One restaurant — three different cuisines. The Tree Hotel is tucked away in the village of Iffley, which means its proprietors Rajinder and Kavita Pal, who took over nine years ago, have to work twice as hard as other hoteliers to attract customers. This is part explains their international menu, which celebrates a trio of cooking styles. They needed a unique selling point and by offering a choice of cuisines they believe they have found one Rajinder said it seemed the obvious way to go, as not everyone in a party likes the same thing. Some like spicy Indian food, others enjoy the fiery heat of a Thai dish, whereas a third group might prefer a classic British dish. As he passed me the menu for the Tree’s restaurant, the Annora, for my inspection, he stressed that they were definitely not offering fusion food, but a celebration of three separate and quite different cuisines.

Obviously, three different cuisines call for three chefs, each one specialising in a particular cooking style, yet all capable of standing in the other’s shoes if necessary.

Earlier this year he employed the highly esteemed Kuldeep Singh, from India, as head chef, and is thrilled with the way this talented specialist’s approach towards Indian food has projected his restaurant right into the 21st century. He says that Kuldeep has the ability to create authentic tastes but, like so many chefs today, he gives his dishes a modern twist which not only turns them into works of art, but tasty treats as well. Kuldeep’s enthusiasm is such that he inspires his fellow chefs, Pradeep Singh and Sanjeev Chhetri, to do the same.

Having gained his diploma in Hotel Management and Catering technology, in India when he left school, Kuldeep began work as a commis chef in the Jai Mahal Palace, in Jaipu, having spent time as a kitchen executive trainee which exposed him to butchery, bakery and confectionery and the organisation of food festivals.

He gained even more experience working in several five-star luxury Indian resorts, but it wasn’t long before he found himself in Las Vegas working as executive chef in Origin India, where he was hailed as an innovative chef with exceptional abilities.

Then London called and he took over the kitchen of the RV2 restaurant, in Shaftsbury Avenue, where he transformed the menu with a kaleidoscope of tantalizing spicy flavours.

Rajinder says that everyone at The Tree Hotel is proud to have him on board as his dishes are inspirational.

This all sounded too good to be true, which is why I found myself in the kitchen where I watched Kuldeep and his team create three dishes which represented the choice offered on their menu — pan-seared gurnard fillets served on a bed of pancake gurnards and served with saffron risotto, phad cha koung hon mong (see recipe on the left), and tandoori chicken breast marinated with lemon and pepper.

Watching a team of professional chefs at their business is a real privilege, particularly when they work together in harmony as they weave spices into their dishes. A pinch of this and a pinch of that, then they taste, adding a little more coriander, or cumin, until that final moment comes when they are confident that the spices are blended and the flavour they were looking for has been achieved.

When the dish is done, it is carefully placed on the plate and given a final twist of garnish. They then call for it to be taken into the restaurant in full knowledge it will tantalise the taste buds of those about to enjoy the dish. The pride they all take in reaching that moment of perfection is palpable.

During my youth, I ate at Indian restaurants often, but the dishes were served in silver-plated dishes. There were no artistic arrangements, just a steaming dish of curry that was often so chilli-hot it burned the palate. Eating an Indian meal then was a game. Who could eat the hottest meal? Who dare order a vindaloo? Now Indian dishes, such as the ones that Kuldeep cooks, are usually dressed on the plate and beautifully garnished. Their flavours are definitely spiced — but subtly so, making dinner a joy rather than a challenge.

Next year, Rajinder plans to sell customers seeking a takeaway meal a tiffin tin like the ones Indian wives use to send home-cooked lunches to their husband’s workplace. In India, the tins are picked up by dabba wallas who deliver them in time for lunch. His idea is similar and certainly environmentally friendly as there are no disposable food trays to throw away. Customers just wash the tiffin tin and hand it back when they want it filled again and delivered in time for lunch.

Like his three-cuisine menu, he sees this idea as thinking outside the box.