Sue Sethi, operations director at JKS Restaurants, still considers Trishna, the first restaurant she opened in 2008 with brothers Karam and Jyoti, as her baby.
“It was our first ever venture in hospitality,” she says. “It’s where it all started, and it’s very close to my heart.”
When Karam became chef in 2010, Sue took over front of house and stepped into the sommelier’s shoes, a move which put her more in touch with what diners want. “When you’re hands-on, you can respond to people directly,” she says. “And we have a regular clientele at Trishna, who give us feedback.”
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The restaurant was redesigned at the end of 2014, just as stellar sibling Gymkhana opened in Mayfair, in order to push it back into the limelight a little. “When you first open any restaurant, you have clear ideas,” says Sue. “But things rarely go in the exact direction you were thinking of. After five years at Trishna, we’ve matured, and the new style reflects that.”
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One big change since Trishna debuted is a stronger emphasis on ingredients. In the past vindaloo would have been made with a standard cut of pork or lamb; now you might see pig-cheek vindaloo, and the menus are faster-moving and more creative.
Sue puts on wine dinners with regulars in mind, teaming up, say, with a New Zealand vineyard to do a vertical tasting, or introducing an emerging wine region – “basically, whatever I’m excited about at the time,” she says. “We want our diners to come back, and if something new or exciting comes along, we’re not afraid to change things around.”
Trishna, Marylebone 15–17 Blandford Street, W1; trishnalondon.com
This restaurant is taking part in the London Restaurant Festival. For more information visit: londonrestaurantfestival.com
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