THE POWER BEHIND THE THRONE T THIS MONTH I CAUGHT UP WITH CHAND SAHRAWAT, WIFE, ffriend and behind the scenes support person to Sid Sahrawat, Chef and pproprietor of Sidart in Three Lamps. She usually teaches High School English at Rangitoto College but has taken time off this year because there is an addition to the Sahrawat family. Baby Zoya was born five months ago and says Chand, “Zoya means life in Russian and she is an awesome baby, she sleeps so well we get to sleep in!” Chand also does the accounts, PR and advertising for Sidart but until recently had never worked in the restaurant. She says, “one of the waiters broke her foot and they needed someone to be the food runner, it was my first night ever working in a restaurant and now I realise how hard it is, it’s so intense making sure everything is perfectly timed and presented. I think it’s good for me to know how it works so I can step in if I’m needed and now I have a greater appreciation for people who work it all the time”. Born in India, Chand came to study at the University of Auckland when she was seventeen and met Sid who had moved here from Oman with his family. There were more opportunities here to cook the kind of food he loves and he spent time at Chapel and The Grove before opening the award winning Sidart. They both have family in New Zealand and Chand says now with the baby she doesn’t know what she would do without her mother.
REBECCA JONES
weekend so we’ll go out to eat or dine out with friends from other restaurants and we often have a curry and Indian movie night. We’re passionate about Indian movies, the language, the culture, they’re packed with action, drama and comedy. There’s every possible genre in one movie, they are so much fun to watch. We have a few favourite places to get Indian food - Little India in Kingsland or Jai Jalaram in Sandringham and Kati Grill on K’Rd do Indian kebabs like on the roadside in India. I miss the street food so it’s great to go there and if we want to eat in a restaurant we go to Oh Calcutta in Parnell for good service and food”. Chand loves living in Ponsonby being so close to cafes and restaurants and says how easy it is to go for walks with the baby and how welcoming her neighbours have been. “It’s a nice pace, it’s easy to get around and I can drop into the restaurant with Zoya during the day so Sid gets to spend some time with her too. Our neighbours are friendly and the type that will help you out like when we moved here I was heavily pregnant and our neighbours who we had just met took care of our dog while everything was being moved in. I’ve never had that sort of community before, it’s easy going and friendly and I’m really happy to be living here”. (REBECCA JONES) PN
“Sid lives and breathes the restaurant, the only service he’s ever missed was when the baby was born and even after my sixteen hour labour, he went back to work at 8.00pm! We manage to spend quite a lot of time together though, when Sid comes home at one or two in the morning he wakes me up and we have dinner together. He needs time to wind down and we discuss what’s been going on, things that need to be done. It’s our catch up time as he goes to work early and although we speak to each other three or four times a day, it’s lovely to just be close and talk,” says Chand. “We’re always talking to each other, we think similar thoughts and never go to bed mad at each other. We believe in the power of positive thinking and if you ask the universe for something you will get it. The day Sid decided he wanted a restaurant everything fell into place within a month. We had a vision for the restaurant together, it’s like an extension of our home and we were both involved with the decoration and design”. The restaurant is closed on Sunday and Monday, so on one of these they make the effort to have a date night. Says Chand, “as I cook all week it’s Sid’s turn on the
SID, CHAND and ZOYA SAHRAWAT with OSCAR
IT’S GAME TIME AT CHAPEL The crack management team has been devoted to this for the last four years – analysing the opposition, trying new combinations, promoting those with exceptional skills and casting aside those that don’t make the grade, looking at every last detail right down to the composition of the benches. Sure, the number one ranking has been retained throughout this period, and all the signs coming out of the camp this year have been positive, but now all the country can do is wait with nervous anticipation and bated breath… just how good will Chapel’s seven-week Rugby World Cup party extravaganza be?! That’s right, Chapel is about to host the mother of all parties, and as you might expect, Chapel owner Luke Dallow is certainly talking a good game. Quizzed about his own intentions for the World Cup, when Telecom was asking us all to give ‘it’ up for the team, he was typically to the point: “Abstain for the game? Screw that,” he said… “I’ll be rooting for the AB’s!” And while Telecom’s World Cup campaign may have gone down like a last-minute Jonny Wilkinson drop goal in a Walkabout Pub, Luke promises that the Chapel party won’t fizzle out until long after the final’s final whistle. Indeed, as the only official Heineken Rugby World Cup on Ponsonby Road, Chapel will be the place to immerse yourself in cup fever throughout the tournament, whoever you’re supporting, and wherever the game is being played. To ensure no forward pass or knock-on goes unnoticed, Luke has installed four new giant screens in the bar, on which every single one of the Cup’s 48 games will be shown live. Rumour has it that he has also negotiated a live link from the bar to the video ref’s box for all All Black games, however these claims are as yet unconfirmed. PN CHAPEL BAR & BISTRO, 147 Ponsonby Road T: 09 360 4528 www.chapel.co.nz
The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
DEADLINE – 20TH OF THE MONTH September 2011 PONSONBY NEWS+
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