While at its heart, Indian food is casual and comforting, a highly skilled chef can bring the inherently seasonality, heritage, and complexities of flavour to the forefront. Indian fine dining may not have the same strong representation as its European or Asian counterparts, but it’s no less entrepreneurial and exciting. 

The velvety richness of shahi paneer The roaring heat of a vindaloo. The comfort of butter chicken or a dal makhani. Some of India’s best chefs have brought their favorite childhood dishes to kitchens around the world and turned a home-cooked classic into a Michelin Star meal. Others have elected to remain near their roots, elevating both tradition and technique to create a luxury dining experience that you can only find in India.

Go directly to the source and uncover some of the best Indian food in Delhi on Luxury Gold’s Essence of India tour. Enjoy a luxury dining experience in Delhi as well as an intimate foodie walk through the street markets with a local chef.

5 Michelin Star Chefs From India

There are few luxury dining experiences that rival a meal at a Michelin restaurant. From the elevated to the elegantly refined, these five chefs from India have proudly earned Michelin stars for their interpretations of Indian cuisine. 

Read next: Step inside the most unique luxury retreats in India.

Chef Atul Kochhar 

One of the most prominent Michelin starred chefs from India, Chef Atul Kocchar was the first Indian chef awarded a star. His first Michelin star came at London’s Tamarind, followed by a second star nearby at Benares. Today, Chef Kocchar owns a number of restaurants throughout the UK and one in India.

Chef Garima Arora 

Chef Garima Arora followed Chef Kochhar’s history-making Michelin star by becoming the first Indian woman to earn the same honor. Restaurant Gaa’s modern Indian fine dining restaurant flaunts traditional Indian cooking techniques with a contemporary appeal in hopes to reform the way classic Indian food is discussed. 

Chef Alfred Prasad 

As the youngest Indian chef to receive a Michelin star, Chef Alfred Prasad maintained the Michelin star at London’s Tamarind for years. He’s famed for revolutionizing British Indian cuisine and currently oversees Shiuli contemporary, healthy Indian menu in Twickenham.

Chef Vikas Khanna

Dreams of culinary greatness fueled Chef Vikas Khanna’s journey from his home in Punjab to the Big Apple. His restaurant, Junoon, in New York City has boasted a Michelin star for eight consecutive years, impressively receiving it within Junoon’s first year. Junoon continues to let timeless tradition and contemporary interpretation fuels its Indian cuisine.

Chef Manjunath Mural

Once the head of The Song of India, Chef Manjunath Mural was the first chef to bring a Michelin star to a Southeast Asia Indian restaurant. The Song of India closed its doors in Singapore, but not before Mural’s four year run with the star. Chef Mural now continues sharing his skills in Singapore with elevated Indian cuisine at ADDA and decidedly “unauthentic” Indian cuisine at Long Beach’s Cali Chilli in the United States.  

Diners have no doubt sampled some of the finest Indian food in the world outside of India’s borders, though no one has ever eaten at a Michelin starred restaurant in India itself. Michelin  has yet to dedicate its efforts to a proper Indian guide which is why the country lacks Michelin stars. 

But that does nothing to stop many of India’s award-winning chefs from showcasing the country’s depth of cuisine in their own backyards. 

We think you’ll like: Uncovering India’s cultural riches with Rana Safvi.

Where to Dine With the Most Awarded Chefs in India

They may not be Michelin star chefs in India, but these notable men and women have wowed the country’s dining scene through both bold innovation and a strong command of traditional Indian culinary techniques.

Thai Naam | Mumbai

Chef Ananda Solomon

Those craving Thai food might find the best in the world at Thai Naam in Mumbai. Though Chef Ananda Solomon hails from Pune, this pioneer brought authentic Thai cuisine to India after spending years in Thailand working in both food stalls and royal kitchens. His efforts and experience were championed at Mumbai’s Thai Pavilion where the chef eventually retired. Not one to sit on his hands, he’s cooked up a new venture in the form of Thai Naam.

Thai Naam is regularly stocked with spices and produce from Thailand, offering up stir-fry and Tom Yum soups so traditional that you’d forget you hadn’t boarded a flight to Thailand at Mumbai’s international airport only a few kilometres from your table. Tasting Thai in India may initially seem like a sin, but trust that Chef Solomon’s mastery of the cuisine offers a deeply satisfying experience akin to ordering the best Indian foods in Great Britain. 

Read next: Walking with the king of the big cats in India’s royal hunting grounds.

Indian Accent | New Delhi

Chef Manish Mehrotra

Regularly regarded as one of the best restaurants in Asia, Indian Accent success is driven by Chef Manish Mehrotra at the helm. He cooked under Chef Ananda Solomon at Thai Pavilion in Mumbai and aims to reinterpret nostalgic Indian plates at Indian Accent in New Delhi.

With a sister location in New York City, Indian Accent is acclaimed for its exciting take on Indian food. The menu is an adventurous affair as seasonal produce from the region is mixed with global ingredients to leave a diner lost in the reminiscence of tradition and the joy of modern exploration. The Chef’s tasting menu is a playful assortment of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian offerings like caramelized carrot khaman, duck ghughra, and summer corn chaat. 

Suvarna Mahal | Jaipur

Chef Raghu Deora

As the Executive Chef of Rambagh Palace, Chef Raghu Deora is charged with the unenviable task of mastering the most regal of India’s dishes. Crafting these rivaled dishes is all in a day’s work thanks to his unrivaled skill developed over a three-decade career that’s stretched from East China, Hong Kong, and Singapor to Jaipur.

