F&W Rising Star of the Year 2018: Karan Mittal

With so much new talent to be found in the kitchens of Irish restaurants, we were spoiled for choice when picking a winner for the Rising Star of the Year Award, sponsored by The Sunday Business Post. However, Karan Mittal of Ananda, wowed our judging panel and took home the coveted title.

This award is all about people that we believe will be household names of the future and Karan Mittal, head chef at Ananda Dundrum, certainly fits into this category.

Having grown up in Delhi, India’s capital city, Karan was inspired to take up the competitive S.T.E.P. training programme, a prestigious three-year programme that only trains 50 chefs per year. After working in Indian Accent Delhi with Daniel Patterson, Karan turned his hand to New York’s fine dining scene, where he helped to open two of the city’s most creative Indian restaurants. After his stint in New York, Karan came to Ireland in 2017 and has since been making waves with his vibrant flavours.

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#Repost @anandadundrum This colourful plate is a new dish à la carte, it is called "Paneer three ways" and was created by our Head Chef Karan Mittal. Paneer is a fresh cheese widely used in India. The dish comprises paneer tikka stuffed with peas and asparagus, achari Irish cottage cheese bonda, pedron peppers and lababdar sauce. It is as tasty as it is beautiful and we know you will love it! . . . . . #anandadundrum #dundrum #paneer #indiancuisine #indianfood #finedining #dublinfood #ireland #irishfood #restaurant #spices #foodstagram #foodphotography #foodie #instafood #tikka #vegetarian

A post shared by karan mittal (@chefkaran.m) on Sep 7, 2018 at 9:06am PDT

We here at F&W are not the only ones to have noticed Karan's talent as he recently reached the semi-final of the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year. With Karan competing with 13 other chefs for the title, the competition is set to be fierce. We are certainly excited to see what sort of dishes Karan can come up with and we wish him all the best!

As Ireland’s number one Indian fine-dining restaurant, Ananda seeks to create a contemporary menu full of innovative dishes that will both impress and excite diners. With his one-of-a-kind seasonal tasting menu, Karan’s food has furthered Ananda’s trademark of combining Irish produce with traditional Indian cuisine. Showcasing a vast menu that features flavours from all over India, Ananda ensures that each diner experiences an authentic Indian meal.

Speaking to FOOD&WINE about his recent win, Karan said:

“I feel stoked about winning such a prestigious award. The talent in the category was so immense that I feel truly honoured to be the winner. The whole team at Ananda has worked to achieve this and we now hope to achieve even higher standards for Ananda.”

We here at F&W are not the only ones to have noticed Karan's talent as he recently reached the semi-final of the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year. With Karan competing with 13 other chefs for the title, the competition is set to be fierce. We are certainly excited to see what sort of dishes Karan can come up with and we wish him all the best!

The @FoodAndWineMag Awards 2018 shortlist has been announced and Ananda appears in no less than three categories: rising star & best chef for Chef Karan, and best restaurant in Dublin!
We are so proud of our amazing team and we will keep our fingers crossed for the big day 🤞 pic.twitter.com/j7UHgOCK4n

— Ananda Dundrum (@AnandaDundrum) August 6, 2018

Having made such a significant impact on Ananda’s dining experience in such a short time, we are sure that Karan Mittal is a name you won’t want to forget.

Have you tried any of Karan’s delicious food at Ananda? Let us know if you have in the comments below.

You can find Ananda at the Cinema Building, Dundrum Town Centre, Sandyford Road, D16.