Most painters are great foodies. You too?
Food is a pleasure, eating good food a passion. But I�m discerning. I know what I want, I talk to chefs about this in restaurants, and I am lucky � I�ve never been disappointed in my quest for a good meal.

What�s this about you and eggs?
Gosh, I love them. In fact, the best thing I can cook is eggs, omelettes to be precise. I not only cook it well, but I enjoy eating eggs.

You are from Nepal, what�s the food there like?
Quite like Indian, but not so heavily reliant on spices, and with better produce. There�s a lot of meat in our cooking. Wild boar, that�s easily available, and also smoked deer. Shikar is not banned in Nepal.

So you�re tastebuds are adventurous...
Well, I will eat and drink everything. From zebra, kangaroo and giraffe meat in Kenya to 20-year-old Calvados with a serpent preserved in the bottle in the South of France!

Is there anything that you won�t eat?
I don�t eat sweets. So desserts are ruled out for me. But sometimes, after a good meal, when the chef presents one of his masterpieces, then it becomes difficult to say no. I will then taste the dessert but not finish it.

Why, are you health conscious?
I am. But no diets and things like that. I walk by the sea in Bombay whenever possible, and I also work out at home. I have a gym where I do 45 minutes on the treadmill, some stretching, weights. And I don�t overeat. Not a spoon more than necessary. I would rather have a salad made in olive oil than half a kilo of sweets.

Do you see similarities between painting and cooking?
No, but the experience of perfection is the same feeling I get when I�m painting and after I�ve spent a good evening over a fine meal.

What�s your favourite tipple?
Black Label, but I dislike drinking in public, at cocktail parties. I much rather come back home and enjoy a drink by myself or with close friends. And I like wines, having lived in Paris for 15 years, my first real culture is French.