Without question one should expect a luxury dining experience upon setting eyes on Rambagh Palace. This opulent estate houses Suvarna Mahal in the original palace dining room, allowing you to sample the flavors of Hyderabad, Awadh, Punjab, and Rajasthan beneath dazzling chandeliers and other Renaissance-style decor. 

The royal Indian menu is as refined as can be at Suvarna Mahal, presenting the absolute best of India on a plate. Rajasthani lamb curry and Awadhi Murgh Korma are among the main courses tempting you to ignore the eight other pages on the mouthwatering menu. Those who can make their way from the appetizers and mains down to the dessert section are rewarded with gulab jamun aur gulkand kulfi that leaves a final sweet taste on your lips to close an unforgettable meal.

Watch the sunrise at the Taj Mahal, explore Udaipur, the Venice of the East, and enjoy luxury dining experiences only found in India during Luxury Gold’s Imperial Rajasthan 13-day tour.

You may have had a Michelin-starred meal – but have you had one in the sky? Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific is taking luxury gourmet dining to new heights by delivering Michelin star dining on flights out of Hong Kong. 

A Michelin star home base

Cathay Pacific’s home city of Hong Kong is one of the hottest culinary spots in the world. It may be a tiny country, but it boasts an impressive array of Michelin star restaurants, with 71 restaurants receiving Michelin stars in 2022 alone. You’ll find a delicious blend of Cantonese and South East Asian flavors from the bustling streets to the tops of skyscrapers. But now Cathay Pacific is turning Michelin star dining all the way up – to 30,000 feet. 

Read more: What to expect when dining at a Michelin starred restaurant

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A gastronomic partnership

Cathay Pacific wanted to create an exquisite gourmet in-flight meal that captures the essence of the Hong Kong culinary scene. They partnered with Michelin star Hong Kong-based restaurant Duddell’s to bring the vision to life. The collaboration produced an exclusive menu of traditional flavors that celebrates Hong Kong’s bubbling culinary scene. Duddell’s is renowned for their stunning Cantonese cuisine and handcrafted dim sums, so excitement is brewing over its newly curated, sky-high menu. 

Read more: 5 Michelin Star chefs celebrating local culture through food

How can I experience Michelin star dining in the air?

The Duddell’s x Cathay Pacific menu is now available to First class and Business class passengers on long-haul Cathay Pacific flights departing from Hong Kong to all destinations (excluding Tel Aviv and Dubai). It will be available throughout the year. If you’d like to experience this one-of-a-kind culinary affair, be sure to secure your seats soon.  

Read more: Meet the Michelin star chef putting his stamp on the Orient-Express menu

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What’s on the Michelin star menu?

Guests will be served three luxurious courses during the flight: appetizer, main and dessert. First Class passengers have a choice of chilled abalone and cucumber with black vinegar, or lettuce-wrapped minced pork with vegetables, sweet pomelo and prawn crackers. For mains, First Class guests make the mouthwatering choice between premium Iberico pork belly in a sweet, sticky soy glaze or wok-fried lobster seasoned in ginger with white pepper sauce and fluffy rice. The meal is topped off with chrysanthemum and longan jelly, a spin on two traditional elements in Chinese medicine. 

Business Class passengers have a tantalizing choice of drunken prawns in aged Huadiao wine or chicken and jellyfish salad with sesame dressing. The main course delivers steamed halibut with cordycep flowers, aged mandarin peel, and preserved black olives, served with a sour rice noodle soup with barramundi and pickled mustard greens. For dessert, guests can indulge in either a Beijing-style strawberry yogurt pudding or a spiced ginger milk pudding, a twist on a classic Cantonese dessert.

Read more: Where to Find the Most Rare & Expensive Food in the World

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The challenge of Michelin star dining at 30,000 feet

Delivering true Michelin star meals in an aircraft is no easy feat, however Cathay Pacific and Duddell’s rose to the challenge. 

High altitude reduces humidity and air pressure which impedes your sense of smell and tastebud sensitivity. If you’ve ever recoiled at bland airplane food, it’s likely because high altitude impairs your ability to detect flavor. The team worked to overcome this by designing the meals to be slightly spicier, saltier and sweeter than they would be in a restaurant on the ground.  

You can also forget those square aluminum boxes that airline meals often come in. Michelin star meals must be identically plated with no room for error. With more than 40 meals served each flight through the First class and Business class cabins, the crew are well-versed in beautifully arranging the dishes before serving them to passengers.  

Read more: The ‘world’s best restaurant’ is closing its doors – 4 contenders to steal its crown

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A  meticulous process

Designing and cooking the dishes was another challenge. Since a full-size kitchen is impossible on a plane, Cathay Pacific mostly prepares the dishes in their kitchens near Hong Kong International Airport. They heat the dishes within about 20 minutes on the aircraft.

The ingredients also had to be fresh with broad appeal and represent the best of Hong Kong cuisine and heritage. With plenty of constraints around the meal design, the menus were tested rigorously. The expert team tasted and revised each dish at least three times before being cleared for takeoff. 

With innovative dishes that retain authentic flavors, the Cathay Pacific x Duddell’s partnership has undoubtedly raised the bar for airline fine dining. But does it compare to regular Michelin star dining on the ground? The only way to find out is a First class or Business seat out of Hong Kong. 

Read more: The Luxury Gold guide to the finest Michelin star restaurants in Edinburgh

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