Manish Mehrotra wins 'Foodistan'

Delhi-based chef Manish Mehrotra, known for fusion cuisine, was Wednesday declared the winner of NDTV Good Times food reality show "Foodistan".

Mehrotra beat Pakistan's chef Poppy (Amina Agha) to walk away with the winner's trophy along with a contract to write a cookery book and a visit to three cities.

"I'll be writing a book with NDTV and will visit three cities in the world where I can go for culinary experience. I'm really excited for the book and for my further travelling. I would try to go to Australia, America and Northern Europe," Mehrotra told IANS after winning the show.

A graduate from Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai, Mehrotra, 38, was trained under master chefs in Thailand. He runs Indian Accent, a fine dining restaurant at The Manor, New Delhi.

The show, which saw the best chefs from India and Pakistan vying for the title, was judged by food critic Vir Sanghvi, actress and food enthusiast Sonya Jehan and Britain's celebrity chef Merriless Parker.

The show started off with 16 professional chefs - eight each from India and Pakistan. Ira Dubey and Aly Khan hosted it.