In this Q&A we meet Sandy Browning, Executive Chef at Ka Pao – the southeast Asian restaurant in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter. Sandy tells us all about the dining experience here, shares his inspiration from his travels, gives insights on future dining trends and more!
Please tell us all about Ka Pao – where did the idea / concept come from and your journey so far.
Ka Pao started as a pop-up in Glasgow back in 2018. It is a concept that really grew out of a shared love for the techniques and ingredients of South East Asian cooking. Between us, the team and I have travelled and worked in Northern Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, and also Australia where you can find Asian influence all over the modern dining scene. Our first pop-up was a simple set sharing menu, with communal tables, a lot of BYOB and a bit of chaos. We’ve come a long way fast but the Ka Pao menu at its core is still based on those early development days.
As Executive Chef at Ka Pao, what exactly does your role entail?
Day-to-day, I split my time between Edinburgh and Glasgow, looking after the kitchen teams and working with them on training and consistency. Alongside that, I’m working on menu development, whether that be making improvements to current dishes or developing the next season’s.
Before your role as Head Chef at Ka Pao, you spent some time working at Michelin starred restaurant Nahm in Bangkok. Please tell us about this amazing experience and what influence it has had on Ka Pao.
I was fortunate enough to have the chance to stage at Nahm in March 2018. The company set it up for me with the concept that would become Ka Pao in mind, and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity. I spent around a month in Thailand during that visit. It was pivotal to my development as a chef, and really helped shape my approach to the menu at Ka Pao.
What can diners expect from the Ka Pao experience?
A fun, fully inclusive dining experience inspired by the cooking of Southeast Asia, combined with the best of the produce readily available to us. There are options for everyone, with good range of veggie and vegan dishes and varied levels of spice to accommodate people’s taste. A visit is made complete with a fantastic drinks selection, creative cocktails and regularly changing guest wines from small producers.
Which is your favourite dish on the menu and why?
Probably the Arbroath Smokie Miang. For me, it sums up what Ka Pao is about: using South East Asian methods and recipes, and introducing local Scottish produce to the dish.
Scotland has a thriving dining scene, why do you think this is?
Scots just love to go out and have a good time, basically. I think there’s a real want for relaxed variety in the scene right now that’s making for loads of new openings coming up and doing really well.
Share your thoughts on what the key trends for dining out in the next few years will be?
I think vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian dining will continue to thrive over the next few years, with a focus on produce rather than processed substitutes.
What’s in the pipeline for you and Ka Pao?
Our aim is for Ka Pao to be the ‘go-to’ for a great night out in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Myself and a few of the senior chefs are going out to Thailand in January to do some research, so I expect we’ll come back from that full of ideas for the year ahead!
Where is your own ‘Hidden Edinburgh’?
I stay down in Leith, and I feel that’s just got so many great places to go. Little Chartroom, Mistral, Custom Lane, Nauticus, Alby’s – the list goes on!
What is your life motto (if you have one)?
Keep learning. I think it’s important to always be open to new ideas, and to learn from mistakes made to try and better yourself going forwards.
Address: Floor 4, St James Quarter, Edinburgh EH1 3AE
Web: www.ka-pao.com
