THE ART OF PAIRING
CHET SHARMA AND SAICHO AT BIBI MAYFAIR
In the heart of Mayfair, where culinary innovation meets time-honoured tradition, a unique collaboration is taking shape. Saicho's latest installment of "The Art of Pairing" series brings us to BiBi, where Chef Chet Sharma is redefining the boundaries between fine Indian cuisine and sophisticated drinks pairings.
Chef
Chet Sharma
Cuisine
Indian
Location
Mayfair, London, United Kingdom
A MEETING OF MASTERS
Chef Chet Sharma's journey is nothing short of remarkable. With a PhD in Physics from Oxford and training in some of the world's most acclaimed kitchens including Moor Hall and The Ledbury, Sharma brings scientific precision and culinary artistry to every dish at BiBi. This technical mastery, combined with deep respect for Indian culinary heritage, makes him the perfect collaborator for Saicho's mission to elevate the tea experience.
"So my journey as a chef really started, I hate to admit it, but nearly 20 years ago now. And it started very classically sort of modern European high-end restaurants, always two, three Michelin star type places," explains Sharma. "But as I grew into my own as a chef and I guess grew up a little bit as an adult as well, I started to think more about my own heritage, my own background and how we could translate that into a restaurant. And that's kind of what BiBi is. It's my own journey of discovery about my heritage."
THE PAIRING PHILOSOPHY
At BiBi, Sharma's menu draws inspiration from the street food and royal cuisines of India, presenting them through a contemporary lens. The challenge: finding drinks that can harmonise with the intricate spice profiles and diverse textures without overwhelming them.
"Of course, when I came across a Darjeeling sparkling tea, I thought we've got to feature this on the restaurant menu because not only is it super unique, but we're seeing such a big trend for people to not even go to no alcohol, but to low alcohol or mixed pairings," notes Sharma.
"When we find interesting little tidbits on the market, we always try and bring them into the restaurant and test them out with our guests as well."
CRAFTING PERFECT HARMONY
For this collaboration, Chef Sharma has created three bespoke dishes, each designed to showcase a different expression of Saicho.
SAICHO JASMINE & HAND DIVED ISLE OF MULL SCALLOP
Delicate hand-dived scallops from the Isle of Mull are prepared nimbu pani style with blood orange and crowned with puffed quinoa. The floral elegance of Saicho Jasmine tea creates a beautiful counterpoint to the sweet flesh of the scallop.
"For the first one we paired a scallop and blood orange dish which has a little bit of Indian lemonade with the jasmine tea. Now jasmine for me whenever I smell it I think of my auntie because her perfume is always very strong in jasmine and it's a really old Indian floral scent that we use quite a lot. But there's something about the interplay of jasmine and blood orange that I think works really well."
SAICHO DARJEELING & SMOKED MOOLI WITH RAZOR CLAMS
Smoked mooli is paired with succulent razor clams and punctuated with pickled green chilli for occasional bursts of heat.
"The Darjeeling tea paired alongside a mooli and razor clam dish. Now, the razor clam also has a little bit of trout roe, a little bit of smokiness coming through from some smoked pine, but actually the key for me is the fact that there's roasted seaweed in that dish. And the roasted seaweed, the interplay with the earthiness of the Darjeeling tea, I think they play off each other really really well."
SAICHO HOJICHA & SHARMAJI'S LAHORI CHICKEN
A contemporary interpretation of a family recipe, featuring Lahori-spiced chicken accompanied by cashew and yoghurt whey.
"Finally, Hojicha. Pairing that with our signature dish here at the restaurant, which is Sharmaji's Lahori chicken. It's the only dish that's been on the menu since day one. What Hojicha brings is something quite different. That toasty almost bready note I think works off of the charred flavour because we cook that chicken for actually a surprisingly long amount of time. So it takes on a lot of smoke. And I think back to great yakitori meals in Japan and having misowaris which are like whiskey based high balls sometimes mixed with tea as well. And that kind of reminds me of all of that. So some of these pairings are based more on nostalgia than classically looking for individual flavours."
BEYOND WINE: REDEFINING FINE DINING PAIRINGS
This collaboration represents something larger than innovative food and drink combinations. It signals a shift in fine dining culture, one that recognises non-alcoholic options can deliver experiences every bit as sophisticated and nuanced as their alcoholic counterparts.
"Since we started working with Saicho, they've really grown into a more popular option than your conventional non-alcoholic drinks because they're cleaner," Sharma reflects. "The flavours are a little bit more in keeping with the kind of flavours that we have here. The story behind the sourcing, the production, everything that they do really fits within the BiBi identity. So, we're really happy to work alongside Saicho as much as we can when it comes to our pairings on our menu."
Chet Sharma
