Alex Sanchez

The Expat Chef Who Loves India

There’s a handful of expat chefs in Bombay who have been blazing ahead in their culinary progress giving the city a taste of their beloved cuisines. What’s more, behind their success lies an Indian partner. Together, they make a force to reckon with! In the first of this series, here’s Chef Alex Sanchez and Mallyeka Watsa

High On Love And Food

Text: Mohan Krishnan   Photographs: Farzana Contractor
 
I met Alex and Mallyeka in their elegant, minimalist SoBo apartment with drop dead gorgeous views of Bombay harbour, on a crisp winter morning. I caught a glimpse of baby Nirvaan, standing upright in his crib, making goo goo noises and signalling that it was time for a diaper change. And off went Pria Watsa, the grandma with a preternaturally young face. How did you find yourself in India? I ask Alex.

“My cousin, Joey, was consulting for Gauri (Devidayal) and Jay (Yousef) and he brought me to India to help out with this new restaurant they wanted to start. I was ready for a change, so I said yes. A couple of weeks before the opening, Joey decided to go back to the US, I was put in charge, with a high-speed opening to manage. Jay was insistent that The Table would open on that date.”

“The Table’s kitchen was at that time barely 200 sq. ft., and I had to find a way to do a full, fine-dining service, from that space. Fine-dining requires that all the dishes arrive at the same time, and the cloches (real or virtual) are whipped off with a flourish. That’s what India was used to, so far. That was not going to happen with the space we had to work with. I had to innovate.”

“We introduced India to the idea of fine-dining with sharing plates, that would come out of the kitchen, as each was ready. At first, people just didn’t get it. We had to explain this new idea, and convert our guests, table by table. Today, the idea of sharing plates is part of the Indian food scene, and this is our legacy to fine-dining culture in India. Of course, the kitchen got bigger as time went by, but the concept remained.”
Mallyeka jumps right in. “It was the same with Americano at first. We made our pizzas in a way authentic to us, a Naples- meets-NY kind of pie. People would ask us, why don’t you have this variant, or that?”

Alex adds, “The Tortellini Brodo is made just the way Italians love it, but we’ve had people comment, that it’s like a soupy pasta. I’ve had conversations about what is the right way to make Aglio e Oglio. We respect the point of view, and accept that we won’t win each heart or palate. But we will make it the way we know best, and over time people will come to love it.”

“After my first few years at The Table, I went to work at Eleven Madison in Manhattan, still ranked the top in the world. I had built the team at The Table, and they did me proud while I was away. But India drew me back. In NYC or LA, everyone has seen everything. In Mumbai, I saw the opportunity to create something new. The fine-dining crowd is not blasé, they are ready to play. The SoBo foodies are wealthy and wise. They are conscious of quality and value. They are price sensitive.”

He says this like a compliment, and a challenge he loves to meet.

“I came back, I met Mallyeka, and the rest is history. She is a chef who trained and worked in Paris in fine pâtisserie,” says Alex. Mallyeka has a rich pedigree in food and hospitality… her grandmother was the legendary Kiki Watsa (aka Premila Lall). Mallyeka shares, “I’ve had a deep desire to be part of the restaurant business, but I never wanted to work in any kitchen in India. I played a role in building a successful skin care brand called Ayca, and then did some collabs with Nicobar.” She’s got the business chops and as a lifelong Bombayite, she’s got a Rolodex that people would kill for. Americano was her chance to achieve a life-long dream – to start a restaurant.

When Alex moved on from The Table, he and Mallyeka went off to discover the Holy Grail of pizza and pasta in Italy, and came back to launch Americano.

Alex’s philosophy was summed up in words that appeared on each menu card… As a young chef, I cooked to impress – my ego was on the plate. “My life was about control and discipline. This menu is about giving up control and celebrating the good things of life.”

“Americano is my vision of the neighbourhood bistro, serving simple food that people will love, with the same quality and attention to detail that fine-dining offers.”

So what made you and Mallyeka decide to work together? “I had no plan. For me, it’s always Decide, Act, and make it work. For the small ones, and the bigger life decisions, too. I am micro-obsessive, and that’s one of my life skills.” Mallyeka’s take is simple. “It just made sense to support Alex in any way I could.” She usually sums up huge truths in one sentence, or maybe two. What happens when you disagree?

Mallyeka is clear. “We don’t really have any major disagreements, since we have thought it through.” Alex cheekily says, “I also say yes a lot, so there’s never a problem.”

