restaurant won its third Michelin star. later he moved to ludlow, Shropshire, to become the sous chef of Overton Grange in 1997 where he soon became the head chef and in 1999, won his first Michelin star whilst there. Bosi opened his own restaurant, Hibiscus, also in ludlow, in 2000. Within a year he had won a Michelin star, and in 2004, he was awarded a second.
For Bosi picking up the profession came easy as he grew around food, with his parents running a bistro in lyon. He confesses to have never helped his parents but the art of cooking came very naturally to him. And it was the reopening of the Bibendum last year with him as the head chef that couldn’t have made him happier. “It has been fantastic, it’s been all the hard work that we expected, the team I have both front and back have been incredible. To have their hard work recognised in the way it was by Michelin in such a short space of time was just amazing. I’m very lucky to have Hibiscus customers that have come to support us still, as well as regular Bibendum customers. Overall I couldn’t be happier.”
Bosi is known for his unique take on classic French cooking. His creativity has earned him his place among the greatest chefs in the UK today. “I like to keep the flavour as pure as possible, but to mix it with some interesting combinations — always combinations that will enhance the produce and not just for the sake of it.”
Talking about his signature dishes, he added, “There are lots of dishes at Bibendum that could be classed as signature dishes; the duck jelly with caviar is hugely popular, the turbot grenobloise and roast chicken are all dishes that we wouldn’t take off the menu.”
like every chef who has held two stars, Bosi, too, is eager to get the third one. Said he: “I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t think or dream about that. However, it’s not something that takes up too much of my thoughts, with a busy restaurant I am just trying to make each service run smoothly and offer great and consistent food for our customers.”
With numerous chefs going out and experimenting with various cuisines, giving them a contemporary twist, Bosi feels that modernising can sometimes be good. “However, it’s easy to lose the foundation of a dish with new techniques. I don’t want to try too hard to change or incorporate everything I try or learn. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”