Chef Dom Fernando On How Food Holds Memory And Culture
Chef Dom Fernando's goal is to be a storyteller - to help his guests understand where a dish originated and how it's being innovated beyond perceivable boundaries.
Born in London to Sri Lankan parents, Dom Fernando spent his childhood vacations exploring Sri Lanka while visiting family. Mealtimes were something else - one can almost picture the young Fernando explaining each dish to his cousins, the knowledge moving through him after an afternoon spent watching it all unfold: how each dish was prepared, which spice was added when, the friendly quarrels over who made the best mutton curry. Those afternoons stirred in him a deep love for food and for Sri Lankan cuisine - so much so that when he finally quit his corporate job, his first instinct was to start looking at rentals online, with the quiet certainty that he would open a restaurant of his own.
“When I quit my corporate job and was flying back from Singapore to London, I was sitting in my seat, debating what to do next with my career. I really wanted to open my own business, and the thought of opening up a restaurant has always been in my path. So I looked at rentals online whilst still on the ground, got an idea of rents, and when I landed in London, I texted my mother to say this is what I want to do next,” he says, reminiscing.
And so Paradise Soho was born, in London’s Soho district, and quickly became the hottest restaurant in town. Chef Fernando’s “attractive”, “colourful” and “thoughtfully constructed” dishes, as the Michelin Guide calls them, have earned him much acclaim in the city.
Fernando was in Mumbai recently, hosting an intimate Chef’s Table at Soho House Mumbai, where ten guests experienced a nine-course tasting menu - Sri Lankan flavours meeting British ingredients in a bold, contemporary take on Sinhalese cuisine. It was also a kind of sneak peek into Open Door Policy, his next venture, slated to open this May in Colombo.
In an exclusive interview with Esquire India, the noted Chef talks about his next venture, food as an expression of cultural identity and the experience of dining.
On transforming a former two-story villa into Open Door Policy:
“I wanted to make a statement with the design of the Open Door Policy. Paradise follows inspiration from Geoffrey Bawa, but through the lens of tropical brutalism in the middle of Soho. I wanted Open Door Policy to be different - drawing from my travels in Central America and Mexico - but using unique local materials such as brick, clay, copper and wood, which are native to Sri Lanka. I wanted guests to feel the warmth of the different areas - yet give them an experience that they wouldn't have otherwise in Sri Lanka through the design elements.”
On the experience of dining at Paradise and Open Door Policy:
“I used to work in hotels, where our brands were the experience - so it's my background BUT ever since the Pandemic, I feel that guests put even more emphasis on occasion dining and experience - and as a result, restaurateurs are now raising the bar to meet this expectation. Robbie Bargh, a hospitality consultant in London, always said that in hospitality, we’re trying to evoke emotion per square foot. And this stays true for what we do at Paradise and Open Door Policy - at every step from our branding, digital communication and in-house restaurant guest experience, we’re aiming to show our guests a unique experience through the delivery of our food, drink and service.”
On how his British upbringing and Sri Lankan heritage shape the way he approaches food, not just as a chef, but as a personal expression of identity:
“It's an interesting juxtaposition, but one that I’ve really enjoyed researching and discovering. Both have shaped who I am today and the experience that we deliver at Paradise and Open Door Policy. It’s also meant that I can balance my appreciation for both by blending the best of both worlds. Authenticity (the Sri Lankan side of me) will always come through in our food and experience, but using unique seasonal British ingredients has also taught me a lot about our food ecosystem and the world that we live in. At the end of the day, it's my unique brand of experience, and I’m just very fortunate to be able to host people who want to enjoy it.”
On how food can act as a vessel for memory and culture:
“It all starts from memory for me - something I ate as a youngster, something I didn't want to eat but was forced to by my parents (kiri-bath, I’m looking at you!), something that we shared around the table as a family, something we argued about…it's how it ignites our creativity. Our goal is to be storytellers - to tell our guests about where a dish or drink originated from, and then to show them how we are progressing through innovation and creativity to push the boundaries of what they may perceive.”
On hosting the Chef's Table at Soho House, Mumbai:
"With Mumbai witnessing a shift toward experiential, meaningful events, Soho House Mumbai has become a destination for elevated culinary experiences - spaces where chefs can tell stories through food, engage with a curious and well-travelled audience, and build something memorable beyond a single service. Open Door Policy (ODP) felt especially aligned with this vision: bold, community-driven, and rooted in storytelling through food."