Antony Jose
From the streets of Kochi to the flavours of Asia, Antony Jose builds his restaurant, with dishes that move between comfort and risk, nostalgia and invention.
Some people travel for landscapes or culture, but you travel for food.
Wherever there are good restaurants and cafés, I enjoy being there. That’s honestly how I experience cities. I travel to Bangalore often to eat and to see what’s new and evolving. It’s not just for inspiration; it’s also to understand where the food market is heading. As a restaurant owner in Kochi, I don’t want to compete locally. I want to compete with restaurants in Bombay, Bangalore, and globally. No one here is really doing what I want to do, so I look outward.
Do you think Kochi is ready for experimentation with food?
It’s getting there, slowly. But Kochi still needs comfort food. If I only did experimental plates, I wouldn’t survive in the long term. That’s why there’s fried rice and noodles on the menu, even though that’s not my ideal vision.
The audience’s taste influences many aspects of my menu.
Is the audience changing and becoming more open to a wider range of dishes?
Yes. I’ve introduced items on the menu that no one else in Kochi offers, and people are responding positively. They keep coming back for it, so something is working. There is a growing audience that wants better food and better ideas, but it’s still not a city where experimentation alone can sustain you.
Though we are trying something new today, something with strawberries, as it’s strawberry season for us. We try out various flavours and ingredients every week.
What dish are you trying?
It’s not a dessert. So we’re trying to do strawberries and scallops as a small plate, or strawberries and tuna. We like playing around with flavours; if it works, it works; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t, but that doesn’t stop us from experimenting. This dish may never appear on the menu if it doesn’t work.
So, that’s how it is. Things sometimes work, sometimes they don’t, but that doesn’t stop us.
Do you remember the moment you first tasted Asian food?
Not really, because I was exposed to it very early; my father was a marine engineer, so we travelled a lot when I was a child. I grew up eating sushi and Asian food across Singapore, China, and Malaysia. Those flavours became normal to me. They’re nostalgic and feel natural.
Why Asian cuisine?
Because I love Asian food, it’s my comfort food. It’s also the flavour profile I enjoy being creative with. My background matters too. I’m French-trained and have worked in French and Italian kitchens, so you’ll see Italian dishes on the menu — like tuna crudo and beef carpaccio — but they carry Asian flavours. Everything is borrowed from different places and experiences and brought together on a plate.
Do you believe in being greedy for the right things?
Yes, but “greedy” isn’t the right word. I believe in being passionate about the right things. That’s why I’m here today: passion drives me and this restaurant.
Is the menu entirely your vision, or is it a team effort?
Mostly mine for now, but my team has space to pitch ideas, and when something works, we put it on the menu. Eventually, one person can’t keep generating ideas endlessly. Even inspiration runs out, so collaboration will matter more as we grow.
Do you cook for the audience, or for yourself?
For the audience. I haven’t cooked for myself in years. Once you work in a commercial kitchen, home cooking feels impossible; the equipment is small, the space is limited, and honestly, you’re exhausted at the end of the day.
How much of the menu is driven by the customer?
It’s 50–50. Half of it is what I truly want to cook, and half is what people need. Kerala loves rice. If a group comes in where four like ramen and one doesn’t, you need to cater to that person, too. Otherwise, they’re forced to eat something they don’t enjoy.
You studied Chartered Accountancy before becoming a chef. How does that shape the way you run a restaurant?
It was a blessing in disguise. I understand taxes, costs, laws, and structure. Most chefs struggle with the business side; that’s one thing I don’t. It was difficult, five to six years of discipline, but it helps me run this place properly.
Consistency or experimentation — which would you choose?
Consistency, without question. That’s what makes or breaks a restaurant. One of the biggest compliments we get is that our food is consistent, and that’s because I’m here almost all the time. But experimentation is necessary too; customers want familiarity and surprise.
As a chef today, what excites you, and what worries you?
What excites me is making food for people. Someone might have their first experience at Tony’s Kitchen today, which excites me. What worries me is staffing; it’s the biggest problem in this industry. No one stays for too long. You’re constantly hiring and seeing people leave. Without a good team, it’s very hard to execute a successful operation. Ask any chef what the biggest challenge is, and the answer will always be staffing.
What do you think the future of food in India looks like?
We’ll see more chef-centred restaurants, especially in cities like Bangalore and Bombay, and eventually Kochi too. We’ll move away from chain-style restaurants to spaces driven by chef creativity and flavour-focused ideas. Food is becoming more artistic, more personal, and less formulaic.
If you had to choose between nostalgia and the future on a plate, which would it be?
Nostalgia. Always.
Most of my flavours come from memory — travel, childhood, moments. Nostalgia drives my creativity, informs much of what I do in the kitchen.
Do you think food has the power to preserve memory the way stories do?
Of course, it’s similar to music. A flavour, a smell, or even a sight of a dish can preserve a memory and certainly ignite one. It’s a beautiful thing to serve.
What food describes you?
That’s a difficult question to answer. I am an amalgamation of every food, and what represents me changes every day; I am defined by each day. Today, a beef steak might define me, and tomorrow, it could be a flavour of vanilla.
When someone leaves your table, what do you hope they carry with them?
A great memory, a flavour that stays with you, and one dish that will keep them coming back for more.A good memory. A flavour to remember. And one dish they’ll come back for.
