Chef revelations: Abdul Yaseen
The executive chef and managing director of Darbaar restaurant, London EC2, tells us his likes and dislikes
What was your best subject at school?
Geography
What was your first job?
Cable guy
What was your first job in catering?
Pizza Hut
What do you do to relax?
Watch a movie
Which is your favourite restaurant?
Balthazar
What's your favourite hotel?
Rajvilas, an Oberois hotel
What is your favourite drink?
Whisky on the rocks
What is your favourite food/cuisine?
Mughlai cuisine
Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with? If so, why?
In my view, every ingredient has its merits and demerits, and a good chef should be creative and innovative enough to use it to its potential
What flavour combinations do you detest?
Cinnamon with tamarind
What do you always carry with you?
Passion and wittiness
How would you describe your desk?
Unattended
Which person in catering have you most admired?
Marco Pierre White
Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan
Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?
Flip-flops and chewing gum
What daily newspaper/website do you read?
Metro on the train
If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Abul Kalam Azad (ex-president of India)
If you had not gone into catering, where would you be now?
I'd have been a musician, an artist
Who would be in your fantasy brigade?
Sameer Taneja, head chef of Talli Joe; and Antonio ‘Lello' Favuzzi, head chef of L'Anima
Tell us a secret…
I eat everything before it goes to the table
What's your favourite book?