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Thursday 24th January 2019
Video by Skyhawx
Day 7 of 17
Sjirith Gopinathan
Taj Campton Place
340 Stockton Street, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA
+1 415 781 5555
1 Michelin Star
View BioSjirith Gopinathan
Srijith Gopinathan has earned a Michelin star for his European-Californian-Indian fusion cooking at Campton Place Restaurant in San Francisco’s landmark Taj hotel. In their 10/10 review, the Telegraph described Gopinathan’s cooking as, ‘more than just dinner, it’s a journey of tastes and textures’. In addition to holding Michelin stars for eight years, Gopinathan was awarded 3.5 stars from the San Francisco Chronicle with renowned critic Michael Bauer calling the food, ‘an impressive show of culinary artistry’. Gopinathan grew up in Southern India, cooking at his grandmother’s side and gathering fresh ginger and turmeric from the family garden. He studied hotel management and culinary science at the University of Bangalore and then relocated to the United States where he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, the country’s most prestigious professional cookery school. He moved to the UK in order to hone his already prodigious classical European cooking techniques, with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’ saisons. He then returned to India to work in a number of upscale hotels before taking the helm at Taj Exotica in the Maldives. He became head chef at Campton Place in 2008, following in the footsteps of such renowned names as Daniel Humm (now at three Michelin starred Eleven Madison Place in New York) and celebrity chef Bradley Ogden. An opulent dining room with contemporary cream leather chairs, intimate booths and striking glass floral-shaped chandelier by Nicholas Weinstein, provides a suitably elegant setting for Gopinathan’s refined cooking. The nine-course Spice Route menu charts a course through Northern Californian (Gopinathan makes regular trips to Bay Area farmers’ markets for inspiration, where he discovers the peak-season ingredients he uses in his dishes and which he believes to be the best on the planet), navigated with reference to the chef ’s Southern Indian roots – foie gras is paired with a ginger gastrique, Maine lobster is served with a ‘coastal curry sauce’ and scallops are accompanied by dosa, turmeric, mustard and tomato kootu (a southern Indian dish made with lentils). Gopinathan’s signature is his ‘spice pot’, a clay pot, surrounded by rocks and moss that appears to be ‘planted’ with radishes, herbs and flower petals in buttermilk, yogurt, black lentils and mustard seeds and which is transformed into instant table theatre when water, poured by a waiter, activates hidden dry ice that sends smoke billowing across the table.
Srijith Gopinathan's Menu
AVOCADO VARIATIONS
Oscietra Caviar, Crab & Potato Raita, Curry Leaf
Avocado Arugula, Green Apple
Ricotta Vada, Avocado-Cilantro Chutney, Gun Powder
Sancerre, Pascal Jolivet, Loire Valley, France, 2017
GHEE POACHED LOBSTER TAIL
Coastal Curry, Hearts of Palm Poriyal & Charred Carrot
Viognier La Rosine, Stéphane Ogier, Rhône Valley, France, 2016
BLACK COD
Tamarind, Jaggery & Brassicas
Cartology, Alheit Vineyards, Western Cape, South Africa, 2015
DRY AGED DUCK
Pear Chutney, Walnut & Chanterelles, Green Cardamom Jus
Pinot Noir, Domaine Drouhin, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA, 2015
CITRUS, SUNCHOKE & CHAI
Sake Ninki-Ichi, Sparkling J Ginjo, Japan, NV
Obsession Food Festival
Obsession first took place in 2001 and was created by Chef Ambassador Nigel Haworth and MD Craig Bancroft as a celebration of great food, wine and a meeting of friends, old and new.
From that first event, its size has grown but the ethos is still very much the same; a completely memorable culinary experience with some of the world’s most innovative chefs creating unique Obsession menus for guests to enjoy at Northcote.
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Electrolux Professional
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03444 631 260
Electrolux Professional
Electrolux Professional provides globally renowned kitchen solutions and innovative products to meet the needs of chefs at Northcote; the home of Obsession 24.
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Gaggenau is a manufacturer of high-quality home appliances and acknowledged as an innovation leader in design and technology “Made in Germany.” The company, with a history dating back to 1683, has revolutionised the domestic kitchen with its internationally acclaimed products. Gaggenau’s success is founded on technological innovation and a clear design language combined with high functionality. Gaggenau is currently represented in more than 50 countries with 24 flagship showrooms in major cities around the world.
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Obsession Partners
Wellocks
Wellocks have become the special ingredient of the UK’s finest restaurants and have been working closely with Lisa Goodwin-Allen and Craig Bancroft at Northcote for many years, sourcing the most exceptional produce and speciality ingredients.
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The Wright Wine Company
Yorkshire Wine & Spirits Merchant
Specialist supplier of wine and spirits, ranging from the everyday to the premium, for both retail and the trade. We are proud to be chosen by several leading restaurants and michelin-starred hoteliers to help create award-winning wine lists and drinks menus, and enjoy a close working relationship, both personal and professional, with owners, sommeliers and managers alike.
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Louis Roederer Champagne
Founded in 1776 in Reims, Louis Roederer is an independent family-run champagne house producing Louis Roederer and Cristal champagnes. Pioneers in sustainable farming, Louis Roederer works hand in hand with nature to produce extraordinary wines that reflect the terroir of the champagne soils and the passion of the Rouzaud family.
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Riedel
Riedel is known for the creation and development of grape varietal-specific stemware. Riedel Crystal was the first in history to recognize that the taste and aroma of a beverage is affected by the shape of the vessel from which it is consumed, and has been recognized for its revolutionary designs complementing alcoholic beverages and other drinks.
Founded in 1756 and pioneering grape varietal-specific stemware since 1958, Riedel has become the brand of choice for wine connoisseurs and drink specialists, hospitality professionals and consumers globally.
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Porsche
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Deepbridge
Award-winning Deepbridge Capital provides investors with access to portfolios of actively-managed, growth-focused technology and life sciences companies, taking advantage of the potential tax benefits available under the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.