To be, or not to be: That is the question!

There was this interesting new restaurant called Toast and Tonic that I’d been hearing a lot about. Their whole concept of using local and seasonal ingredients in a menu featuring world cuisines, and their idea of making everything in-house, had me very intrigued. And I was keen to have a meal there. Soon.

A few weeks later, in May 2016, I got a chance to do exactly that – have dinner there, with my mother. We were shown to our cozy two-seater table downstairs, where we sipped a signature gin and tonic, and proceeded to explore the interesting and diverse fare on the menu. All the food we ordered was delicious, and the whole vibe of the place was relaxed, yet alive. I was quite excited to be finally eating at this place.

The Herbalist Gin and Tonic

Mushroom Toast and barley rolls peeking in from the corner

Fast-forward to exactly a year later: “One Colonel Sanders, one Tuna Poke Bowl, and one Fried Chicken Bun… on the fly!!”

I was now actually on the other side of those service doors, inside that hot kitchen, responding to these orders and cooking up meals for other excited diners. Yes, I was now interning at the very same restaurant!

Here’s how it all happened…

Having sampled their fare, I was keen to learn more about how they were carving out a unique niche for themselves. So, when the time came to plan for my two-month summer internship, I approached Chef Manu Chandra, the executive chef, and co-owner, to discuss the possibility. (Actually, I was so keen to intern there, that I had contacted him a good three months in advance!) And in his inimitable quiet, soft-spoken style, he gave his nod. Yay!!

So when the Big Day finally came, I was very excited about finally getting to work in a real restaurant, with those sizzling gas ranges, the heavy pots and pans, the orders pouring in at blazing speeds on busy nights…

And at the same time, I was also a bit nervous. There were already three trainees there when I joined. They were nearly done with their own internships, and I was to take over many of their tasks. All the chefs had good things to say about their quick learning abilities and their skills, and I realised I had big shoes to fill… would I survive and be able to learn much? Or would I be politely told to sit in a corner and peel onions and potatoes for my entire internship period?

I soon realized that I really needn’t have worried. Toast and Tonic was a great learning environment! Everyone was so welcoming, patient and keen to teach…

For my first two days there, I was given the monotonous task of cleaning and tearing piles and piles of lettuce – a sort of rite of passage for new interns, to see just how dedicated and hard working they could be. At the same time, the chefs also constantly told me to keep my eyes and ears open so I could learn how the kitchen itself worked, even if I wasn’t in the midst of things yet.

I guess I must’ve made the cut (no pun intended) because, by the third day, I was given more than just lettuce duty on the appetiser section. I was taught everything from setting up the station for service to preparing the ingredients needed, to cooking and plating up the dishes as per the incoming orders, to cleaning and closing for the night. I may have been a slow starter, but the patient chefs helped me pick up the operations much faster than I had expected to.

Shortly thereafter, the chefs at the hot range -- the ones who made main courses – also started giving me tips on how to handle orders in their section. When orders for appetisers slowed down and the demand for mains picked up, they would even call me over and teach me how to make those dishes.

Eventually, I moved completely to the mains section. Operations here were really fast-paced, with high flames, and deft maneuvering of heavy pans and ladles with a twist of the wrist to toss the cooking food. Patiently, yet pushing me when I was timid, the chefs encouraged me to work on the one section I was most intimidated by until I started becoming more confident. And in a few short weeks, I was no longer unnerved by a busy Saturday night and a crazy string of back-to-back orders “on the fly”. I could put on my game face and get down to work.

Both, Executive Chef Manu Chandra and Sous Chef Chirag Makhwana, were constantly giving feedback and were ever ready to answer questions and share tips about food, ingredients, and technique.

I especially remember one Saturday afternoon, when Chef Manu himself came into the kitchen and asked me to make an omelette. I broke into a mild sweat and nervously fumbled a bit as he watched me work. After I’d made a few feeble attempts, he asked me to watch and proceeded to make a perfect French omelette, performing each step with slow deliberation, and along the way explaining the science behind its perfection. He then smiled mildly, instructed me to keep practicing, and slowly walked away.

How many other restaurants can offer such an encouraging learning environment to a mere intern? I’m sure glad I got an opportunity to work at the one that did!

At the end of my two months there, I was completely at home in that kitchen, having made friends with almost everyone on the restaurant operations team. Which was inevitable, since we spent nearly ten hours a day together, six days a week, sharing stories, jokes, gossip and banter amidst the grueling work pressures. After the exhilarating routine of that kitchen, I couldn’t imagine going back to college and sitting still in a classroom for six hours a day! But I had one more year to go, so…

With my teachers and friends at the Toast and Tonic kitchen

The stories, experiences, and lessons I gathered in those two months are far too many for just one post. But I did come to one major realisation by the end of it: There was a time in my food exploration journey when I was convinced that while food may be my passion, I was not meant to work in a professional kitchen – I wouldn’t survive and I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as other careers in food. I was convinced that I could not be a professional chef.

But after these two months at Toast and Tonic, I am beginning to reconsider…