Interview: Chef Phuong Tran says hello Ellipsis

Flavours are more robust and bold in parts of Asia India and the Middle East Itrsquos tricky to infuse them while keeping it delicate observes Vietnamborn chef Phuong Tran who is set to helm the kitchen at Colabarsquos Ellipsis Raised in New Orleans he began a career in engineering but found kitchen to be his calling and worked with accomplished names like Thomas Keller of the Napa Valley restaurant The French Laundry and French chef JeanGeorges Vongerichten at Vong Hersquos also opened restaurants in southern California Excerpts from an exclusive interviewChef Phuong TranQ Tell us how working in Southeast Asia South America and Mexico shaped your cooking styleA My style is to extract the maximum flavours of the product I work with to achieve all the elements mdash sweet acid sour earthy and umami The first dish I cooked was an omelette at the age of nine for my brother and sister Seeing their reaction was powerful and transcendent I immediately fell in love with cooking and it gave me a purpose My travels helped me understand that regardless of technique all of us try to extract as much flavour from the ingredients as we canQ What did you learn from Thomas Keller and JeanGeorges VongerichtenA One of the most important lessons from either place was proper handling of raw ingredients Knowing how to cut cook or plate maintains the integrity that goes into the final dishQ Yoursquore also part of Croft Alley in LA where celebrities like Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire have dined Can you share their favourite dishes at the restaurantA Everyone loves the yoghurt partly because we make it inhouse Commercial items we find in the markets will never resonate the flavour of something made from scratch Then I add 100 per cent chlorophyll extraction for their health benefits and finish it with fresh market berries and florals that the restaurant grows on site Bon Appeacutetit coined it as their top 20 dishes for the New Year in 2016Q What can we expect from your creations at EllipsisA Expect unexpected flavour combinations and see how we take a provincial item and make it special For instance Irsquom doing a dish that has a French element with an Asian flavour and using the local produce mdash all in one dish and yet itrsquos an American invention In Los Angeles the Korean communities have started borrowing from the Mexican communities and creatednew dishesQ In what way will you be using the local ingredients in your dishesA Much of the glazes and sauces will incorporate the local produce using classic French methods I know the papayas and mangoes are much sweeter with deeper flavours mdash so because of the natural sugars in the fruit it will glaze and reduce differently Furthermore I will incorporate them as they are because they are innately luscious and flavourful I will also use young coriander leaves which I found to be very delicate with the flavour nuanced differently from what the US market providesQ Yoursquove toured the local markets herehellipA Yes I arrived here on February 24 and since then I have been to many markets mdash from seafood to vegetarian produce to the flea markets that dot across the city I have also met with suppliers and vendors to see what equipments were available and the different tools the industry usesQ What are you looking forward to during your stay hereA I am seeing Mumbairsquos daily life I also hope to explore regions outside of the cityQ Are there any Indian chefs you are keen to meetA I am doing my research as I am excited to eat at and support their establishments