CHEF SUMIT Batra takes over the reins as Executive Chef at Amangalla, Galle Fort once again. Hailing from New Delhi with a wealth of culinary knowhow gleaned in India, Sri Lanka and New York, Amangalla’s new Executive Chef is not new to this historic hotel in the heart of Galle Fort. In fact, Chef Sumit Batra was Amangalla’s much loved and lauded Executive Chef from 2013 to February 2015, before taking a sojourn to join the team at Michelin-starred restaurant The NoMad in New York working alongside celebrated chefs Daniel Humm and James J Kent.

Batra is passionate about using seasonal, locally-sourced produce and has been since his days at The Oberoi Centre for Learning & Development in New Delhi where he began his career in 2007. This passion grew over his years working up The Oberoi ranks in Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai. Today Batra’s signature style is to pair fresh ingredients with innovative techniques and textures with an element of surprise. Examples of such dishes include avocado gazpacho with steamed scallops, Chilean sea bass with nori mushroom puree and a selection of traditional Sri Lankan curries and sambols. His artfully plated cuisine balances freshness and simplicity with complex, new age culinary techniques.

It was the philosophy of farm-to-table as well as its reputation for culinary innovation that drew Batra to The NoMad, lauded as one of the world’s top 100 restaurants, in February 2015. With menus designed around ingredients sourced locally in New York, the restaurant still delivers food as art, marrying nouvelle cuisine with the real food movement. Batra speaks fondly of his stint in New York, sharing anecdotes of how his kitchen mates would demand his Delhi-style Chole-Bhature, and how this brought home to him how food has no language or barriers, and that its appreciation transcends cultures and countries.

Excited for his return to Amangalla and the abundance of fresh produce Sri Lanka has to offer, Batra describes the hotel’s cuisine as simple yet refined, with an emphasis on authentic flavours. Seasonal menus offer both Sri Lankan and New World cuisines, and ingredients are from Sri Lanka and almost all organic. “While my specialty is modern western cuisine, I love the culinary arts and am constantly exploring how to incorporate local food culture, traditions and ingredients into our menus. We use clay pots for our Sri Lankan dishes, and stone-grind our own spices by hand from the best quality cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. Freshly ground spices make a huge difference to the quality of our curries.” Batra also encourages his team to bring to work family recipes passed down through the generations, standing the test of time. With seafood a personal favourite, Batra takes advantage of fresh fish and shellfish available in Galle, and enjoys experimenting with varied cooking techniques that bring out the best in each ingredient.