Meet Samyukta Nair: The Entrepreneur Behind Some Of Your Favourite London Restaurants
In a city that’s buzzing with new restaurants, bars and foodie experiences for every palette, you’ve got to have something really special to make a dent in London’s competitive culinary landscape. And Samyukta Nair has just the right amount of that something special, which has led to the success of her culinary empire in London, and beyond.
The name behind some of London’s most exciting restaurants including Jamavar, Bombay Bustle, Socca, MiMi Mei Fair and KOYN Thai, Nair is a force to be reckoned with in the industry, as she brings together her love for food, fashion, travel and art, to create some memorable dining spaces. We caught up with the culinary entrepreneur to talk about all things food, her family’s history in luxury hospitality in India and her plans for the future.
What are your earliest memories of food?
Sitting around the dining table at our family home in Mumbai and eating together makes for my earliest memories of food. As a family, we not only love to eat but also feed, something that’s passed down from my grandmother, Leela Nair, who was a gourmand. Moreover, my early years spent in New York with my parents further enabled me to discover an array of cuisines that left a lasting impression and have since stayed with me.
Sitting around the dining table at our family home in Mumbai and eating together make for my earliest memories of food.
Your family has a strong history in hospitality, with The Leela Palaces setting the benchmark for luxury in India – how has your family’s background influenced and shaped your career?
At the most fundamental level, family conversations have been a huge source of inspiration. I noticed early on that my family had a deeply sophisticated way of thinking about hospitality and design, and while it is publicly visible in The Leela Palaces Hotels & Resorts – an India chain of hotels they founded – it was also evident in small, perfect things, such as the way my grandfather, Captain Nair, wore a pocket square or how my grandmother served up a storm against the backdrop of a perfectly laid table.
At the most fundamental level, family conversations have been a huge source of inspiration.
I learned from my father to appreciate food and flavour, but also that everything is best served with a side of warmth. Bless my mother for being the best teacher I could have asked for and sharing with me her discernment in taste and attention to detail. Early on I was taught if you don’t stand for something you are going to fall for everything and that has been a guiding principle that enabled me to really take the time to develop a point of view.
I learned from my father to appreciate food and flavour, but also that everything is best served with a side of warmth.
While the legacy established by my forbears is incredible, I was always yearning to create something of my own. And here I am now, giving it all a shot with our collection of restaurants at LSL Capital – namely, Jamavar, Bombay Bustle, MiMi Mei Fair, KOYN and Socca, co-founded with my father Dinesh. I guess you can call it coming a full circle.
What’s the one business venture or career milestone that means the most to you?
Re-gaining our Michelin star alongside Culinary Director Surender Mohan at Jamavar London in 2021 was undeniably an important career milestone. Moreover, last year was a year of many firsts and I am so very grateful to my industry for acknowledging my work and awarding me with Restaurant of the Year at The National Restaurant Awards, Best Restaurateur at the GQ Food and Drink Awards and Hospitality’s Woman of the Year by Code Hospitality.
Re-gaining our Michelin star alongside Culinary Director Surender Mohan at Jamavar London in 2021 was undeniably an important career milestone.
You have a host of exceptional restaurants in London – what do you think makes your restaurants stand out from the rest?
We truly value bringing forward an authentic experience that combines our heritage in world-class hospitality, with a highly talented kitchen team and striking interior design. Deep diving into a cuisine, understanding its cultural origins and paying attention to detail while building out a concept are factors that enable us at LSL Capital to do what we love and do it well, amidst some of the best in the world.
Especially in a world like today to be your authentic self and put forward a body of work that resonates with you deeply is akin to art. For me, the only way I know it is if you live it and breathe it, it’s a lot easier to be it.
What inspires the choice of cuisine at your restaurants?
Each of our concepts, from Jamavar, Bombay Bustle, MiMi Mei Fair to KOYN and Socca, stem from the food we enjoy eating as a family. Every concept begins as an idea that comes up in conversation between my father and I, usually over a meal. Food is always the starting point and finding the right talent and space to creatively translate our vision is front and centre. Fleshing this out further from an idea into a concept is nothing but a labour of love – one that I spend months obsessing over with my incredible creative and operational teams.
Each of our concepts, from Jamavar, Bombay Bustle, MiMi Mei Fair to KOYN and Socca, stem from food we enjoy eating as a family.
Which London restaurants, other than your own, are you loving right now? Is there a lesser-known spot you think more people should know about?
I love what Super 8 does – their concepts across Smoking Goat, Brat, Kiln & Mountain are really considered and thought-through, and I think that’s what makes them noteworthy.
What’s the next big food trend in London that you’re anticipating?
Regional cuisine is having a moment in London. Showcasing a focused approach with specific set dishes, authentic flavours and traditional cooking techniques will prevail.
Can you describe the best meal you’ve ever had?
A home-cooked meal, eaten in my pyjamas with my family tops my list. To me, food is a by-product of nostalgia and a means to be able to revisit memories time and again; the softness of homemade paneer, the fluffiness of Malabar parottas or depth of flavour in my grandmother’s Malabar prawn curry is unparalleled.
To me, food is a by-product of nostalgia and a means to be able to revisit memories time and again.
How does travel influence your food choices and your restaurants?
Travel is extremely important to me, as the more you see the more you know and learn, especially when it comes to food. Given how food is uniquely intertwined it is with culture, I promised myself to visit at least two new places every year and I try and stick to that.
The more you see the more you know and learn, especially when it comes to food.
I went back to Bangkok earlier this year, as well as New York a few weeks ago and loved being back just as much as discovering new places, like Porto and Paros that I was able to visit this summer.
After your latest venture, KOYN Thai, what’s next for you?
Excitedly LSL Capital is bringing two of our concepts namely Jamavar and MiMi Mei Fair to Dubai’s culinary stage. Jamavar opens its doors at the end of August and MiMi Mei Fair will follow in November. They mark a new chapter in our journey, one that I am greatly looking forward to.
LSL Capital is bringing two of our concepts namely Jamavar and MiMi Mei Fair to Dubai’s culinary stage.
Any tips for aspiring culinary entrepreneurs?
No matter what, there is no shortcut for hard work. Staying focused on developing a clear understanding of what you want to do and how you want to do it will always serve better in the long run. You cannot do everything by yourself, putting together a good team and empowering them to make decisions is a winning strategy. Processes make the world go round and the glass ceiling exists only if you want it to.
Putting together a good team and empowering them to make decisions is a winning strategy.