I don’t dare ask who does the cooking at home. That morning, I was offered a coffee, brewed by the maestro himself, some pâté made by him, and fresh croissant from Subko (it’s the best, says Mallyeka).

Americano opened, and from the first night created the wall of sound… that roar of joie, satisfaction, and the vibe of people having the time of their lives. Mallyeka reflects on those days. “We were hands-on every night. I managed the front, and Alex was at the pass. Each night was a party, we staggered back home at 3 in the morning, and were back at work by 11. This was six days a week. We knew that we would hit a brick wall, and yet we wanted to be hands-on. It was pure fun, and exciting.”

“Then COVID struck. We had to re-group. In a way, the pandemic saved us personally.”

During the COVID period they launched their very successful home delivery service – the food arrived in classy packaging, with very precise heating instructions and a bar code with a playlist. When the restaurant re-opened, they changed their game once again. They would only be open Wednesday to Sunday for dinner, and Saturday and Sunday for lunch. The result, a very happy crew, superbly trained, and able to deliver Alex on a plate, even if he’s on another continent, or in Alibaug. Other restaurateurs ask, ‘How does he do this, and still remain so successful’. Go figure. To this date, scoring a table at Americano takes at least a week, sometimes longer. Mallyeka tells me, “I’ve had school friends text, requesting for a reservation, for an important celebration. And sometimes I have to say sorry, can’t do, because we are that fully booked up.” Alex pipes in, “Americano is now on the list of places to go to, when you visit Bombay. We get foodies from all over the country.”

Recently, they announced they would welcome walk-ins to the bar, without a reservation, all the way till they close at 1 am.

Hey presto, just like that, they created the Americano bar scene, a destination unto itself, and you literally have to fight your way through the bar area to the dining area.

Mallyeka gets reflective talking about their second restaurant and third baby. “Otra is very different from Americano. It has a more adult vibe, a more sultry ambience, and a very distinct cuisine. It draws from Alex’s Puerto Rican heritage, and is a fine blend of Mexico and Latin America.” Alex says, “We started Otra to pay homage to corn, to the tortilla. We work closely with farmers in the Punjab, and have invested in machinery to make the ‘masa’ that is the foundation. It is authentic food, and a very different take from the typical Tex-Mex chains. We understand that people will take time to accept our menu, and we are willing to wait, share ideas, and open people’s minds.”

“People always resist new ideas, till one day, they accept them, and it becomes the norm.” 
Mallyeka is direct, “We are going to do it our way, maybe we listened to too many people and their opinions, as we planned the menu. We’re staying with our original intent, and you will see the menu evolving and holding firm to its roots, over the next few months.”

I asked the question, stolen from the TV streaming series, The Bear. What are your non negotiables?
Alex says, “Our menus must be thoughtful, the food must be highly technical and result in a great eating experience, our restaurants must be a happy place, and they must generate healthy revenue to be sustainable.”

“We will be 100% hands-on, even if we’re not at the restaurants 100% of the time. No sell-outs, no pop-ups, no co-branding. The team must be ready to work, and excel at the level they are at. They must be open to learning, and to respect the hierarchy, while they earn their own place in the sun.”

Malleyka says, “We know what we are doing. And we will do it our way, and succeed or fail on our terms.”
Alex goes on to muse… “We do things in a quiet, classy way. We will do our best, be open to ideas, maintain our standards, and get to know our regulars.”

“We want to be fluid, find a common language with our customers through our food. The love language that makes people think of our food and say, I want that, I’m going to Americano. I want to get into the minds of our guests, to find out what they want. I also want to create and give them food that they don’t know they want, but will be delighted to have.”

I comment that Steve Jobs built an entire empire based on this simple thought, and Alex grinned mischievously. So, what does the future hold? Alex is very clear. “We don’t want to expand for the sake of expansion. We are really good at the nuts and bolts of the business, with our food, and team building. A full-service restaurant has so many moving parts… I greatly admire Riyaaz Amlani and AD Singh for their ability to build and manage successful empires.”

Mallyeka rattles off at least three exciting ideas they have for new food ventures, not full-service restaurants… fun and distinct, no overlaps or repeats… I can’t wait to see them happen.

Some time ago, Alex told me, “I don’t want to venture out of Kala Ghoda. I want to spend quality time at home with my family, and being stuck in traffic is not my idea of time well spent.”

Perhaps a 5-outpost empire is slowly being built in the KG area.