Paying tribute to flavours, ingredients of Australia, India

CHENNAI: Chef Loki Madireddi, a former contestant of MasterChef Australia, has teamed up with Park Hyatt for an exclusive two-week residency. During this period, the chef will be preparing unique sit-down dinners, degustations, Sunday Aussie BBQ brunches, and bar food/short eats at the Toddy Shop.

“Each event will feature a distinct menu and creations, with three exclusive dinners designed as train journeys. I drew inspiration from my childhood experiences of travelling on Indian railways with my father and have added my interpretations and twists to the flavours. One of the standout dishes diners can expect is Beeda Babu, which combines betel leaf with flame-grilled prawn onion jam and spicy coconut, named after Babu, who used to bring seafood to my house. For those with a sweet tooth, Chaffee ice cream will be served with chai mousse, cardamom sable, and ginger pecan,” the chef opens up.

The Aussie Backyard BBQ brunch is inspired by the chef’s experience with his Australian neighbours’ backyard BBQs. Chef Loki will be showcasing Australian BBQ with an Indian twist, featuring flambé lamb, chargrilled prawns with an Aussie-Thai twist, and his version of Fairy Bread Lamingtons.

When asked about speciality dishes from Australia that Chennaiites can expect, Chef Loki mentions that he has incorporated Australian native ingredients and smoked salts into his dishes, using superfoods such as Kakadu plum, Davidson plum, and Lemon myrtle. “Both Australia and India have a rich heritage of food. I wanted to pay respect to the culinary traditions of both countries through the dishes, showcasing ingredients that have been used by the First Nations people of Australia for thousands of years,” he added.

Pre-payment for the sit-down dinners is mandatory, and interested individuals can contact 8939871128 for more details.