Nadeem Siraj
Founding chef of Tandoori Station and Namak in Madrid, reinterpreting Indian and Pakistani cooking with what he calls the mathematics of spices.
- Restaurants
- 2
Nadeem Siraj, a Pakistani chef born to Indian parents, is the founding chef of Tandoori Station, an Indian restaurant he opened in Madrid's Salamanca district in 2005, and later of Namak, a higher-end Indian project near the Rosewood Villa Magna hotel. He studied electronic engineering in Australia but moved into cooking, working in Indian restaurants there before expanding across Asia in Thailand and Malaysia, where he opened his own restaurant, then in South Africa and Brazil. His food is built on what he calls the mathematics of spices, a balance of ingredients he learned watching his mother cook.
Biography
Early years
Nadeem Siraj was born in Pakistan to Indian parents. He grew up around the aromas and spices that would shape his career, and while he studied electronic engineering in Australia, his real calling was in his mother's kitchen, where he learned what he calls the mathematics of spices: combining simple ingredients to create complex, balanced flavours.
Career
Rather than pursue engineering, Siraj went to work in Indian restaurants in Australia. He then expanded his cooking across Asia, working in Thailand and Malaysia, where he opened his own restaurant, before moving on to South Africa and then Brazil, picking up South American influences along the way. He later moved to Madrid, where in 2005 he opened Tandoori Station in the Salamanca district, built around the concept of an Indian train station in which each dish represents a stop on a journey through the subcontinent. After Tandoori Station's success, Siraj opened Namak, a higher-end Indian project in the former premises of 99 KŌ Sushi Bar near the Rosewood Villa Magna hotel, inspired by the sophistication of London's Indian restaurants.
Philosophy
The approach favors authentic flavors, freshly ground spices, and techniques that respect the quality of the ingredients. At Namak, Siraj fuses modern technique with tradition, describing his food as a balance between product and spice, the 'mathematics of spices,' blending his Pakistani heritage and Indian roots with street-food influences picked up during his international career, and leaning on Spanish products to keep the flavours accessible to local palates.
Restaurants
Elsewhere
1Nadeem Siraj in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Nadeem Siraj’s restaurants.
Frequently asked
Who is Nadeem Siraj?
Nadeem Siraj is a Pakistani chef, born to Indian parents, who founded Tandoori Station in Madrid in 2005 and later opened Namak.
What is Tandoori Station's cooking style?
Ancestral Indian recipes reinterpreted from a contemporary perspective, using freshly ground spices and tandoor cooking.
When did Nadeem Siraj open Tandoori Station?
In 2005, in Madrid's Castellana area, styled around the concept of an Indian train station.
What did Nadeem Siraj do before opening Tandoori Station?
He studied electronic engineering in Australia, then worked in Indian restaurants there before cooking in Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa and Brazil.
What is Namak?
Namak is Nadeem Siraj's higher-end Indian restaurant in Madrid, near the Rosewood Villa Magna hotel, inspired by the sophistication of London's Indian restaurants.
What does Nadeem Siraj call his cooking approach?
He calls it the mathematics of spices: balancing simple ingredients to build complex, well-rounded flavours, a principle he learned from his mother's cooking.