The Michelin-starred chef talks to The Club about scout trips to Everest Base Camp, the perks of being a Gold Executive Club Member, and why he always travels with Marks & Spencer teabags

What’s on your travel bucket list?
Antarctica and the North Pole. I want to see the wildlife, especially whales and penguins. I’ll be excited to see my first penguin, although I might be bored of them by day six.

What’s your earliest holiday memory?
Visiting my gran in northern India. We’d rent a cottage in Mussoorie (pictured), a mountainous hill station where lots of British people lived. The food wasn’t great but I didn’t care, I was more interested in popcorn and ice cream. Those holidays gave me a taste of England.

Where are you going next?
Madrid, Dubai and Peru. I’m particularly excited about Peru as it’s my first visit. I have a Peruvian restaurant in Mumbai called Lima, so it will be a learning curve.

Which view has blown you away?
I’ve been to Mauritius many times and seen beautiful views on Le Morne peninsula, watching the sunset. There’s nothing but sea, and no one else around.

What’s your must-pack travel item?
Marks & Spencer’s English Breakfast teabags. They’re the best.

What’s been your most adventurous holiday?
When I was a boy scout in India we went on a mountaineering trip to Everest Base Camp. It’s still fresh in my mind – the smell of the air and the taste of the water from the mountain streams.

What’s your favourite restaurant?
At the moment it’s Street XO (pictured) on Old Burlington Street in London. I love the playfulness of Spanish chef David Muñoz’s cooking. He worked at Nobu and Hakkasan and spent years in the Far East, so there are lots of those flavours, but his cooking style is inherently Spanish.

What do you look for in a restaurant?
Ambience. You can have amazing food but if the restaurant doesn’t have that warm, welcoming feeling, you won’t enjoy your meal. Everything should be about 33 per cent: 33 per cent ambience, 33 per cent food, and 33 per cent service. It can never be 100 per per cent, but 99 per cent is pretty good.

What’s the best thing about travelling?
Meeting people. It’s exciting and keeps you on your toes. There’s something new happening all the time, and you learn for free. The worst thing is being apart from loved ones – I’m always video calling them.

What’s the best thing about being an Executive Club member?
The Avios are great but it’s also the level of comfort. I travel with British Airways wherever I go – once I check in and get to the lounge, I always feel like I’m home.


Atul Kochhar is the chef and restaurateur behind London’s Benares, as well as Sindhu in Marlow and Hawkyns in Amersham.

Interview by Tamara Hinson

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This article has been tagged Opinion, Travel Tips