Firangi is a South Asian collective founded by Ruhi Parmar Amin and Simar Deol, hosting takeovers and residencies in London and internationally. We caught up with Firangi during their pop up at Naughty Piglets, where the duo served up dishes including Masala Scotch Egg with Black Olive Caramel and Mooli Chutney and Ray Wing, Green Peppercorn & Curry Leaf Sauce with Pommes Allumette and Chilli Pickle.

You’ve hosted pop ups at Dan’s, Ken’s, Bar Sway, Newcomer, Bruno, Giaccos, Strangr, Albers, Chop Chop, Naughty Piglets and more. How do you prepare for each pop up, is each kitchen different?

Roo: I find the best thing to do is look at the identity of the space first. What are they building, what atmosphere do they foster, what does their usual food offering look like. From there, I start to work collaboratively, trying to make sure that as Firangi, our menus match the space and people can instantly understand why we're there.

Every kitchen is different, and sometimes there are restrictions, but learning how to work with these is part of the job! Preparing for each pop up depends on all these things, but also the season.

A summer menu at a wine bar and a winter menu at a bistro will require different planning based on what produce is at its peak, what temperatures we play around with, textures, technique and formats. It’s a really fun and challenging process, that, as a chef, helps me get better at what I do every day.

Do you learn new things, working in unfamiliar kitchens alongside different chefs?

Roo: Absolutely yes. I say this often, but as a chef, it is so easy to get inside your head. Whether through planning, testing or researching, you can sometimes feel like you’re living in your own creative bubble, which at times, is great, but can also be really tricky, and lonely!

I find I learn the most from those around me, especially other chefs. Each restaurant’s chef is far more attuned to that kitchen than you are; listen to them! Be humble! They help you work smarter, not harder.

Every chef has their own story, their own style, their own little tricks. One of the best things about cooking in different places is meeting these people and building something beautiful together.

Can we expect a Firangi restaurant soon?

Sim: Ha, short answer: we hope so! Long answer: that has always been our end goal, and continues to be, which is why every pop up is so important to us. We want to learn as much as we can and work with as many amazing people in London's (and beyond's!) hospitality scene as possible, so that when the time comes, we're ready.

Sometimes it feels like a fool's errand to talk about having our own space, especially since it's well known that restaurants are a famously hard industry to break into, but we love what we do, we love how London eats, and we feel strongly that there is space for Firangi here.

You both worked in creative media before you founded Firangi, what brought you back to the kitchen and restaurants?

Sim: Yes, we were both working in creative media before Firangi, although Roo had kept one foot in the food world through founding her culinary studio in Berlin.

From the day we first spoke Firangi into existence, we knew we had something worth taking the leap for. Roo wanted to return to kitchens full time, and I had always wanted to go into restaurants, so when we realised our different backgrounds converged around the same dream, it kind of just felt like something we had to do.

One thing we've learned about this industry is that conviction gets you further than you'd expect. We can't speak to running a permanent space yet, but there's something about restaurants that rewards people who genuinely want it, even when the learning curve is steep and the work never ends.