When Life Gives You Lemons...

Bhupender Nath rose from the middle-class lanes of Patna to the swish set of Dubai, and is now taking Indian food into new realms

- Pankti Mehta Kadakia

My mind is a jumble, first because of what I am tasting, and then because of what I am hearing. I’m processing the story that is coming at me from the other side of the table, which is much at odds with what’s on it. I’ve just sampled a smidgen of stone-cold, deeply savoury khandvi gelato—and liked it. My Gujarati heritage isn’t certain of what feelings to allow, but it involuntarily nods to the cleverness of an airy, sophisticated—wait for it—dhokla gazpacho that comes next.

I’m at the uber-cool Trèsind in Dubai, stealing a few hours from a family holiday to meet with its owner, Bhupender Nath, 46, who I’ve been chasing since I heard the restaurant is making a Mumbai debut—and who has quite the story to tell.

Nath arrives late, and apologising, leaving me to first acquaint myself with Trèsind’s dim elegance, fitted in Dubai’s swanky and storied Nassima Royal Hotel. He now sits across from me at a quiet corner table, in a natty patterned shirt and casual blazer. It’s a little after noon on a Saturday, and diners haven’t yet begun to pour in. He has called various times over the past few minutes with regrets for his tardiness—he was out till 4 am flitting from one flashy party to the next—and now shakes his head at the mounting social obligations his wife and he have to scale in Dubai.

“Here, no one comes for lunch before 2 pm on a Saturday,” he gestures to the empty restaurant. “In this season, on a Friday, everyone in Dubai is out partying until late.”

That’s part of the reason we’re here today. The rest is a long-winded tale that begins back in India. In Patna.