Questions to ask about spice, authenticity and dietary needs

When you're booking a table at a speciality restaurant or catering for an event, what you ask beforehand separates a meal that lands from one that disappoints. The owner or head chef should be ready to answer specific questions about where their spices come from, how they handle dietary restrictions, and what authenticity actually means in their kitchen. A chef who welcomes detailed questions is usually one who knows their craft and respects what they're making.

Questions that reveal if they understand their own cuisine

Start with: "Where do your core spices come from?" A good answer names a supplier or region—"I source my chillies from a South African grower in the Eastern Cape, and my cardamom from a Tamil grocer in Johannesburg." An evasive answer is vague ("we get them locally") or dismissive ("does it really matter?"). Spices age, lose potency and absorb moisture; a chef who cares knows the difference between two-year-old coriander and six-month-old coriander.

Then ask: "How do you balance heat and flavour?" This matters because spice isn't just about burn. Listen for whether they talk about layering—building depth with different types of heat, timing when spices hit the pan, how they balance chilli with sweetness or sourness. If they say "we just use lots of chilli," that's a red flag. A credible answer sounds like: "We bloom the spices in ghee first, add chilli at different stages, and finish with fresh coriander to cool it slightly."

For authenticity, ask: "Have you trained in the cuisine's home country, or studied under someone who has?" Time spent learning in-situ—or with a master who did—shapes how a chef understands proportions, technique and the why behind each step. Someone who learned from a grandmother in Thailand or a family restaurant in Punjab has absorbed nuances that cookbooks alone don't teach. That doesn't invalidate self-taught chefs, but context matters when you're assessing claims of authenticity.

Dietary needs and transparency

Unless you're dining solo, ask: "How do you handle allergies and religious dietary restrictions?" The difference between a good answer and a risky one is specific. A strong response is: "We have a full list of what's in every dish, keep nut products separate, cross-check with our suppliers, and have protocols for nut-free prep." A weak response sounds like: "We try our best" or "just tell us and we'll work it out." Trying isn't enough when someone's safety is on the line.

If you have several guests with different needs, ask: "Can you modify dishes without losing authenticity?" This is the tension many speciality restaurants face. A thoughtful answer might be: "We can make it vegetarian, but then it's not the traditional version—it becomes something else. Here's what we'd do instead." That honesty helps you decide whether compromise serves your group or whether you should choose a different restaurant.

Also ask: "Do you use MSG, store-bought pastes, or pre-made sauces?" Many authentic cuisines use stock cubes or bottled ingredients as legitimate shortcuts; others build everything from scratch. There's no inherent wrongness in either approach, but you deserve to know. If they say "we make everything from scratch" and then you taste something that tastes like it came from a tin, trust matters less in future.

A final question: "Can we speak with you or the head chef before booking a large group or special occasion?" This separates places that are confident in their offering from those that would rather avoid scrutiny. A chef willing to have a conversation about what you need is signalling they take their work seriously.

When you've asked these questions and received straightforward, detailed answers, you've found someone who knows what they're doing. On Strove, you can read other diners' experiences and reach out to restaurants directly with these exact questions—most will be happy to answer.