To say Chet Sharma – or Dr Chet Sharma, to give him his full title – is detail-oriented is something of an understatement. His partnership with publisher Phaidon feels apt: the house is known for chef-led cookbooks whose recipes are so meticulously faithful they can be daunting for non-professionals.
Sharma has embraced the format to create a highly technical book that reveals the extraordinary lengths he and his team go to deliver some of the UK’s most progressive and exciting Indian cuisine. A tomato salad, for instance, requires no fewer than eight separate preparations and nearly 20 ingredients.
Yet while the dishes are complex, the book itself is surprisingly readable, mixing recipes with Sharma’s dry, often amusing reflections. Across 60 dishes, he explores his heritage and culinary influences in exacting detail. Highlights include BiBi signatures such as Sharmaji’s Lahori Chicken, Wookey Hole cheese papad, and a refined take on nimbu pani, alongside playful twists on seekh kebabs and Alphonso mango lassi. A substantial “Essentials” section sets out the masalas, stocks and spice blends at the heart of the restaurant.
An Oxford-educated physicist turned development chef at Moor Hall and L’Enclume, Sharma launched BiBi in Mayfair with JKS Restaurants in 2021. Michelin recognition remains elusive, but the restaurant has won critical acclaim, not least a constant presence on Restaurant’s list of the top 100 places to eat in the UK.