- June 25, 2026
Chef Jack Jarrott Brings Michelin-Inspired Open-Fire Cooking To India
Last Updated:
Chef Jack Jarrott shares why open-fire cooking, simple ingredients and patience are redefining fine dining
Why Michelin Chef Jack Jarrott Believes Fire Is the Future of Fine Dining
The first thing Chef Jack Jarrott wants you to know about cooking over fire is that it isn’t about control. “It’s unpredictable,” he says matter-of-factly. “No two grills, charcoal or woods behave the same. Every day is different.”
For a chef who trained under Gordon Ramsay in London before helping build Michelin-recognised restaurants across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, unpredictability might seem like an unusual ingredient to embrace. Yet it has become the defining philosophy behind his cooking.
This month, Jarrott, the Head Chef of Sand & Koal at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi, is bringing that philosophy to India through a four-day culinary residency at Fenix at The Oberoi, Mumbai, and threesixtyone at The Oberoi, Gurgaon, a collaboration between Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
The menu features dishes like Charred Boneless Chicken, Dry-Spiced Seabass and Saffron Rice Dolma, all prepared over an open flame. But for Jarrott, the fire itself is only part of the story.
From Molecular Gastronomy to Minimalism
There was a time when Jarrott believed culinary greatness meant complexity. “As a young chef, I thought ultra-fine dining and molecular gastronomy represented the pinnacle of cooking,” he says. “I was fascinated by technique.”
Experience changed that. Years spent in some of the world’s most demanding kitchens gradually shifted his perspective away from elaborate presentation and towards restraint.
“My focus came back to clean flavours, thoughtful combinations and perfectly cooked food,” he says. “Simplicity became much harder but much more rewarding.”
It is a sentiment increasingly echoed across fine dining.
After years dominated by foams, gels and multi-course tasting menus, many acclaimed restaurants are returning to ingredient-led cooking, where the quality of produce carries as much importance as technique itself.
Why Fire Still Fascinates Him
Cooking over fire, Jarrott believes, strips a chef of certainty.
Unlike induction cooktops or precise temperature-controlled ovens, live fire refuses to behave exactly the same way twice.
“You don’t always understand the finished result until you start cooking and taste the dish,” he says.
That uncertainty demands something technology cannot replace: instinct.
Many of his dishes undergo months of refinement, yet every service still requires constant adjustments based on the wood, charcoal and heat.
Ironically, it is this lack of precision that has become his greatest creative freedom.
“I don’t think the plate needs to shout,” he says. “If the produce is exceptional and cooked properly, the drama is already there.”
Looking to India, One Peppercorn at a Time
When developing the menu for his India residency, Jarrott wasn’t searching for unfamiliar ingredients.
Instead, he became fascinated by something far more ordinary.
Pepper.
“I love heat,” he says, “but chilli often steals the spotlight. Pepper offers something completely different.”
Fresh, green and black peppercorns each possess their own aromas and levels of warmth, he explains, allowing spice to become layered rather than overwhelming.
Rather than dominating a dish, pepper became a way to highlight seasonal ingredients—a reflection of India’s extraordinary spice heritage without leaning on obvious clichés.
A Different Kind of Luxury
The timing of Jarrott’s residency also reflects a broader shift in luxury hospitality.
Increasingly, collaborations between leading hotels are less about celebrity appearances and more about the exchange of ideas.
Working alongside the culinary teams at The Oberoi, Jarrott says, has reinforced that every kitchen—even among world-class restaurants—approaches familiar challenges differently.
“It’s not always about techniques,” he says. “Sometimes it’s about organisation, hospitality or simply understanding ingredients from another perspective.”
For him, those conversations are often more valuable than recipes themselves.
The Enduring Appeal of Simplicity
Jarrott believes diners have changed as much as chefs. People today, he says, are more aware of where their food comes from, more interested in seasonal ingredients and less willing to spend four hours at elaborate tasting menus simply for the sake of theatre.
Restaurants, he argues, are quietly returning to what great home cooking has always represented.
“Beautiful ingredients, cooked properly and served with care.” It is a philosophy that feels increasingly relevant in an era where authenticity has become a form of luxury.
If Fire Could Tell a Story
Ask Jarrott what he would cook if he had one final meal to prepare, and he doesn’t begin with ingredients.
He begins with fire itself. “Fire demands patience and attention,” he says. “Neglect it and it burns too hot. Don’t feed it and it dies.”
The menu would include bread, seafood, vegetables cooked directly over coal and a slow-cooked piece of meat, not because they are extravagant, but because each requires time, restraint and trust.
The meal, he says, would tell the story of life.
“There are struggles, setbacks and moments that leave their marks,” he reflects. “But those experiences shape the result.”
Perhaps that’s also the story of modern fine dining.
After decades spent chasing complexity, many of the world’s best chefs are rediscovering something older than restaurants themselves: that the most memorable meals often begin with exceptional ingredients, a carefully tended fire and people gathered around it.
You can head to threesixtyone° at The Oberoi, Gurgaon on 26th and 27th June, 2026 for Lunch and dinner. Reservations can be made via +91 8800112755.
About the Author
Swati Chaturvedi is a seasoned media professional with over 13 years of experience in journalism, digital content strategy, and editorial leadership across top national media houses. An alumna of Lady…Read More
