How Chef Suryansh Singh Kanwar turned nostalgia into a restaurant

After years of feeding everyone, from cricketers and Bollywood stars to travelling IPL teams, Chef Suryansh Singh Kanwar realised that at the end of the day, people still crave familiarity on a plate. That emotional pull toward comfort and memory now sits at the centre of TheySee, his new-age Indian restaurant that reimagines desi flavours through a culture-led lens. In conversation with LuxeBook, Kanwar opens up about creating food with emotional recall, designing TheySee for the modern Indian diner, and the experiences that shaped his culinary perspective. Read on.

LuxeBook: You’ve fed athletes, actors, entrepreneurs, and families across cities and countries. Did you notice a common thread in what people crave when they’re away from home?

Chef Suryansh: Honestly, yes, and it surprised me at first how universal it is. Doesn’t matter if someone’s a cricketer, an actor, a CEO, or just someone who’s moved cities for work. At some point, they all want something that feels like home. That craving doesn’t go away. Trends come and go, people’s diets change, their lifestyles evolve but that emotional pull toward a specific dish or a specific flavour? That stays.

For me, the real job starts when I stop thinking about the food and start thinking about the person. Like with Sunil Shetty’s manglorean chicken that dish didn’t come from me sitting down and thinking about technique or trying to do something clever with a recipe. It came from understanding him. His palate, what comfort actually means to him, what he probably grew up eating, what hits different after a long day. Once I had that, the dish kind of found itself. It became his because it carries something of his.

Same with Hardik’s butter chicken. I mean, butter chicken is probably the most cooked dish in the country, everyone has a version, every mum, every dhaba, every five-star. So the question was never “how do I make mine better?” It was, what does this dish need to be for him, specifically, when he’s travelling and playing across countries and just wants something that grounds him? That shift in how you frame the intention changes everything about how you actually cook it.

LuxeBook: What shaped the idea for TheySee?

Chef Suryansh: TheySee has been on my mind for a long time, honestly. It was never just about the food and drinks, that was never going to be enough for what we wanted to build. The idea was always bigger than that. We wanted a space where people actually feel something when they walk in. Connected, comfortable, like they’re part of what’s happening, not just sitting in it.

And at the heart of it, TheySee is unapologetically Indian. It’s loud, its warm and stays with you. We didn’t want to dress things up or water anything down for the sake of it. India has an incredible identity at the table and we wanted this place to own that fully with a few unique twists- our twists and turns that resonate with a diner of today.  We take familiar flavours from across the country and present them in a more contemporary, new-age way, while still respecting their roots. It’s not about replacing tradition, but evolving it in a way that feels exciting today. Take our not so chili cheese toast which is centric to hyderabad but we have married it to a shahi tukda which gives it new life.

Ultimately, we wanted to build somewhere people genuinely want to come back to. Not because they feel they should, but because it stays with them.

LuxeBook: How would you describe the current evolution of Indian dining culture, especially among younger diners?

Chef Suryansh: Young diners today want experiences that feel both exciting and familiar. They care about the quality of the product, but they also pay close attention to branding, design, and the overall atmosphere. If you want them to spend their time and money with you, every aspect of the experience needs to connect with them, from the perspective you are building it and creating it. That needs to show in your ambiance and food. To give you an example of what we do here, we have an actual bazaar set up within the place to lend an Indian market vibe. Our matchbox installations are created by an artist from Auroville and in the past the matchbox was the only canvas available to artists who wanted to express themselves so that is represented there. Elsewhere, Raja Ravi Varma’s iconic painting of a woman holding a sitar has been quietly reimagined, the sitar replaced with an electric guitar the reference remains, but the gesture tips its hat to the present and something the younger gen will connect to.

LuxeBook: What went behind creating the menu at TheySee? Is there a favourite dish on the menu?

Chef Suryansh: The menu at TheySee is designed for the new-age Indian diner. It is approachable and familiar while still offering something exciting. We wanted it to appeal to a wide audience, from younger guests and families to locals and international visitors. Beyond the food, the focus is on creating an atmosphere and culture that keeps people coming back, whether for a meal, a drink, or simply the experience. 

One of my favourites is the Prawn Kadi Slurpies. It features sous vide prawns finished in garlic butter and served over udon noodles tossed in a Goan-style coconut prawn kadi. The sauce is enriched with prawn heads and shells, which gives it a deep seafood flavour. 

I can also strongly vouch for the Kali Miri Seekh that arose from an idea that if you’re going to put cheese in a chicken seekh to keep it moist, and most chefs do, why not use a cheese worth talking about! The answer is a well-aged kali miri Belper Knolle, folded into a seekh that’s built to sit alongside a drink without asking for too much attention. Some dishes carry cities.

LuxeBook: How do memory and identity influence the way you build a dish?

Chef Suryansh: Food has always been nostalgic for me. The inspiration rarely comes from technique alone. It usually starts with a memory, a place, or an experience that has stayed with me over time. Every dish on the menu has a story behind it, and many of them are meant to spark conversations. I believe that’s what great food should do. It should create a connection and leave people talking beyond just the meal itself.

LuxeBook: Where do you think Indian cuisine is headed in the next decade?

Chef Suryansh: I believe the idea of traditionality will gradually become less relevant in the F&B space. Today, chefs are more focused on creating food that reflects their own experiences, techniques, and perspective. Indian cuisine has always been experimental, innovative and thought provoking. We naturally absorb different influences, reinterpret them, and create something uniquely our own. That process has shaped our food for centuries and will continue for generations to come.

Address: Plot No. 8-2, 293/82/A/161, Road 13, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500033

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