"Hold on, I’ve got something for you,” says Chef Sachin, as he briskly walks out the front entrance of the alluring 2-Michelin Star restaurant INDDEE, only to return with a red-tinted elixir in a slender bottle. “It’s rose umeshu,” he informs me with a sly smile. The chef was generous enough to pour himself and me a couple of shots to share, a toast to our insightful conversation. I was genuinely impressed, not just by how seductive a shot of rose-flavoured plum liqueur can be, but by how Chef Sachin went out of his way to give me a small sample of his hospitality. “Take a picture of the bottle while you’re at it,” he adds. I asked him earlier to recommend an umeshu worth trying, and he delivered. That small gesture neatly captures the man behind INDDEE.
I have always been fascinated by the simple brilliance of artists who remain humble, soft-spoken, and jovial on a personal level, compared to untamed creatures in their den of dominance, boisterous in their speech and action as seen on TV. Chef Sachin lets his seasoned skills and dedicated kitchen team do most of the talking. Far from the reality shows on television, he has adopted a zen-like approach, running the restaurant like his temperament—a culinary DNA mixed with Japanese discipline and the spiced flair of his Indian origins.
I asked Chef Sachin, with his calm and welcoming demeanour, what the true nature of his kitchen actually looked like. He was quick to note that the 2-Michelin Stars were deservedly earned because every stakeholder works as a team. Each piece, important as the next, plays an essential role in the success of the restaurant. “There is no yelling, shouting, or getting in each other’s way here,” reiterates the chef. He assured me, with patrons as witnesses, that operations within those walls were like a fine-tuned culinary machine. It was clear that the chef set the tone; his personality was the actual representation of how the entire dining experience was presented: sophisticated and relaxed.
Born and raised in Mumbai, Chef Sachin was surrounded by the aromas and tantalising elements of an Indian kitchen, starting from his grandparents, caterers from Mangalore. With South Indian heritage, his plunge into the culinary world actually began with visits to Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Those were the hours when he accompanied his father on his days off, who was an integral part of the hotel’s service for 40 years, observing the ins and outs of a bustling hotel, especially the chefs in the kitchen. He explained to me how he was curious to see what really went on. Instantly mesmerised by the sheer madness and cacophony of the deafening sounds of a high-end restaurant, he was smitten. It’s almost as if he had waltzed into Santa’s workshop, elves at their stations, and secrets laid bare. Then and there, he knew exactly what he wanted to do and be. It was (and still is) magic.
That must have been quite the awakening for you after exploring such a prestigious hotel.
Growing up, I was fascinated by the dynamics of the back-of-house at the hotel. I knew I wanted to be part of that world and become a chef. It felt natural to be training at the Taj’s prestigious Kitchen Management program, and later at Morimoto in New York. I rose to Chef de Cuisine at Wasabi by Morimoto, which was recognised as one of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants from 2013 to 2018. Today, I bring my Japanese and Indian cooking expertise to INDDEE’s fine dining environment in Bangkok, serving an expression of a journey across India in all its diversity in a creatively simple way.
Your culinary journey spans from India, Japan, and Thailand. What parts of your upbringing influence your cooking most today?
It’s Mumbai; my flavour palate has been shaped by Maharashtrian flavours. But it also derives from living in a metropolitan multicultural city with food from many different provinces and regions. It’s the Japanese kitchen of Wasabi by Morimoto, working with Japanese chefs, the precision, approach to ingredients, and discipline that have shaped the way I am as a chef and the way I run the kitchen.
How do you translate traditional Indian flavours into a contemporary fine dining context without losing their soul?
We have collaborated with Dr. Pushpesh Pant since the very beginning of INDDEE. His ongoing guidance has been instrumental in shaping our journeys, narratives, and the historical relevance of ingredients. He ensures that we evolve creatively, while remaining grounded in authenticity. He highlights areas we can deviate from while preserving the core of each recipe. In all our work, we chase the balance between creativity and the memory of the original. Not a reconstruction and not a deconstruction, an original sense of nostalgia was brought in a creatively simple way.
