Farokh Talati

The Climb

At St John Bread and Wine, Farokh Talati works in a role that sits between Head Chef and Executive Chef, with the line between leadership and service drawn by the pace of the kitchen itself. The job asks for control without stiffness: dishes have to land with consistency, but also with enough feel to carry memory, restraint and a clear point of view. Talati’s cooking reads as composed work, built on discipline and a careful hand rather than noise.

Today

The present tense of Farokh Talati’s kitchen is about calibration. At St John Bread and Wine, the cooking moves between restraint and generosity, keeping one foot in recognisable ground while allowing room for individual judgement. As Head Chef and Executive Chef, Talati shapes food that relies on timing, seasoning and proportion more than display. The result is the kind of plate that asks for attention and gives it back in layers.

Signature

Dhansak Masala and chicken berry pulau point to a kitchen that works with layered flavour and measured contrast. Dhansak Masala brings depth and warmth; chicken berry pulau brings fragrance, texture and lift. Taken together, they show Farokh Talati working with spice and aroma in a way that keeps each element legible in the final dish.

In Their Words “What makes this dish stand out are the tiny deep red barberries that are generously sprinkled on top of the rice, bringing a tart fruitiness to the already fragrant pulau.” The detail here is the point: barberries, rice, fragrance, tartness. In Farokh Talati’s description, the dish is built on contrast and placement, with a sharp fruit note set against aroma to finish the pulau cleanly. “My version is a homage to the Britannia classic, lovingly re-created from the mind's eye.” That line places the work in relation to a known classic, then frames the plate as an act of re-creation rather than imitation. For Talati, the reference matters, but so does the act of translating it through memory and method.