Renowned chef Sid Sahrawat and Singapore Airlines are pairing up for an exciting sky-high collaboration, writes Varsha Anjali
Sid Sahrawat initially started cooking as a way to get out of school when living in India. Now, he’s a fine dining legend in New Zealand - and he’s set to showcase his world-class culinary talents in an exclusive menu for Singapore Airlines passengers departing from New Zealand.
Starting on March 1, passengers in First Class and Business Class on Singapore Airlines flights leaving from Auckland and Christchurch will have the opportunity to experience a wide array of exclusive dishes curated by the renowned chef, whose New Zealand restaurants include Cassia, The French Cafe, Kol and Anise.
Sahrawat says he is “thrilled” to partner with Singapore Airlines, which is his first culinary collaboration with an airline - and it’s one of his favourites to fly with.
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“I’ve always enjoyed the quality of service and the level of refinement in the food being so up, you know, high in the air,” he tells the Herald.
He adds he feels the culinary collaboration “aligns quite well”, saying he and the airline have a “similar ethos”.
“I was super excited to be part of it,” he says. “It’s planning and a lot of tweaking of recipes and stuff to suit the way it should be eaten up in the sky ... representing me, my style and the restaurants together.
“It’s been super cool.”
The 44-year-old says it’s a unique opportunity to showcase the quality and diversity of New Zealand produce in “a totally new way”.
“I am eager to bring my passion for culinary excellence to this innovative partnership, which has given me a deeper understanding of the incredible precision and attention to detail required to create exceptional in-flight dining experiences,” he says.
George Robertson, Singapore Airlines general manager New Zealand says: “As one of New Zealand’s most beloved and best chefs and restaurateurs, with his creative approach and passion for elevating the dining experience, Sid is a perfect pairing with Singapore Airlines’ commitment to culinary excellence.
“This collaboration will help deliver an exceptional in-flight dining experience for our customers, underpinned by the very best of New Zealand produce. We are very excited to bring Sid’s creative menus to our customers over the next year.”
The menu heroes New Zealand produce in several seasonal dishes, and includes an appetiser of poached crayfish with corn and spring onion hash, macadamia nuts and wasabi mayo, a main course of Canterbury lamb rack with roasted kūmara and korma sauce, and a classic pavlova with salt baked pineapple for dessert.
Sahrawat thinks his personal favourite from the menu, the lamb rack, is bound to be a crowd-pleaser too.
“It’s kind of a blend of a lot of Māori flavours - like in the hāngī, it’s always lamb and kūmara cooked together. So we’ve brought in a little bit of that culture and a bit of sauce which has been very symbolic to Cassia, korma.
“Korma has got a lot of cardamom, a lot of almonds so that really leans itself quite well to lamb and kūmara,” he explained.
“That’s sort of a really cool dish.”
Sahrawat believes New Zealand’s lamb, in particular, offers a superior taste.
“I think we’re one of the best producers of lamb in the world,” he said.
“The pastures we have in New Zealand just lean themselves to this beautiful, complex lamb, which leans itself to really strong flavours.”
Creating a menu of food designed to be eaten thousands of metres high in the sky presents its unique challenges. Ultimately, Sahrawat believes that it’s “a really exciting journey whether it’s a short flight or a long flight.
“You don’t want to be bored sitting on a flight ... everything’s got to be packed with flavour.”
Additionally, Sahrawat will launch a winter and spring menu with Singapore Airlines later this year.
While details of those menus are currently limited, the chef promises that it will “really resonate [with] New Zealand.”
Sahrawat has won several accolades and awards for his cooking. After moving to New Zealand in 2000, he now owns five top restaurants in the country - Sidart, KOL, Anise, The French Cafe and Cassia. In 2018, Sahrawat was named New Zealand’s Best Chef.