How has living and cooking in Thailand influenced your approach to Indian cuisine?
Cooking Indian food in Thailand means cooking for guests, both Thai and expats. Introducing them to its very diverse range of flavours and regional identities is rewarding, and also pushes us, our team, to study Indian culinary heritage with greater curiosity and seek out very diverse techniques, ingredients, influences, stories, and flavour profiles to keep our journeys enriching and exciting for everyone.
Congratulations are in order as INDDEE has received its second Michelin star. How does this achievement feel for you and your team? Also, what pressures come with maintaining that level of claim?
It has been a moment we will carry with us for a lifetime. Receiving a second star is an exceptional honour for all of us, a dream come true. We definitely feel deeply humbled and grateful, but also relieved and affirmed that someone had recognised all our efforts.
This second star definitely brings a new sense of responsibility and pressure. Guests arrive with higher expectations; consistency is a requirement. We’ll need to stay focused and keep refining and protecting the standards that brought us here.
How do you hope non-Indian diners perceive Indian cuisine after experiencing your menu?
I hope that by the end of their meal, they will look for flights to India! [laughs] We want them to discover a depth they may not have considered before. Indian cuisine is regional, seasonal, and shaped by countless microcultures. If the menu opens that perspective and leaves them curious for more, then we have done our work well.
What is the most challenging part of running a high-end Indian kitchen in Bangkok?
The biggest challenge is to source authentic and high-quality ingredients while maintaining consistency. The soul of Indian cuisine relies heavily on unique spices, herbs, and other ingredients. We believe the best comes from various GI-tagged farms in India, and this requires our continuous effort to establish strong relationships with Indian suppliers to procure them.
Additionally, adapting traditional recipes to a contemporary culinary landscape while meeting the expectations of global customers is also challenging. While we strive to honour our culinary heritage, we also need to innovate and remain creative. Balancing this authenticity with creativity, along with managing a team and maintaining high service standards, is not an easy task.
It is fulfilling to see the smiles and satisfaction of our guests as they experience our journey. When they express their appreciation for our work, with their emotions, in their feedback, personal emails, or reviews, we stay motivated to push forward and continue evolving.
What’s next for you and INDDEE?
Several significant enhancements are already underway, and more are planned for the coming months. We’d also like to grow our team so we can give guests even more attention, but at the same time, we will need to be careful to protect the warmth and genuine spirit that define us.
Have you never been tempted to go back to Japanese cuisine? Build something of your own, perhaps?
[shakes head] The heart and soul are Indian. I’m fine where I am. [smiles]
What is your guilty-pleasure Indian snack?
Samosas.
Which Indian dish do you think is most misunderstood?
I would say sambhar. Misunderstood because it is different in different places. Some would be more on the sweet side, while others can be savoury.
If you had to describe INDDEE in three words, what would they be?
Creatively simple, rooted, and humble.
What’s one dish you’d love everyone to try at least once in their lifetime?
Everyone should try Nei Payasam at least once in their lifetime. For me, as a South Indian, it is something holy. It is thoughtful, nourishing, and deeply personal. Nei Payasam is a sacred dessert offered at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
It is made with very simple ingredients, and it is something I truly love. There is no technicality involved, only the pure magic of four ingredients. The kitchens where it is prepared are attended only by priests. It is based on the best quality jaggery, unpolished raw red rice, cardamom, and ghee. The rice is cooked slowly in a thick-bottomed vessel, an uruli, until tender, then jaggery syrup and ghee are added gradually to create a smooth, golden glaze.
What sets it apart from other rice desserts is its thick, saucy consistency and deep, caramelised flavour. When you are at the temple, you receive only a small portion. It is never enough, and you always crave more, and there is beauty in that. It becomes a sacred treat that is never quite enough, yet leaves a profound, lifelong memory. To me, tasting this dish is a journey into the traditions and flavours of South Indian culture.