HYDEABAD, TELANGANA, 07/05/2017: Chef Shankar of F9 Test Kitchen Restaurant at Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad. Photo: Nagara Gopal
There are kitchens and then there are test kitchens. No, a test kitchen doesn’t mean it is a place for chefs to experiment. Test kitchen is a place where diners or culinary enthusiasts can see the chef at work and work along with them to create a dish of the day. In short, pay to engage yourself in a cooking workshop along with friends as the chef takes diners through a process.
This ain’t a pop up but an incubator of sorts for stylish delicious food on your dining table. Hyderabad now has one of its own in chef Shankar Krishnamurthy’s F9/Test Kitchen in Jubilee Hills. Shankar describes F9/Test Kitchen as a coming of age culinary experience. The place also invites expert chefs who have inspired him and his team through the years. “Here we aspire to create an engaging, informative and soulful experience for everyone who walks in,” says Shankar as he takes us on a tour of the place which is spread over two floors. Incidentally, F9 and Test Kitchen are independent of each other; while F9 is the restaurant, Test Kitchen emanates an airy, contemporary and fun vibe, equipped with comfortable cooking stations in the ground level.
The place is designed to keep dining and cooking sessions independent of each other, to provide two truly distinctive experiences. Two kitchens for cooking classes on the ground level allows more than 10 persons to work at a time in each kitchen. Of the two kitchens, one is dedicated to cooking and the other is to hone the baking skills. But don’t mistake this place for a traditional culinary school. “It is dedicated to conducting global culinary lessons. The lesson strategy is well planned and ends with everyone getting to enjoy the meal they prepare. While these lessons are being tailored for food aficionados and corporates, the whole experience is something to be savoured,” adds Shankar.
The first of its kind in the city, the place is getting popular with those who love to hangout with a purpose or learn as they decide to sip wine, discuss ingredients and learn the tricks to bake batches of sinful brownies.
The test kitchens of today owe much to Ferran Adrià, who would close his restaurant for half of the year, head to Barcelona, and work in a small space to develop an entirely new menu for the following season. Adrià is also known for creating culinary foam and hence is associated a lot with molecular gastronomy.
Shankar’s test kitchen allow hobby chefs and novices to be a part of such a creative process. Here they get to learn to mince, chop, slice, saute, stir fry, whisk and all that goes into wining people’s heart through their stomachs. So depending on who the celebrated chef is and what is his speciality, one can expect artisanal sausages, bread, one-pot dishes, the perfect roast and an entire list of decadent desserts. The team aspires to create an engaging, informative and soulful experience for each who enters. Spread over two levels,
According to Shankar, the concept is derived from the immense demand in the twin cities of people wanting to learn, create and experience international cuisine, curated by the masters. “Hyderabad has fast become a metropolitan culinary destination shaped by the influx of professionals, students and expat community. A large number of people are more aware, well travelled and experimental with their food habits and an engaging space like this is ideal for everyone,” he smiles.
