Chef Floyd Cardoz (Photo: Sylvie Bigar)
Next Monday, Floyd Cardoz will celebrate the tenth anniversary of Tabla with a benefit dinner to raise funds for Pratham, India’s leading literacy organization. He will be joined by fellow chefs Dan Barber, David Chang, Michael Romano, Marcus Samuelsson and Melissa Walnock. But the preparations for the event have not stopped him from actively looking for the perfect location for his new dream eatery. He sat down with The Feed to reflect on the past ten years and his plans for the future.
How has the Indian culinary landscape evolved in the past ten years?
When we started, we were radicals. Except for sushi and Chinese takeout, Asian food was not hip. Buddakan, Spice Market or Momofuku didn’t exist. We were the first to bring Indian food into the limelight and because of our success, Asian food exploded. I remember people saying, “On 6th Street, I can get a curry for $6.99.” It took a while to explain the way we source ingredients, our commitment to seasonal cooking. In India, of course, we always cooked with the seasons, so I am taking us back and being progressive at the same time.
And in terms of dishes?
Ten years ago, it wasn’t easy to sell oxtail or baby goat! Now we get these whole baby goats, we quarter them and marinate them in yogurt, ginger, green cardamom, then roast them and take the meat off the bones. They then get cooked a bit again in banana leaves. Diners get the advantage of meat cooked on the bone so that it retains all its flavor, but there are no bones on the plate. In Goa, my grandmother Esmi used to prepare this flaked shrimp and rice sauce I put on a lobster dish. It has coconut, tamarind and coriander. When I started, people didn’t want wine with their food, but since I collect (and drink) wine, we started building a wine list that would complement the spices: wine from Argentina, California, Australia.
Any future plans?
We are looking to open an offshoot of Tabla with a more adventurous menu. I want to do some of the street food and simpler dishes I grew up with. Lamb feet, brains, liver, whole small fish fried, crabs in the shells, whatever is in season. I am thinking of a chicken liver masala, tripe curry. It will be an intimate restaurant with an open kitchen serving small plates, in the same neighborhood.—Sylvie Bigar
