Platehopping Of COURSE!

While Sangeetha is a part-time nutritionist, Arjun is an art director at an advertising agency – an odd choice of professions for two people so obsessed with food. “But our love for food has been with us always. Even when I was little, I remember I’d be playing hide and seek on our lane with my friends and I'd run to hide in my house just so that I can get a bite to eat,” shares Arjun, who met his wife Sangeetha at a friend's wedding. “Also, our mothers used to be good friends even before we existed. So things sort of fell into place for us,” he explains.

It’s their shared passion for travel and experiencing new cultures that keeps the young couple going. "Travel is something we both enjoy and when combined with culinary experiences, there’s nothing quite like it. Arjun loves to cook and experiment in the kitchen, and I love to eat and clean, so I guess we’re perfect for each other,” says Sangeetha, with a laugh. And the worst experiment so far, Arjun tells us, is an onion soup he made. “I don’t know why I chose to make an onion soup. It was horrible,” he shares.

The duo recalls one of their early events in which they hosted Masterchef Australia participants, Renae Smith and Emelia Jackson. “One evening we got a call from someone who was hosting them, asking if we can give them an authentic South Indian breakfast experience. Of course we weren’t going to say no. We created an elaborate breakfast spread comprising idlis, vadas, sambar, masala dosa, chow-chow bath, and different chutneys for the two of them. Of course we needed a lot of help from my mother who is an expert chef when it comes to South Indian food,” reveals Arjun.

Talking about their most unique gastronomic encounters, Arjun shares that he sampled frog meat in Kuala Lumpur. “It was delicious... somewhat similar to chicken,” he explains. The couple also made their way to Langkawi where they had the best pizza ever from a street stall. “We make sure we sample the street food of every place we visit,” says Sangeetha, who is also a talented artist. With Sri Lanka next on their agenda, the couple plans to visit Faroe Islands next year.