It culminated in the opening of their first restaurant, Trishna, in 2008. “Everybody was like, ‘You’re mad. Stick to eating in other people’s restaurants. Don’t bother putting yourself through the stress of opening your own,’” Jyotin recalls. But once Karam took over the kitchen at Trishna, its identity began to shine through. Sue joined her brothers after finishing university, with plans on working with them for six months before getting a proper job. “She never left!” Jyotin grins, sparking laughter from all three. After stints behind the bar and as a sommelier, Sue became front-of-house manager, and Trishna earned a Michelin star in 2012. “We were lucky that our skill sets complement each other really well,” Jyotin adds.
JKS transformed a London high-end Indian food scene that had been dominated by what Karam describes as blingy Berkeley Square super restaurants. In 2013, Gymkhana opened its doors, showcasing more regional Indian foods. “It gave chefs and food entrepreneurs in the Indian culinary space the confidence to get into the market,” Jyotin believes. Just one year later, Gymkhana earned a Michelin star. JKS spread their wings and applied its management skills in the non-Indian food space, too, acquiring brands such as Iranian outfit Berenjak and beloved Chelsea gastropub The Cadogan Arms. What lies behind the group’s success?
BaoCarol Sachs
“There’s a combination of factors,” Jyotin replies. “You have to have a relentless focus on delivering a high-quality food experience day in, day out, whether it’s two-Michelin star or a premium casual restaurant like Hoppers. And you can’t stop – it’s Monday, lunchtime, Friday, dinner, 365 days of the year.” They demand a similar perfectionism from their chefs, operational teams and food entrepreneurs in the non-Indian restaurants. “It’s the attention to detail, the little touches, the things you notice that nobody else does,” Jyotin says. Sue adds that balancing the creative and the commercial is also key: “If one is dominating, either you’re losing the soul of the restaurant or you lose a load of money.”
And it is with this ethos that she and her brothers are spreading their gastro gospel across the Atlantic, with plans to open Indian restaurants in New York next year. If JKS Restaurants stays true to form, the American food scene is about to experience an exciting elevation. Big Apple diners had better fasten their seatbelts – and loosen those trouser belts.
