i. Biography
Brought up in Mumbai, Sanjay Gour’s work sits between pastry’s exactitude and Indian cooking’s broader register. That range has been shaped by training at Goa and by years in London kitchens, where technique was first built in pastry before being carried into roles centred on Indian food.
The Path
Training at Goa gave Sanjay Gour an early grounding in the discipline that runs through the rest of his career. From there, the path moved through London kitchens where pastry demanded precision, repetition and control. At Murano in London (2008–2010), he worked as pastry chef. At Corinthia Hotel London (2011–2012), he became head pastry chef. He then joined Tamarind Collection as group pastry chef (2014), before moving into a different pace and pressure as head chef at Gymkhana in Mayfair, London (2015–2016). The move from pastry to Indian cooking reads less like a change of direction than a return to a different part of the same vocabulary. Across those years, the line runs through measured technique, steady progression and the use of classical craft as a base for work shaped by memory and heritage. Today, Sanjay is director and co-founder of Dastaan (since 2016), co-founder of KOKUM London, and chef-owner and founder of Black Salt Sheen.
The Work Today
Since 2016, Gour has been Director at Dastaan in London, a role that places him in the operational and creative frame of the restaurant. It is the kind of position that extends beyond execution, shaping how a dining room is defined as much as how it is run. His current portfolio also includes head chef and co-founder at Dastaan in Leeds, and chef-owner and co-founder at Black Salt Sheen, London. Taken together, those roles show a practice that now spans more than one site, with Indian cooking carried across different rooms and markets under the same hand. When Dastaan opened in Adel this summer, Sanjay said the Leeds community has "embraced us with open arms". The comment sits inside the project’s local reception and marks the latest stage in a career that continues to gather momentum. Across these roles, the specialty is Indian cooking, developed after years in French classical pastry and carried through restaurants connected to London, Epsom, Sheen and Leeds. That combination gives the work its structure: pastry-trained technique applied to a cuisine rooted elsewhere in the family line.
Career - Director — Dastaan (2016–present) - Co-founder — Dastaan - Co-founder — KOKUM London - Chef-owner and founder — Black Salt Sheen, London - Pastry chef — Murano, London (2008–2010) - Head pastry chef — Corinthia Hotel London (2011–2012) - Group pastry chef — Tamarind Collection (2014) - Head chef — Gymkhana, Mayfair, London (2015–2016) Education: Goa
Signature
Sanjay Gour’s craft focus is Indian cooking.
In Their Words “I used to be into French classical pastry but eventually transitioned into Indian cooking (back to my roots).”
Acclaim
Sanjay's honors include Best Restaurant, London Muddy Stilettos Awards, Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand, and Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand.
FAQ Where did Sanjay Gour train or study? Sanjay Gour trained at Goa. What recognition has Sanjay Gour received? Best Restaurant, London Muddy Stilettos Awards (2024).
Explore
In the same rooms
