Avinash 'Avi' Shashidhara
For Indian born Avinash Shashidhara, food was always an important part of his upbringing.
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Having been raised around markets and his dad’s farm, Avi was bitten by the cooking bug from a young age.
After leaving India to perfect his cooking in the UK, Avi worked his way through restaurants including Claude Bosi’s two-Michelin-starred Hibiscus, and spent a decade working at The River Café. In 2020 he decided to take the plunge and open Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai in Fitzrovia. Here he serves Indian dishes inspired by traditional recipes, and has a Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022 plate.
Avi describes his cooking as regional, seasonal, produce-led dishes which blend ultra-traditional family recipes with high quality British and European ingredients. He wants to change the perception of Indian curry houses being about cheap cuts, greasy food and extreme spice.
His competition menu sees him look to The Gruffalo and Fantastic Mr. Fox animations for inspiration.
