My Life My Style: Ritu Dalmia

Best work moment
When I thought a meal had gone not so well and the next morning I got a bunch of flowers from the same guest thanking me for a fab dinner.

Books on your bedside
Jeanette Wintersons The Stone Gods and The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

Massage or work out to de-stress
Massage, of course

Workout regime
Forty minutes cardio, 40 minutes weight training, four times a week.

Designs that have caught your eye recently
I am quite intrigued by Kit Kemp who designs the loveliest hotels.

Your IT tools
My iPhone and Mac

Favourite spirit
Bombay Sapphire

Favourite wine
I love a good Amarone

Favourite champagne
I am a woman of simple tastes, so no Krug for me; give me a Bollinger any day.

Favourite cuisine
Italian

What do you cook on your day off?
Gujarati daal and chawal

Favourite restaurant
La Calandre-Padua, Italy

Work day lunch
A salad or an egg white omelette, depends which restaurant I am in actually.

Whats your weekday breakfast like? And weekend?
Breakfast everyday is strong cold coffee, weekday or weekend

Fancy coffee or masala tea?
Although I am a coffee drinker, masala tea does tempt me.

Your favourite TV show
Mad Men

Favourite city
Rome

Your fragrance
Acqua di Parma

You get your work clothes from?
Kitchen clothes from specialised Chef Darzi and non-kitchen clothes from Rajesh Pratap Singh.

The shoemaker you trust your sole with
Fratelli Rossetti

Your favourite evening wear
Blue jeans, brogues and a kurta

Best gift received
A mug which says peace begins with your smile.

Best gift given
The Griffin and Sabine trilogy

Your sleeping ritual
Shower, four pillows, a bit of TV and a few pages of reading

Where do you like to sit when being driven upfront with the driver or backseat like a memsahib?
I like to always sit in the front. Rather be a don than a memsahib.

On a plane, do you prefer to network, sleep or catch up on films and reading?
No networking on a flight; for me that is pure movie time.

What food items do you like to shop for?
I always shop for local cheese, cold cuts or anything that is local. Actually, half my suitcase when I travel is filled with food stuff.

Do you fill customer feedback forms? Why?
Yes, I do because I think it is important for an establishment to know what your experience was. (I always read feedback forms written by my clients.)

God for you is
Someone who is watching over me.

Ideal holiday
Start with chilling at a beach, a few days of being a tourist and ending up again on a beach. Super hotel and super meal times are mighty important.

Ideal dance music
Madonna, Gloria Gaynor

At parties, do you like to talk turkey or make PC?
I don't go to parties.

A few of your Goddesses are
Bette Midler, Penelope Cruz, Jeanette Winterson, and Sharmila Tagore

Alpha males
Rakesh Thakore, Brad Pitt

Favourite motto
Passera passera this, too, shall pass

Ritu Dalmia
Restaurateur, chef, bon vivant