Atul Kochhar
🇮🇳 India · Indian cuisine · b. 1969
The first Indian chef ever to win a Michelin star — pioneer of modern Indian cooking in Britain.
Biography
Atul Kochhar is an Indian-born British chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and television personality who in 2001 became one of the first two chefs of Indian origin ever to be awarded a Michelin star — for Tamarind in London's Mayfair — and who has been one of the central figures in the modernisation of Indian restaurant cooking in Britain over the past 25 years.
Kochhar was born in Jamshedpur in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand and trained at the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition in Delhi before joining the Oberoi Hotels group in 1989. He worked at the Oberoi Maidens in Delhi and then at the Oberoi New Delhi under chef Arvind Saraswat. In 1994 he moved to London to take charge of the kitchen at Tamarind in Queen Street, Mayfair — at the time one of the first Indian restaurants in Britain trying seriously to apply fine-dining standards to regional Indian cooking. In 2001 Tamarind was awarded a Michelin star, an unprecedented recognition for Indian food in the UK; Vineet Bhatia at Zaika received the same recognition in the same year.
Kochhar left Tamarind in 2003 to open his own restaurant, Benares, in Berkeley Square, Mayfair. Benares earned its own Michelin star in 2007, making Kochhar the only chef in the UK to have earned Michelin stars for two different Indian restaurants. He sold his stake in Benares in 2017 and has since opened a number of restaurants under his own name, including Kanishka (Mayfair, 2019), the Sindhu group of restaurants on P&O Cruises, and Hawkyns in Buckinghamshire. He has presented multiple television series (most prominently the BBC's 'Indian Food Made Easy') and is a regular on MasterChef India and other competition formats.
Cooking Philosophy
Regional Indian cooking taken seriously, in a fine-dining context. Kochhar argues that the idea of a single 'Indian cuisine' is misleading — India has dozens of distinct regional cuisines, most of them barely represented in the standard British or American Indian restaurant. His menus deliberately draw on under-represented regions (the north-east, the Konkan coast, Lucknowi dum cooking, Anglo-Indian railway food) and apply French-derived technique and presentation without sacrificing the spice integrity of the original.
Restaurants
- KanishkaMayfair, London
His current flagship, opened 2019; focused on the under-represented regional cuisines of north-east India.
- BenaresBerkeley Square, London
Modern Indian restaurant he opened in 2003; held a Michelin star 2007–2018. Kochhar sold his stake in 2017.
- TamarindQueen Street, Mayfair, London
First restaurant — earned a Michelin star under Kochhar in 2001, the first ever for an Indian restaurant.
- SindhuP&O Cruises (Britannia, Iona, Arvia)
Indian fine-dining restaurants Kochhar runs on P&O's flagship cruise ships.
- HawkynsAmersham, Buckinghamshire
Indian-influenced pub-restaurant in the Crown Inn, Amersham; opened 2017.
Awards & Recognition
- 1 Michelin star (Tamarind, 2001) — first ever for an Indian restaurant, jointly with Vineet Bhatia at Zaika the same year
- 1 Michelin star (Benares, 2007–2018)
- Cordon Bleu Chef of the Year (2001)
- Best Indian Restaurant in the World (Benares, World Travel Awards)
Iconic Dishes
Cookbooks
- Indian Essence (2004)
- Simple Indian: The Fresh Tastes of India's New Cuisine (2007)
- Atul's Curries of the World (2010)
- 30 Minute Curries (2015)
Recipes in Atul's Style
These recipes from our database reflect the indian cooking tradition that Atul works in. They are not direct reproductions of Atul's copyrighted recipes, but traditional dishes inspired by the same culinary heritage.
In Atul's Own Words
“India has not one cuisine. It has fifty.”
— Indian Food Made Easy (BBC, 2007)
“Spice is not heat. Spice is a vocabulary.”
— Interview, The Telegraph
Career Timeline
Joins the Oberoi Hotels group as a trainee chef after graduating from the Institute of Hotel Management in Delhi.
Promoted to junior sous chef at the Oberoi New Delhi under chef Arvind Saraswat.
Moves to London as head chef of Tamarind, a new Indian restaurant in Queen Street, Mayfair.
Tamarind awarded a Michelin star — one of the first two Indian restaurants ever to receive one, jointly with Vineet Bhatia at Zaika the same year.
Leaves Tamarind and opens Benares in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, in partnership with Mitesh Tilala.
Benares awarded its own Michelin star — Kochhar becomes the only chef in the UK to have earned Michelin stars at two different Indian restaurants.
Presents the BBC series Indian Food Made Easy.
Opens the Sindhu restaurant on board P&O's Azura — the start of his cruise-ship restaurant group.
Sells his stake in Benares; opens Hawkyns at the Crown Inn in Amersham.
Opens Kanishka in Mayfair, focused on the regional cuisines of north-east India.
Mentors & Influences
Frequently Asked Questions about Atul Kochhar
Was Atul Kochhar the first Indian chef to win a Michelin star?
He was one of the first two. In 2001 the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland awarded stars to two Indian restaurants in London for the first time — Tamarind, under Atul Kochhar, and Zaika, under Vineet Bhatia. Both chefs are credited as the joint pioneers of Michelin-starred Indian cooking in the West.
What is Benares?
Benares is the modern Indian restaurant Atul Kochhar opened in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, in 2003 after leaving Tamarind. It earned a Michelin star in 2007, which Kochhar held until he sold his stake in the restaurant in 2017. The restaurant continues to trade under different ownership and lost the star in 2018.
Where is Kanishka?
Kanishka is Atul Kochhar's current flagship restaurant, on Maddox Street in Mayfair, London. It opened in 2019 and is focused on the under-represented regional cuisines of north-east India — Sikkim, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Assam — which Kochhar argues are almost entirely absent from the standard British curry-house menu.
Where did Atul Kochhar train?
He trained at the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition in Delhi and then in the kitchens of the Oberoi Hotels group, including the Oberoi Maidens in Delhi and the Oberoi New Delhi under chef Arvind Saraswat — one of the most influential mentors in the modern Indian hotel-cooking tradition. He moved to London to head the kitchen at Tamarind in 1994.
Does Atul Kochhar run restaurants on cruise ships?
Yes. He has run the Sindhu group of Indian fine-dining restaurants on P&O Cruises since 2010, currently on board the Britannia, Iona and Arvia. They are unusual in the cruise industry for being full-service à la carte restaurants run by an external Michelin-starred chef rather than buffet operations.
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