Five minutes with… Samyukta Nair

The co-founder of Michelin-starred restaurant Jamavar in Mayfair on the advice she lives by and her ideal dinner guest

Food and Drink 8 Nov 2018

What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given in your career and why?

My grandfather, Captain Nair, once told me that if you do not stand for something you are going to fall for everything. Having experienced the full strength of privilege, he shared his learnings that no matter what you have, it is defined by your enjoyment of it, not its ownership.

Who is your role model?

My father, Dinesh.

What ingredient can you not live without?

Chocolate

What item, apart from your passport, can you not travel without?

My phone and AirPods.

Where is your favourite place to eat in London?

Close tie between Jamavar London and Bombay Bustle.

What do you like to do on a day off?

I like to spend the day in my pyjamas watching Netflix or reading and spending quality time with my family.

Apart from food, what are your biggest passions?

Design – be it food or décor, and travel.

If you could choose anyone from today or history, who would be your ideal dinner party guest and why?

Oprah would be my ideal dinner party guest. I am so incredibly inspired by all that she does and the person she is. I would be honoured to spend quality time with her in person.