2 Michelin Star Chefs: Sat Bains, chef proprietor, Restaurant Sat Bains

Sat Bains is the chef Proprietor of the two Michelin-starred restaurant sat bains in nottingham.

• Features with Sat Bains
• Other chefs with two Michelin stars
• Sat Bains recipes

With two Michelin stars his name and a consistently-high spot in the Good Food Guide, Nottingham-based Sat Bains has a passion for food and isn't afraid to show it. A good testament to this is that the chef crossed paths with plenty of influential British cooks before opening his own restaurant, Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms, in 2002.

Biography

Born in Derby to Indian parents, Sat Bains grew up eating his mother’s curries - a surprising start for someone who later became gifted at cooking modern French dishes.

He left school at 16 and went to Derby College where he took a catering course. There, in an attempt to impress the pretty ladies in a queue, a young Sat tried his hand at cooking.

After the course, Sat worked under Mick Murphy, who inspired him in his passion for food - as did reading Marco Pierre White’s White Heat.

The young chef sent his CV to high-calibre restaurants around the country, but many of his attempts were rejected, including the one sent to John Burton Race, celebrated chef and TV personality.

Later, Sat moved to Oxford, where he was hired by Raymond Blanc to help with the opening of his new restaurant, Le Petit Blanc.

Roux Scholarship

Sat moved to Nottingham aged just 21, but his career really began seven years later, in 1999, when he won the Roux scholarship.

This led to other opportunities for the chef, such as working at the three Michelin-starred Le Jardin des Sens in France and a stint as head chef at Hotel des Clos. When the owners decided it was time for them to move on, Sat seized on the opportunity and bought them out. 

In 2002, he relaunched the restaurant under its current moniker, and within a year, he had already won his first Michelin star. He won his second In 2011, as well as 5 AA Rosettes.

Nucleus

In 2015 Sat opened Nucleus, a six-seater 'restaurant within a restaurant’ inside Restaurant Sat Bains, with its own dedicated entrance and kitchen..

The mini restaurant offers a seasonal tasting menu for lunch and dinner, with the option of either seven or ten courses.

Other Projects

In 2012, Sat was head chef at the pop-up restaurant “The Cube” on top of the Southbank Centre, where he worked alongside Tom Kitchin and Daniel Clifford.

Sat has also had many television appearances, including competing in the BBC's Great British Menu in 2007, where he won the Midlands and East heat.

The starter he made was judged the best within the finalists and was given a perfect score of 10. He has also made numerous appearances on BBC's Saturday Kitchen.

In 2015, Sat set himself the challenge of cooking a three course meal at the top of Mount Everest, to break the Guinness World Record for the highest formal dinner party.

The dinner was set to be over 23,000 ft above sea level. However, upon undergoing the challenge, Sat and his team were caught in the Nepal earthquake and were told to return home.

While at Base Camp, Sat was diagnosed with the full symptoms of High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE). which can be life-threatening, and he began his descent with oxygen to the hospital in Kathmandu. Despite having to make the decision to go home, the chef was still happy he tried.

Videos of Sat Bains: