Each chef will serve a selection of their signature dishes, such as Verjus’s acclaimed Ni-cru-ni-cuit Blue Lobster and the Dark Chocolate and Capers Tartelette, topped with Oscietra caviar.

We spoke with chef Pollini to discuss this exciting collaboration, what guests can look forward to, and his visions for the restaurant’s future.

What was the inspiration behind launching this series at Ladbroke Hall?

We started the Chefs Table series because we wanted to highlight how cooking can really be an art form. Our aim is to champion and bring together great chefs from around the world to show off their skills and blend the worlds of art, design, and food. It reflects the wider vision of Ladbroke Hall and Carpenters Workshop Gallery to celebrate creativity in all its forms and push beyond the traditional boundaries of artistic genres.

How did your collaboration with Bruno Verjus come about?

Bruno has a close relationship with Carpenters Workshop Gallery’s founders Loïc Le GailIard and Julien Lombrail, who have known the chef’s work for some time and have been looking for a way to bring his artistry to London audiences for the first time. Bruno really loves the arts, he’s a regular at the Louvre and an admirer of designers like Vincenzo de Cotiis and Charlotte Perriand. That passion makes him a perfect fit for the creative vibe we have here at Ladbroke Hall.

What aspects of Verjus’s cuisine and Table’s unique approach to hospitality do you admire?

He is a self-taught chef and has lived many lives. His two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris, Table, highlights the best of French culinary traditions and seasonal ingredients but reinterpreted in surprising, innovative ways. I very much relate to Bruno’s approach to embracing heritage through his cuisine, producing dishes that relate to ideas of home, family and identity but always with masterful, inventive flair.

What can guests expect from this collaboration? Will you be presenting individual dishes or will you create some dishes together?

In a specially curated set menu complete with wine pairings, guests at Chefs Table will enjoy two signature dishes by Bruno Verjus – ni-cru-ni-cuit blue lobster and dark chocolate and capers tartelette with Oscietra caviar – while I will also contribute three of my dishes, including tapioca mortadella with black truffle and my take on my mother’s

.

Could you describe Pollini at Ladbroke Hall and the concept behind it?

I opened Pollini, my first London restaurant, here at Ladbroke Hall in September 2023. The menu takes diners on a journey of taste through my childhood in Italy, with dishes inspired by my experiences eating in my grandmothers’ kitchens. I always maintain a strong connection with my roots in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, but also to the entire traditional Italian gastronomy of excellence, reinterpreting it through my own personal lens. 

How does your vision align with the artistic ethos of Ladbroke Hall?

Ladbroke Hall is a vibrant community and ecosystem born from a shared passion for creativity in all forms. The idea is to provide visitors with a holistic experience of creativity, whether enjoying art, music, theatre, dance or gastronomy. I’m constantly inspired by the energy of this cultural space, from the live jazz events to the amazing exhibitions of art and design, and I feel that my approach to food reflects its ethos of creativity, excitement and community. I try to tell stories with my dishes and to fill my plates with emotion.

Do art and design influence your work in the kitchen?

The restaurant shares its home with Carpenters Workshop Gallery, which focuses on redefining the boundaries between artistic genres. Working in such close quarters with the gallery, art and design play a part in the work we do in the kitchen, even if indirectly. The restaurant’s space is designed by the Italian artist Vincenzo De Cotiis and features specially commissioned artworks by Christopher Le Brun and Nacho Carbonell, so diners experience the dialogue between these works of art and design and the gastronomy on their plates – both elements influence each another.

Tell us about your favourite dishes on the menu

Can be a banality as I’m Italian, but all pastas in the menu are in my heart. Starting from the most simple ravioli – caramelle, which means candies, as their shape remember it – stuffed with the family recipe of mix cheeses from Emilia-Romagna, or the see urchin spaghetti with the addition of bottarga it’s an explosion of flavours for the seafood lovers like me. Also I want to mention the risotto with seafood, as we say in my home town city Risotto Rosso, as we add in it tomatoes as per traditional recipe, only the smell bring me to the seaside of Cesenatico.

How does London’s culinary scene compare to other major food cities you’ve worked in, like Milan and Moscow?

Every city I’ve worked in has its own individual identity and each has left its mark on my work. Milan is a world-leading design capital and Moscow is steeped in a unique historical heritage, while London is saturated with global cultural influences, all of which enrich the culinary offer.

What are your long-term ambitions for Pollini at Ladbroke Hall?

A year since it opened, I believe Pollini at Ladbroke Hall has established a strong position as a leading West London culinary destination, located in one of the area’s most stunning dining rooms. I hope the impact that Pollini has already had on its audiences will continue for a long time and that we will keep making an impact on how London diners perceive the relationship between gastronomy and culture.

Following this collaboration, do you have other guests lined up for future Chefs Table events?

For now we are focussed on our plans with Bruno Verjus but we will always strive to seek out chefs who combine creative flair with innovation in flavour, technique and aesthetic. After all, we want to offer works of edible art that push diners’ perceptions of the gastronomical experience.

Food Desk

Chefs Table with Bruno Verjus will take place on 24^th – 25^th September at Pollini at Ladbroke Hall. The six-course tasting menu is priced at £165 and can be booked via the restaurant’s website here.

The day our paths crossed in Bilbao I’d just had lunch at Nerua, which is where your career started. Do you have good memories of working with Josean? 

Yes! Though I also struggled because I was not ready for what I was getting into, but I learned a lot.

What made you abandon your original career as a software engineer?

It was the hunger that cooking gave me – and the passion. I remember when I was an engineer and I would have meetings, I would always be thinking of what I was going to cook, the people I was going to invite, the menu and testing new things, so it was always at the back of my mind. It grew and grew and, at some point, it didn’t make any sense to stay in my job because I wouldn’t get enough of it. So I just decided to go for it, but there was not a specific moment; it was like a growing thing.

Was working with Andreas Caminada part of the reason you decided to open in Zurich?

After Andreas, I left for New York, which is a huge city. It’s the best and the worst of everything; there’s a lot of art and music and a lot of inspiration, but it’s also very competitive, seven days a week. There’s a lot of crime and you finish work at two or three in the morning. Going in the subway, I could see situations that I didn’t want to find myself in, long-term. Zurich was kind of in between that and a small city. Of course, it has nothing to do with New York but it’s not the middle of nowhere, like where Andreas is, which is the charm of the Schloss, but I like the diversity here and to also be aware and be able to escape when I need to. Most of my family is still in Morocco and Spain, and my brother is actually in England, so Zurich is in between everything, and I like the country because the nature is amazing. And, yes, Andreas helped me love it because he has such a passion for Switzerland. He knows the products very well and introduced me to some I was not aware of.

When you planned the opening of KLE, did you already have going fully plant-based in mind?

Actually, it was not in the plan. Everywhere I worked it was very much animal protein-based. It was only a month before – I already had the menu and I had already visited all the cheese producers and I knew, from whom I wanted to buy the meat – but as it was starting to become real, I figured that I needed to make a difference and that I needed a bigger reason than myself or my Moroccan background to open a restaurant. I thought that having a positive impact on the planet and reducing our footprint was something that would keep me motivated. We cook and consume a lot of food every week and, after checking the numbers, it just came quite clear to me that the best choice would be for me to go plant-based. At first, I had to try it myself, so I started eating plant-based and I saw how difficult it was, actually, to eat out in Zurich. I just wanted to have a place where it’s just normal: you don’t need to choose two dishes from a whole menu, “plant-based” isn’t written anywhere. I just wanted to offer a normal dining experience without labels that also happens to be plant-based. This is what we do at KLA: you don’t see quotes or pictures of animals or anything like that, it’s just a cosy restaurant with nice service and delicious food, and that’s what people take with them.

As you might know [chuckles], there is a famous Swiss chef who works in New York who turned his business plant-based – was that an inspiration for you?

Daniel has the position and exposure to have a lot of impact, and I think in the end we look up to those people who have reached a status like actors in Hollywood – in this case, celebrity chefs – and he really has the power to change a lot of minds, and has a platform. I think it’s great that he did that. I haven’t been since the shift but I’m sure he has an amazing team behind him and the resources to do great things. I look forward to trying it.

Was there a dish of your own that made you realise you could go in that direction full-on?

We had many dishes that were already vegan, like this gnocchi sardi with a dry tomato and almond pesto. It was very simple, but everything was homemade and people couldn’t get enough of it. It was just to show that traditional food actually has a lot of plant-based elements.

Being Italian, we have so many plant-based dishes that don’t have that label as such, they’re just part of our culture. Spaghetti al pomodoro is the most obvious example. No one questions the validity of those dishes, people just go for them.

I think the label is the problem or the handicap because I have a gazpacho, nice lentils too, a nice couscous from my mother, which is with seven kinds of vegetables – this is already all vegan but we never connected the dots. It’s like the people who say “I’ve never had vegan” – yes you have! You just didn’t know it. I’m sure you’ve had some spaghetti with tomatoes.

Tell me about some of your most talked-about dishes. I’ve heard about the Eggless Egg, the Beet Tartare and of course the Kentucky Fried Mushroom.

These dishes came after the beginning. First, we started doing things we knew how to do because none of us actually came from a vegan background or a plant-based background. Then we started experimenting, and a dish I’m very proud of, for example, as you say, is the KFM. When you taste it, it’s even better than having chicken, and then we have the Barbecue Mushroom Sandwich, which is mushrooms treated like meat on a barbecue, and it has a ranch sauce. These two are influenced by my time in the US. Then we have a carrot dish, where the carrot is brined and smoked for three days, and it has also pickles, onion and chive. When you pickle it for three days, it develops this bite. It’s more meaty but it doesn’t have any meat substitutes, it’s just a vegetable that is treated with different techniques. Thanks to all the places I’ve been, I have all this know-how that I can put into vegetables. When I was in Thailand, for example, I loved papaya salads, but they usually had fish sauce and we don’t have papayas in Switzerland, so I did a version with apples and wild peanuts from a fair producer, and this is also one of the favourite dishes. Now we have Tortellini alla Panna, and everybody wants more of this one; it’s inspired by my time in Modena. So we bring a taste of the mortadella inside, with pistachios and olives. Many of the aromas of meats can be matched. It’s like a good chorizo… a nice mortadella will taste of pistachio, thyme and olives, so if you combine them in a very good pasta it will convince people. We try to trigger the memory, we know how the palate works and we work with this – and if it’s good for you, then it’s even better.

When you said chorizo I thought about Diego Guerrero’s “surprise” vegan one, which you taste and then find out it’s plant-based. It was super good.

Yes, but unfortunately there are a lot of bad products on the market that don’t put plant-based in a good position, from pork substitutes to cheeses. They are not helping the movement.

The other day I went to a Rolling Stones concert and there was a stand selling chicken burgers. I had one and it was obviously plant-based, but it wasn’t mentioned clearly, there was just a tiny note at the bottom of the sign. If you write “chicken” it should be chicken, not a substitute.

I agree. For example, we don’t say anywhere what we do is vegan but you’re never going to read chicken on our menu. Take the Kentucky Fried Mushroom: we say mushroom, not chicken. I think transparency is important – you don’t want to make the customers feel like are being made a fool of. If you’re doing plant-based chicken then you have to write “plant-based chicken” exactly.

I understand your mission isn’t only to cook good food, it’s also putting together a healthy environment for the staff and giving more opportunities to women. How did you envision your workplace in terms of equality and diversity?

I already come from a male-dominated industry – software engineering – so I’m used to it. You need to feel represented, so we have a 50/50 team. If a place is all-male, a lot of women will not apply because it doesn’t look attractive. As the owner and chef of the restaurant, I do attract a lot of women but it’s the whole team that represents ethnicity and sexuality. It’s a process: on day one we weren’t as diverse as we are today. It has been always a priority that whoever joins us will be able to feel comfortable with themselves. We are very much open about mental health too, so we support whoever needs time off. Otherwise, people are only able to work 60% or 80% if they never get time for themselves. Some have families and, in many places, it’s a problem, especially for women, but we just adapt ourselves to it. We have to create the possibility for them to do their job. KLE and DAR aren’t places where you work from this time to this time, where you come, you produce and you leave. We have tried to create morning shifts and positions that are two days a week. It’s a lot of work but it’s worth it because you get many different energies and many different personalities, which is also fun. You should come and see the team, they’re a bit crazy. At some point, Alessandro, my Italian head chef, told me he couldn’t deal with it because one day someone is high and someone else is low. But, at the end of the day, it’s very nice that you can just be yourself and if you have a bad day you just come in and say, “Hey, this happened” or “I need my space”. We are a safe space to be, also because many people are migrants, like me, who have a partner or even no one.

Could you talk me through the guest experience at KLE?

KLE is where I am at the moment; it’s a very old-school building, 200 years old. It’s a little home in the corner and I wanted this because I’m the opposite. I’m not Swiss and I’m all over the place, so I wanted to have a kind of balance. It’s a small dining room, actually, and we have a front-of-house team between three and four, it’s a horizontal organisation and they swap roles. If you have been here they will know because they are very good with faces. If not, they will introduce you to what we do, and we do quite simple food but it’s all with local produce, especially seasonal produce. So we introduce our guests to what is growing here because if you go to the supermarket you can find strawberries all year round but that’s not in season in Switzerland. We start always with our pillow bread, which is kind of a signature thing because I’m Moroccan and you always start with bread on the table. It’s the only component that is meant to be shared – all the other dishes are individual portions. Then we walk you through the ingredients of that season. We started with home cooking and it has evolved into a much more creative and innovative concept because people wanted that, because they haven’t experienced plant-based in that direction. So we started with a la carte and a tasting menu, but we saw that everyone wanted the tasting menu, so we took away the a la carte and now we just work with between eight and ten dishes. It’s usually things that you cannot have in other places. It’s not a vegan schnitzel, it’s dishes that we create with our experience of where we have been. Alessandro has a lot of influence as well on the menu, but sometimes I come back from a trip and I want to change everything. We want to deliver a combination of flavours that people haven’t had before – it’s very personal. I think it’s important for people also to connect with personal experiences. For example, we usually have a tostada to start and if you have been to Mexico you probably have had a tostada, and if you haven’t, we use such a quality of corn and ingredients that it will take you there. This was thanks to my two years and a half with Enrique Olvera. In some cases, it’s just whatever comes into my head. Sometimes we do something, we test it and we like it and people say they never had these flavours in their lives; the important thing is that they like it [laughs]. We aren’t an experimental place where it’s more about an abstract idea and it’s ok if you don’t like it – no, taste for us is number one. I like to see people enjoy what they eat and to trigger their minds, hoping they get out saying, “Oh, maybe we could eat like this every day”. Even if they went plant-based a couple of days a week, every small change makes a difference.

What about dessert? That’s trickier without having access to dairy products or eggs.

I would say it’s the cherry on the cake and we work a lot on the desserts because of all the bad experiences I had with vegan desserts. They are usually too heavy and at the end of the meal you don’t want to have something like that. At the moment, we have the Lemon Pie: it’s very acidic, with lemongrass, verbena custard and a meringue, which is burnt and it tastes just like an egg-white meringue. Then we have the Raspberry Vinegar Cake with raspberries and a strawberry cream, which is based on Petite Swiss, a tiny strawberry yoghurt that was very popular in the 90s. We also have a mint ice cream with chocolate, so everything is quite fresh, and it’s designed just to finish up. I think desserts are one of the favourite things at KLE. It is hard to do this without dairy, eggs – you just need to work on it and not settle for something less than the non-vegan. If I make a meringue, I want it to be better than an egg meringue, and until then I will not put it on the menu.

What’s your opinion about lab-grown meat?

I think those kinds of products are for meat eaters. All products that look like meat are for people who eat meat and they just want to reduce the impact of their consumption. I think vegetarian and vegan people are not so much into those alternatives. I also think it’s a generational thing: I don’t think the generation that are now four or five years old will need food to look like meat because they will be more used to not eating it as much as we did. I grew up eating burgers, chicken nuggets and steak, so it has to look like what I grew up eating. It’s changing a lot – even the people who are now ten years old will have another understanding of how food looks. Take milk: a lot of children are already drinking oat milk or rice milk, and I never had that. I had horchata, because I’m Spanish, but I never thought “Oh it’s vegan” – it was just a drink.

It could end the suffering of billions of animals.

As an engineer, I worked in slaughterhouses because of one of our biggest clients. They slaughtered chickens and turkeys and back then I was quite immune to it. I saw how it works and I think anything is better than it. The level of industrialisation we have come to is quite crazy but it’s quite in the dark, so if you are not working in the industry you don’t realise it.

I don’t buy any meat from the supermarket because anything mass-produced cannot be good.

Yes, there’s just too much demand. The cows that are here in Zurich walking around are not the ones that are involved in the supermarket.

Tell me about the experience at DAR.

DAR is much louder, it’s much more colourful. It’s more about the people at the table. It’s a sharing concept and, in Morocco, you all eat from the middle of the table. It also has a lot of Spanish influences because those two countries are very much my identity, with Moroccan parents and a Spanish education. It’s much bigger portions but we don’t sacrifice the flavour – and it happens to be vegan as well. It shares the same values as KLE – seasonal, regional and plant-based – but the experience is completely different. KLE is small and cute and very intimate, and the service is all on you and makes you feel very welcome. At DAR, it’s much more about having fun, having a nice night out – or a brunch.

You were part of the Class of 2022 at 50 Next. What do you think of that project and the event?

It was interesting to meet a lot of people from other branches of the industry, not only the chefs. I have been already in other 50 Best galas because of the people I worked with, Andreas and Enrique. There, it’s only chefs and it’s very much focused on the persona and the restaurant, and in this case it was interesting to learn about those that are in technology, those, for example, who gather garbage from the sea or – in my case – the ones that are working on plant-based alternatives. The food industry is much bigger than the restaurants; people are buying in the supermarket on a daily basis and those are the products that can make a big difference, the ones that are available every day in large amounts. It was great the fact it was much smaller than the classic 50 Best events and yet it was very interesting. I don’t know how it is going to impact what we do with the restaurants but maybe we can inspire some people to do more plant-based food.

For us, it’s more about seeing how we are creating these conversations with our guests. Many people arrive in a negative position such as, “I came here because my son wanted to try it but I will go after here to eat a steak”, but then, at the end of the evening, you see how their opinion has changed: some want to come back to bring their teams from work. This actually happens on a daily basis. About 50 Next, it’s cool they did this and took away the spotlight from the restaurants and the celebrities, and turned it onto the whole food industry.

Did you manage to connect with other people who had a similar way of thinking?

Yes, I did manage to connect and have conversations. There were the guys from Ghetto Gastro from New York – they’re doing nice projects in the Bronx and I feel very much connected to New York and also chefs that I would like to invite to cook in Zurich who are also cooking plant-based. There are always these four-hand collaborations but, for us, they have to be plant-based, we cannot bring into our restaurants someone who’s going to make sushi, so it was nice to connect with these people from other places in the world working with the same goal of normalising eating plant-based a little bit. There was this Greek guy, Lefteris Arapakis, who works in 40 ports gathering garbage from the ocean with fishermen. Coming from a country like Morocco where the fishing industry is in crisis, if I can connect with someone from my country and also help, I’m always open to. It’s not all about cooking, I like to do many other things too.

Finally tell me about Zurich, who else is going in a plant-based direction? Do you have a community of like-minded chefs?

There are not many, unfortunately, but it’s growing. There is a restaurant called Barranco: they are not vegan but they do a lot of plant-based. It’s a Peruvian restaurant and it’s delicious. They do a great job. There’s Anoah: the chef is a very young chef, he’s doing all plant-based. Recently, we were in the National Museum doing a month’s pop-up with six other stands. They wanted it to be fully vegan. Then there’s White Rabbit Bakery by Bianca Legorreta; she’s from Denmark and she does only vegan pastries – it’s going quite well. There are other chefs who are also orienting more into vegetables, but they still haven’t jumped all the way. Outside Zurich, Andreas [Caminada] has opened Oz, which is vegetarian, next to the schloss. It’s a ten-seater chef’s table, fully vegetarian, with products from the garden. Marco Campanella, from Ascona, is doing a lot of vegan. Then there is Dominik Hartmann. He’s doing vegetarian and he has two stars. We all worked together at the schloss at some point. There are some but there could be more.

Thank you Zineb, it was a pleasure to talk with you today. I hope I’ll be in Zurich soon so I can try your food – both KLE and DAR sound very interesting.

Of course! Thank you Filippo and all the best.

Filippo L’Astorina, the Editor
Photos: Erna Drion

For further information about KLE, DAR and Zineb Hattab visit the restaurant’s website here.

A marble table with a history used to lie at the heart of the Drunken Butler, acting as a symbol of Hashemi’s conviviality and ingenuity – he had built it himself, the large piece intended to bring people together – but it is temporary on hold due to the pandemic restrictions. Hashemi speaks fondly of all his furniture: “Where you sit now, it’s an old table from my parents; it hails from Denmark in the 1960s.”

The restaurateurs’s enthusiasm for wine is infectious as he recounts his travels to visit winemakers in different countries, France and Italy first and foremost. His vision for the Drunken Butler’s wine list is one that evolves, ensuring that the restaurant always offers a curated, unique selection. In his quest to create an intriguing and ever-changing experience for his guests, Hashemi champions small wine producers and the precious stories behind their bottles.

“We do a blind tasting menu, which is what most of the guests pick. It’s funny because sometimes there’s this gentleman who doesn’t want to look bad in front of their friends, so we have this little eye contact and I show the label just to him,” he tells us. “It’s not about making someone feel good or bad, it’s about helping them discover new wines. Sometimes they would just tell me ‘I don’t like chablis’ but then they try it blindly and say ‘it’s wow'”.

The Drunken Butler’s cuisine is an homage to Hashemi’s roots, interwoven with his own creative flair. His dedication to serving authentic, home-cooked Iranian dishes sets the restaurant apart from the typical Persian dining experience. The commitment to quality is evident in the painstakingly prepared Tahdig, a crunchy saffron rice with potatoes and barbecued chicken that is cooked individually and can take up to 48 hours to prepare: “It’s home-cooked food but served in a restaurant which doesn’t even in Iran really exist because you eat the same food at home right?” This one-of-a-kind offering has resonated with guests, with many comparing the dishes to their own mothers’ cooking.

As a melting pot of cultures and culinary traditions, London provides the perfect backdrop for the Drunken Butler’s unique, authentic approach. Hashemi acknowledges the city’s dynamic food scene, which allows him to experiment with his menu. The restaurant used to be much more French in style, and this evolution has piqued the curiosity even of those who were accustomed to that. “The amount of positive feedback we got just by sending out one newsletter and people saying we’re waiting for this… it’s amazing.” He attributes this success to the comforting familiarity of the dishes and the restaurant’s warm atmosphere: “I think mostly it’s something with the carpets and the baby pictures! [laughs]”

In fact, one of the most captivating aspects of the Drunken Butler is the stories that unfold within its walls. The restaurant has touched the hearts of many guests, some of whom have invited Hashemi to explore new opportunities abroad. These personal connections and emotional reactions to the food are a testament to the restaurateur’s ability to create an immersive dining experience that transcends the simple act of eating.

Hashemi’s love for the negroni, the Drunken Butler’s signature cocktail, speaks to his appreciation of the art of mixology and the history behind each ingredient. With an ever-growing collection of vintage bottles, he takes pride in serving aged negronis with a unique twist, reflecting his adventurous spirit and passion for discovery.

The Drunken Butler is more than just a restaurant: it is a reflection of Yuma Hashemi’s devotion to wine, food and hospitality. His personality and immense curiosity ensure that every visit is a fascinating journey, unveiling new layers of flavour, history and connection with each sip and bite.

Filippo L’Astorina
Photos: Filippo L’Astorina

To book a table at the Drunken Butler, 20 Rosebery Avenue London EC1R 4SX, call 020 7101 4020 or visit their website here.

Last February the Michelin guide finally decided to turn the spotlight on the North of England, awarding the coveted three stars to Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume, a champion of seasonality and farm-to-table cuisine. A few days ago, the chef represented Britain at the Gastronomika food congress in San Sebastián, one of the cradles of gastronomy. We sat down with Rogan after he addressed the Kursaal’s audience to understand more about the impact of Spanish cuisine on his work and what the future holds for L’Enclume.

How do you like being here at Gastronomika?

They’ve given us the privilege to be here and be the theme. It’s an amazing conference. And how can you not be impressed by a place like San Sebastian, where so many three-Michelin-starred restaurants have popped up? It’s been instrumental to molecular gastronomy, though I’m older and wiser now – I can’t split atoms anymore.

Was the Spanish scene an influence for you?

The amazing avant-garde restaurants inspired me, especially between 2007 and 2010. It was going crazy here at the time of ElBulli. I’ve been heavily influenced by the techniques, the products, the molecular side of cookery. I got a little bit sidetracked with that, but we still use those techniques today.

Sometimes I wonder why these avant-garde chefs never made it to London.

It’s a good question, but why would you want to try something like that in London when you can easily come here an eat the real thing? Besides, some cuisines still haven’t really hit there. I worked my first job in a Greek restaurant and there still isn’t progressive Greek cuisine in London.

I want to know more about L’Enclume. How has it been post-pandemic?

It’s going really well. Every time we reopened after a lockdown waiting lists would fill up instantly, and even more after we got the third star in February. We’ve been through Brexit, pandemic, invasion, inflation, recession… how much more can we take? Thankfully Cartmel is a very happy place; it’s like a little bubble blocking the troubles out.

I can imagine the impact of the third star on your business, but what about the region – having that kind of culinary recognition up North?

Even when we had two, the Lakes started to be up-and-coming. Obviously, there were already good restaurants up there when I got there, but mainly in country house hotels. Everyone benefitted from our success; they would come to us and then eat at other restaurants. Visitors see the quality of life, they see the ingredients, the people, the beautiful scenery. They want a piece of that pie. Now we’ve got the most Michelin-starred restaurants outside of London. The scene is great, new restaurants are really knocking on the door and it’s only going to get better.

Can chefs dream of opening in the Lake District now, rather than just in London?

Absolutely, and it’s not even just the Lake District. London will always get the cream of the crop. There’s so much to do in London that people don’t venture out much, but that’s changing a bit. Roganic was our shop window in London to show what we’ve got and push people North. At the moment we have no appetite to do that, although in future I’d like to bring Roganic back. Besides, why  would we want to open in the middle of a concrete jungle? Every now and again I go to Aulis, and by lunchtime I think: I need to get out, I need to go home. The traffic, the queues… The only thing I have to worry about in Cumbria is whether a load of cows is crossing the road in my village. It’s happened four times in the past two weeks – they go really slow! But you don’t mind that, do you?

Can you talk us through the creative process in your kitchen?

More often than not it starts from the farm, from what we are growing, maybe a new variety…

So you go to the farm, you see something you like and take it back to the restaurant?

It starts even before that – from the decision about what we are going to grow, at the beginning of the year. We are taking the creativity right back to the seed. We look at what we grew last year: was it good? Was it rubbish compared to other things we grew before? Did it fail? We are organic; without pesticides or treating the land to accommodate a specific vegetable, some things might just not work. It’s go to be natural. That’s where our creativity starts: we plan ideas around the ingredient and when it’s finally ready we take it to Aulis, where five or six of us sit down and work on ideas. Some are tossed in the bin straight away, a couple get explored for a week, the dishes are presented. Then, further tweaks or bin. It’s as simple as that. All the inspiration comes from the farm.

I’d like to hear your vision for the future of L’Enclume.

We want to create a whole new guest experience, a new flow and more space between the tables. Our plans are to make the restaurant bigger, giving it a new entrance, a new bar, a bigger kitchen: the same number of covers but more comfort. The building will go right out to the river, overlooking the river.  There’s this trend of starting in one room with snacks: you sit there and move to the dining room. We want to take our guests on a journey.

Do you like that kind of format?

Yeah, otherwise you are going to sit at the table for three and a half hours. Some people don’t like that. I don’t want to keep them moving around either, but we want to give that option. Food-wise, we are very content with what we do. I wouldn’t want to change it, every chef should serve the food they like to eat. L’Enclume is famous for its “less is more” approach, concentrating on the ingredients, keeping the integrity of the flavours intact. We won’t bastardise a beetroot into something else, a really good beetroot will taste of really good beetroot. 

Do you ever doubt yourself?

All the time! I doubted myself when I walked out to give the talk out there.

But what about your regular work?

Business-wise there are too many things I shouldn’t have done [laughs]. In the kitchen we are very confident, the team around me is in tune with what I want, we share the same beliefs, ethos. People say: “You got three stars now, how are you going to cope with the pressure to keep them?”. There is no pressure. We achieved them by what we did – that’s not going to change, it can only get better. The stars gave us the confidence not to deviate.

Was it always your ambition?

Yes. When I first opened L’Enclume I had two people in the kitchen. We used to go the pub and do the ordering for the next day from there, holding a pint. And we would say: “What if we got a Michelin star? Oh yeah!” And then: “But what if we got two?” It was so stupid. It was always our dream to have 10/10 on the Food Guide, five AA rosettes – and the three Michelin stars. That was my absolute ambition. I never thought we would get there, I have to say. But we have.

Filippo L’Astorina, the Editor

To book a table at L’Enclume, Cavendish Street Cartmel LA11 6QA, call 015 3953 6362 or visit their website here.

To shed some light on the matter, in this article we’ll discuss every component of the dish, and share our recipe for an authentic and delicious lasagne. And to add a fresher, more rewarding twist to this recipe, try growing your own vegetables for the dish using a small polytunnel for your garden to create the optimal atmosphere for the crops.

Ragù

Perhaps the biggest of our cultural blunders, what we Brits often call “bolognese” is actually a ragù sauce. The two are often confused, as bolognese is just one variety of ragù. This is best explained by the connoisseurs at Pasta Evangelists: “Ragù is a meat sauce that’s cooked over a low heat for several hours. Extra ingredients such as wine and tomatoes are often added to a ragù, with many regions of Italy having their own different takes on the dish.”

For a proper ragù lasagne, chunkier strips of meat are cooked until tender, as opposed to mince. This makes for a satisfying and robust sauce that pairs well with the porous, broad surface of the pasta. Alternatively, some chefs like to combine beef, pork and even spicy sausage mince into their sauce – but for the sake of tradition, we’re opting for a simple and effective beef ragù.

Pasta 

Lasagna sheets are arguably one of the oldest types of pasta, popular in ancient Rome. In production, the dough is rolled flat and very broad, cut into squares or rectangles and occasionally fluted at the edge.

Some might have noticed that when referring to our titular dish, we use lasagne, and not lasagna. This is because lasagna refers to a singular pasta sheet. As a result, the dish that incorporates several layers of pasta is spelt lasagne.

For authenticity, it’s best to use fresh sheets, which tend to be more delicate and tender. These can be shop-bought, or those feeling bold can even attempt to make their own at home.

Besciamella

The next layer of our lasagne is a smooth white sauce made using flour, butter and milk. Besciamella was once called “salsa colla”, or “glue sauce” thanks to its role in binding together the multiple layers of the dish. Besciamella has also been claimed by the French, as béchamel sauce, used in traditional dishes such as the croque-monsieur.

Our variations on the sauce tend to add cheese like mozzarella or ricotta, but to emulate the rustic simplicity of the Italian bake it’s best to stick to just the three base ingredients. To add a depth of flavour, chefs use a generous grating of nutmeg, along with salt and pepper.

Parmigiano Reggiano

Italians will typically top off their tiers with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Though a similar parmesan cheese is often stocked on British supermarket shelves, the two are different. Both are hard cheeses, but parmesan is produced to replicate the flavour of traditional Parmigiano Reggiano, made according to a specific recipe in Italy.

Once a layer of ragù and a serving of besciamella are laid, it’s time to sprinkle a generous handful of Parmigiano Reggiano – the rich flavour of the cheese will inject some authenticity into the dish. There’s no traditional number of layers that a lasagne should have, but most recipe quantities will stretch to three or four rounds of sauce and pasta. The very top should be finished with another helping of the bold cheese.

Authentic lasagne recipe

Now that we’re up to speed on the intricacies of lasagne assembly, let’s get cooking.

Ingredients (4 servings)

Ragù

• 500g boneless beef brisket
• 500ml passata
• 400ml beef stock
• 150ml red wine
• 1 white onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 bay leaves
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Besciamella

• 500ml whole milk
• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• Nutmeg, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Assembly

• 400g fresh lasagna pasta sheets
• 75g Parmigiano Reggiano

Method

1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pan, and brown the beef brisket on all sides.
2. Reduce the heat to sauté the onions and garlic for two minutes. Add celery and carrot and cook until soft.
3. Add red wine to the pan and simmer until half reduced, then add the tomato puree, passata, and bay leaves. Cook for a further five minutes.
4. Add the beef back to the pan with stock and simmer on a medium heat. Cover the pan with a lid and continue to simmer for three to four hours, or until the meat is tender and falling apart. Stir and turn the beef occasionally, and season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
5. While cooking the sauce, prepare the besciamella. Melt butter on a low heat and add the flour, then whisk together until combined.
6. Add milk, and continue to whisk until thickened and smooth. Strain out any lumps if they form, and season with salt, pepper and a generous pinch of nutmeg to taste.
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C, and begin assembling the lasagne. Using a large baking dish, lay a thin ragù layer at the base, and top with a layer of pasta sheets. Ladle over another layer of ragù, and top this with a generous dose of besciamella and a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano.
8. Repeat the steps of pasta, ragù, besciamella then Parmigiano Reggiano two or three more times (this may vary based on how much the ragù has reduced).
9. Press pasta sheets on the top of the final layer, and scatter a final helping of Parmigiano Reggiano.
10. Bake the lasagne for 45 minutes, until golden-topped. Serve in square cuts.

The food desk

You founded Legare with chef Matt Beardmore. What are the benefits of running the restaurant as a pair? Do you ever come up with dishes collaboratively or do you curate a menu from individual ideas?

Collaboratively, Matt and I have very similar tastes in food, and he has full ownership of the menu. We then bounce dishes off each other so that the menu has a good overall balance. Matt looks at it from a kitchen perspective, whereas I tend to focus on the customer perception.

What’s the dish you are most proud of at Legare, past or present?

Cannoli. I think ours are the best in London. They’re not entirely traditional, but they are ours, and we’re proud of that.

What does it mean to have Michelin recognition? Do you aspire to get the coveted star or do you prefer to set your own personal benchmarks?

Looking back, Matt and I knew we were capable of getting a Bib Gourmand, but it was still a shock when we got it. I don’t aspire to get a star, but if it happens organically, because Michelin loves what we do, then I’d be very happy nonetheless!

What is it that appeals to you about Italian food in particular?

Simplicity… The provenance of ingredients.

How “authentic” do you feel cooking can be in the context of the London restaurant experience? What do you hope your customers can take away from a meal at Legare?

That’s a difficult question to answer. Authenticity is tricky to define in a restaurant experience because everything is copied to some extent. We’ve never professed Legare to be authentically Italian. It’s our take on the type of Italian food we like to eat. Some of the influences in our menu stretch as far as Andalusia, or Provence, but in the context of our menu, they work. We just want people to come and have a great dinner with warm service, and be looked after. If they want a truly authentic Italian experience… well then they would have to go to Italy and eat and drink the food and wine of that region, in that region.

What are your thoughts on “cultural appropriation” in cooking? Do you ever find it hard to navigate the line between paying respect to tradition and being open to experimentation?

Cultural appropriation is also a tricky one. I was accused of it in an Evening Standard review by David Sexton when we first opened, yet he proudly mentioned the River Cafe and Trullo as stalwarts of Italian cuisine, despite the owners of those two restaurants being as Italian as I am. Ultimately, we want to serve delicious food and wine that pays respects to tradition from the regions we’ve taken inspiration from. After that, it’s our menu, so we can do what we want. As long as it’s delicious, and customers have a great evening, that’s all that matters.

Who has most inspired you in your culinary journey?

My late mother and father-in-law are very inspiring people. Extremely hardworking and headstrong (in a good way). Career-wise I’ve had many great people who have provided me with advice along the way – José Pizzaro is a good friend and mentor, Leandro Carreira has always helped with advice when it comes to technique and recipe development, Cameron Dewar is a very close friend and one of the best sommeliers I know – the list is extensive, but it’s one of the reasons this industry is amazing. If you put the work in, people can only respect and help you if you need it! My time at Barrafina also showed me how the top-tier restaurants in London take pride in every element of the operation. It was watertight, and it shows in the way they run their restaurants and the business.

Legare is quite a modest space, with only 35 covers. Do you prefer a smaller venue, and if so, why?

Yes and no. Our size makes us a hidden gem, and very homely, which our customers love. But, in hindsight, it also hinders how profitable we can be because we turn away quite a few bookings every night. If it were four or five tables larger, it would be my ideal restaurant, but I’m happy that I started this size, so I can scale up in a manageable way.

What drew you to Bermondsey, both as a place to live and work?

My wife and I lived in Shoreditch for four years and it eventually became exhausting, to be honest. It’s a great place to be in your 20s, but we just needed somewhere with a real sense of community. Bermondsey has everything you could want in a local area – great restaurants, bars, coffee shops, parks etc – it’s a real community where locals see each other daily. We’ve been here for four years and love it!

How does your restaurant promote sustainability, and do you think the industry is moving fast enough with regard to the climate crisis?

Firstly, our size means we’re not churning through massive amounts of food, and we only order what we can physically fit in the building (as we don’t have a walk-in fridge). Waste is therefore very minimal compared to other places I’ve worked. The menu is small and seasonal, so when things run out, we replace them. Our proteins come almost exclusively from the UK, with seafood only coming from UK waters. You’ll never find tuna or any exotic fish on our menus as it goes against our ethos.

Regarding the climate crisis, this will have to be something we navigate through carefully as an industry. The unfortunate reality is restaurants by nature simply aren’t “sustainable” models as they require massive amounts of energy to run, alongside the daily produce requirements, wastage etc. But taking a considered approach through sourcing and provenance, reducing single-use plastics in supply chains and making small eco-friendly changes wherever possible we can all do better.

Chefs with mixed heritage are increasingly being celebrated, with more recognition of the rich results that come from cooking “across borders”. Could fusion food be the future in an increasingly globalised society?

Fusion was once a thing, and it will likely come back into fashion with a new name. Food by nature is a fusion of cultures – a lot of the southern Mediterranean has North African influence running through its food. For example, Sicily has a seafood couscous dish flavoured with saffron and nutmeg, which is stunning, and almost Moroccan/Algerian in its cooking and presentation.

Do you ever bring elements of your own background to your dishes?

Not at Legare. I’ll perhaps one day open an Indian restaurant, but not yet.

Do you feel that the multicultural nature of the London food scene is accurately reflected in the makeup of those in the kitchen? How might those in privileged positions do more to make the industry accessible?

It’s not, but that’s not a racism issue, it’s a talent pool issue. We need to tap into POC communities and get them to understand why this industry is rewarding in so many ways. However, it has to start from the top. The government needs to do more to make young people from various backgrounds aware of all of the opportunities that are around them, and put them in contact with those people. I recently saw Jeremy Lee doing a cookery course at my old school in Streatham, and I was blown away that he was showing kids how to cook and eat mussels!

Restaurants are finally starting to revive, how has the pandemic been for you, professionally, and do you have any plans in place to protect Legare in the future?

It’s actually been pretty good in all honesty. We’ve managed to tighten up as a business and drive forward in the right way. Moving forward we will have to see, as anything can happen. With VAT going back up, amongst other market factors coming into play, we’re not in the clear yet…

Are there any projects in the pipeline for Legare?

Matt and I have talked about opening a second Legare. We just need to make sure the first one is where it should be first, and that’s our main focus for now.

Rosamund Kelby

To book a table at Legare, Cardamom Building 31G Shad Thames SE1 2YR, call or visit their website here. Read our review of Legare here.

Lovely to speak with you Dominique. Here we go again: 50 Best is back, though this time we had to wait a little longer. Will you be in Antwerp for the ceremony?

Yes, of course. I am so excited to celebrate with my team.

I’m actually going to Brittany just before Belgium – it’s such a wonderful place. Is it still a major inspiration for you? Food-wise, what’s the most important, influential Breton element for you?

Oh wow. Brittany will always be an inspiration for me. I think the most important element for me is the sea. The water, its movement, its power and its gifts are truly inspiring.

From your perspective, how have the past 18 months been for the food industry in California and the US in general?

Difficult, very difficult but also very eye-opening. I feel like the industry used the last 18 months to reevaluate their operations and for those that were fortunate enough to make it through, a lot of them are making important changes to benefit employees and their quality of life.

Congratulations on receiving the Icon Award 2021. What does it mean to be voted an icon by the industry you work in? Do you feel like an icon? Does the industry need to recognise its icons?

Thank you very much! It is very inspiring to be voted as an icon by my peers. There is no way that I feel like an icon, I just feel like I am doing my best to give back to those around me. The industry needs to recognise not only icons but those that are doing the hard work every day. My team and every person that has come through Atelier Crenn has helped to bring me where I am today.

Atelier Crenn

In 2016 you were also voted the best female chef in the world. What did that allow you to do in terms of bringing awareness of the challenges female chefs have to endure in the industry?

You know, I actually don’t think that labels should be placed on such accomplishments. I am just a human, same as every other chef, man or woman. I appreciate the opportunity to be given a platform as a woman but I wish the division didn’t exist. There are challenges that exist in our industry that should be addressed for all and I hope I am helping to bring those to light.

You were the first woman to be awarded three Michelin stars in the US. While it’s surely an honour to make history, it doesn’t sound right that no other female-led restaurant is worthy of this status for Michelin, does it?

No it doesn’t sound right because there are barriers that still need to be overcome in the industry. Our time is now- just wait and see!

As an LGBTQ+ advocate and activist, do you believe that all these major recognitions will help promote inclusivity? How do you hope to inspire the next generation?

I hope that the next generation sees that I live my life without regrets or hesitation. You have to be true to yourself in order to be happy. The next generation is doing amazing work to promote inclusivity and I am very eager to see what they accomplish.

Whether it’s about your personal health, environmental or cultural issues, you aren’t afraid to speak out. Do you believe that to make a significant change you have to make a scene? What’s your advice for people who are scared of being vocal?

You don’t have to make a scene to make a change. I think you need to be the change you want to see in the world. My advice for people who are scared of being vocal is to make a change in any way you can- donate, give, share, love.

Let’s talk about Atelier Crenn, Petit Crenn and Bar Crenn. Unfortunately our experience of them doesn’t go beyond seeing pictures and videos over Instagram. Could you give us a little introduction to the three restaurants – what they are and how they differ?

Atelier Crenn earned three Michelin stars three years ago. It is a deeply personal project of mine where the menu is inspired by moments in my life and is written in the form of a poem. Bar Crenn, sits next door to Atelier, modeled after a 1920s Paris wine bar with small bites and a tasting menu. Petit Crenn is an homage to my home in Brittany with a more casual menu focused on fish and produce. Since the start of the pandemic, Petit Crenn has actually been operating in partnership with Rethink, a program that allows us to serve 2,000 meals per week to the homeless community in San Francisco.

Bar Crenn

For a moment, let’s look at the glass half full. Have the past months of on-and-off quarantine allowed you to explore new ideas and directions? What did you learn about your business and cuisine?

Ah yes, the pandemic really allowed me to slow down and think about what matters. It was so difficult to lose members of my team when we were forced into lockdown and it was very hard to survive through the darkest days of the pandemic. I learned that my team and I can do anything-  we are resilient and creative and we are a family. Covid reaffirmed for me that success isn’t about money, it’s about what’s inside of you and who’s around you. I want to surround myself with love.

You grow your own produce at Bleu Belle Farm. What are the biggest challenges in creating a sustainable food system and what have you learnt from the experience?

The biggest challenge is to stop relying on convenience. It is so easy to rely on big-box operations, single-use plastics and fast food but these are the things that are killing us and our planet. There is so much beauty that can come naturally from the earth especially when you care for it in the right way. Our restaurants are becoming 100% plastic free, our compost goes back to the farm, and we strive every day to limit the amount of waste we produce. Connecting with the earth in this way is so rewarding. You know, the small changes that you make every day are making a big difference.

Do you believe it is possible for all chefs, including those on low budgets, to reach zero-waste status with sustainable investments?

Yes, I do believe it’s possible but I think the industry needs guidance. In the beginning, the task was daunting for my team but in time, it has become second nature. I hope that we can be ambassadors for this movement.

High-end restaurants often price people out. How can these fine-dining establishments better help their local communities and foster inclusivity?

Similar to the programme that we are running with Rethink at Petit Crenn, there are several ways to give back to the community and I am working for programs like this to become more mainstream.

During the past decade many racial and social issues have finally entered mainstream conversation. Is there a taboo issue that should be tackled soon?

Equality does not exist for all. We need to give a voice to women, LGBTQ+, minorities, children, and homeless.

Let’s end on a lighthearted note: what are the favourite dish, ingredient, kitchen tool and wine of Dominique Crenn?

Dish: anything my mom makes; ingredient: Shiro Dashi; kitchen tool: Hibachi grill; wine: rosé all day!

Thank you so much for your time and see you in Antwerp!

Filippo L’Astorina, the Editor

Congratulations, what an honour being voted best female chef by the 50 Best academy. Where were you when you received the news and how did you react?

I was at the restaurant as usual, and at first there was silence. I took a moment to reflect on what is important right now in my professional life, but also family-wise. And I felt grateful and satisfied with a recognition I wasn’t expecting.

Notoriously, there’s a lot of debate about the lack of significant recognition for female chefs. How instrumental is this award for the whole category?

I think the visibility of a female chef is still important. The scene has clearly mostly men as main characters, and it probably responds to a lot of factors, but I’d say an award as “best” conveys a message of possibility, of recognition of one´s career, and hopefully, of soon not having to determine whether it is a male or female cook receiving it.

You have been very busy with several projects: Kjolle, Mil, Mater Iniciativa, Mayo and of course Central. Can you tell us a bit more about each project and why they are important?

Central has been the path, the exploration route. Also, the compass, us learning by experimenting and going outside. Mil has been a milestone. Going to the extreme altitude and executing the impossible: a concept so isolated and so magical. There is so much involved: history, culture, social and natural environments. Mater is embedded in everything we do. Our strongest foundation, and an interdisciplinary effort, which is at the core of what we do. Mayo is enjoyment with drinks and casual food. Kjolle is pure evidence. After many years in the kitchen of Central, checking at every component of every dish, Kjolle is my way to do things by applying all we learnt. The team was built from Central´s, so we keep our style and values, and it all feels like a brotherhood.

Covid didn’t make it easy for international diners. How has your clientele changed since the beginning of last year?

It changed from mostly international to mostly national. And it has been super interesting. Like getting to know each other again. And there is a lot that has changed over the past two years. People’s priorities and time for joy and pleasure, for sharing, is much appreciated.

You work with Virgilio – who we love very much. How do you balance each other’s role in the running of the restaurants?

We care about everything we do, and for each other. We complement each other, and have different skills. He is the creative, inventive, strategist, etc. I am in execution, making plans possible, creating the teams for expansion, thinking about realities.

The popularity of Latin American chefs sky rocketed at the beginning of the last decade, how do you think the cuisine is changing and evolving there, from Mexico to the bottom of Chile?

I think it is evolving everywhere. And it should. Times have changed. People want to experience new things and get in contact with new ideas. We have immense responsibility about food trends and the kind of decisions that consumers might make on a daily basis, but it is only a fraction of the amount of things that could be done better, by everybody. Let’s say there are lot more professionals who may collaborate in making this world a better place.

Let’s talk about cooking. When did you learn how to cook and what was the very first dish that gave you the confidence to go ahead with this profession?

At home with my mom there was always a lot of cooking. She was a caterer and loved to do so. I used to assist her since I was little and it was super exciting. Then, I got to make my first Rice and Seafood (typical from here, and very much criticised if it is not perfect) and I was looking for excellence. I knew already what I wanted to be as a grown-up.

What makes a restaurant experience complete?

Every detail. From reservations to the moment guests leave the restaurant. And even later. The kind of experience you remember every time you think of a moment of happiness. I think hospitality has gained more meaning these days. Challenged by wearing a face mask, but as relevant as ever.

Are you a fan of wine pairings or more of a bottle person?

When I am having dinner at someone’s, I let this person decide what I should take. Get fully committed with the new.

There’s a lot of talk about the importance of kitchens working together with the front of house as if they were a single team, and yet in most of the restaurants this is hard to achieve.

I think a nice working environment is of most importance. And the quality of service relates to communication and synchrony with the kitchen. It should be very well orchestrated, but also ready to react because there must be room for spontaneity and creativity.

Are you a technical chef or is it more about focusing on produce and flavours?

My focus is on products and mixing components.

Fermentation is becoming increasingly popular in high-end restaurants. Do you work with many fermented ingredients?

There is a lot in Peru to rediscover. Fermentation, natural lyophilisation, dehydration, curated ingredients, there is so much in our different cultures that we must look into. Our focus is on shedding a light into the kind of culinary processes that we might have been missing that are linked to our identity.

I understand you do a lot of work with local farmers and growers. What does it allow you to do at the restaurant?

It allows us to have a wide visual field. To see how much there is when harvest comes, and how many rituals and practices are cultural. The amount of info that Mater’s gatherings makes us realise how much effort a farmer invests in growing fantastic products and how bio and cultural diversity are connected.

At this point in your career, what’s your goal for the next ten years?

My goal would be to continue creating memorable experiences from a kitchen that keeps on working with locals and products we feel proud of.

Are you excited about coming to Antwerp for the awards next October? Will you consider stopping in London for a dinner/event, to introduce yourself to UK diners?

Sure am. Of course I would consider!

Filippo L’Astorina, the Editor

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants will reveal this year’s list on 5^th October 2021 in Antwerp. For further information visit the 50 Best website here.

As we stroll through the sleek new space, past light shades designed to resemble shoals of fish and a futuristic bar built around a sci-fi centrepiece of glowing bottles, before settling down in a courtyard of red bricks and flowing foliage, the chef seems at home in his new territory. He’s not in the least bit defensive about his motives for changing direction. “I always said I am going to write a book with 50 reasons because there are so many, not only one.” The most obvious is of course the pressure of remaining perpetually on edge in order to please only 100 diners a day, or a spontaneous inspector. But crucially, for García it’s also about personal fulfilment. The idea that he can claim to feel “empty” after achieving the highest culinary honour of all may be depressing to his contemporaries, but in reality, it’s a wonderfully down-to-earth take. García is quite happy to acknowledge his incredible achievement whilst still accepting that there are bigger challenges further afield. “For me the restaurant world is more than Michelin stars.”

In fact, the main reason he cites for quitting this elite circle is a fundamental drive to democratise fine dining. The Andalusian cook has observed a common theme for triple-starred chefs starting casual ventures, but in his case it’s more than a side project; it’s a philosophy. At BiBo – one in a series of brands to García’s name, including Leña and Lobito de Mar – the objective is simple: to use quality techniques and ingredients to create accessible, affordable meals that exceed expectations. “Our objective always is to offer something more special than the price you are going to pay. I always say to my team, we have to work, not the pocket of the guests.” He’s smiling when he says this, and his genuine passion is infectious. Despite a background working under the likes of the legendary Martin Berasategui, he is no stranger to cheap and accessible grub. He reminisces fondly about a rather surprising collaboration with fast food giant McDonald’s, who sold his BiBo burger for three months back in 2015. “It was incredible. 50,000 people per day ate the burger in McDonald’s. And, for example, in BiBo in Marbella, we book in only 120,000 people per year. In two days we were closer to the kind of people that eat our burgers.”

BiBo has already put down roots in Marbella, Madrid, Doha, Ibiza and Málaga, but this London branch is an important step for the chef. With a house and family in the British capital, he has an obvious personal connection, but also talks of his international ambition: “You have a dream when you are a chef; you want to have restaurants around the world.” He’s keen to point out, though, that this borough has its own unique flavour. “Shoreditch is a very special neighbourhood; it’s a very indie space and you have to adapt a little bit.” He explains that the goal with every outpost is to give customers a sense of the essential BiBo, with signature dishes such as the must-try Oxtail Brioche and the family-style sea bass, but also to provide site-specific offerings with unique character. For instance, in the UK iteration there are more Spanish tapas dishes as the chef feels that the British have an appreciation for this tradition, though it’s unclear if this is down to openness or greed – “People love sharing because you can try more things”. Many of the small plates such as the chistorra and the green peppers are exclusive to Shoreditch, and he stresses that this area in particular is great for this kind of sociable, laid-back dining: “You can eat standing up, with friends, listening to music, drinking. We can take the neighbourhood by the hand.”

Of course, the idea of eating in close quarters with anyone has been something of a rarity during the pandemic, and while the bookings at his restaurants were in flux – thankfully balancing out due to alternating lockdowns in Madrid and Marbella – it did give the chef a valuable chance to step back, spend time with family and discover new things. “It’s a good moment for reflection about food and about what the people want. I think that the people want a more direct link to the kitchen and very good products.”  As well as introspection and looking inwards, it was also a time for outward expansion, and like many others, García took the opportunity to start a delivery service. Crucially though, rather than the usual restaurant-based concept, he launched an independent company, allowing him to keep the restaurant team safe whilst creating a unique menu that can cater to all tastes. “At our delivery you can order sushi, you can order pizza, you can order original recipes, you can order burgers, you can order everything at the same time. This is the reason it is called La Gran Familia [Mediterránea]: it’s a big family and you can order what you want.” While the service is currently available in Marbella, Seville, Málaga and Valencia, with six kitchens around Madrid and two in Barcelona, he hopes eventually to bring the service to London.

When I ask about whether recent travel restrictions have brought people any closer to their own cuisine, he can speak only for himself. “I have in my mind and my heart the food of my mum.” However, this was equally true pre-Covid: “I cook with tradition, because I grew up with my mother and grandmother’s food, and we have a lot of culture about food in the south of Spain.” García was raised in Marbella, once a small fishing town and now a luxury city. While many people are grateful to him for cooking authentic national dishes, the chef is keen to reiterate that for him it’s not a choice. “It is impossible for me to cook without this mentality. A lot of people in Spain say to me, ‘thank you for cooking something like this’. There is no thank you; it’s in my blood.” However, Garcia’s philosophy of cocina contradición (a play on words meaning to cook both with tradition and without) combines the classic and the contemporary. “We think in a new way. We like to make the best ajo blanco, a very traditional almond soup, in the summer. And I can add a little bit of coconut milk, for example. You have bold flavours: the ajo blanco and the coconut. And this is with our traditional flavours, our traditional culture, but with a new view.”

Indeed, this cutting-edge angle is hardly surprising given that the chef was part of an important Spanish culinary pioneering group in his youth, experimenting with techniques in groundbreaking ways, including the use of nitrogen. “For us, it was fun, it was a very incredible moment”. And while he is still ad advocate for experimentation, he also implores sense. “I always say you can use the technique but always for a better flavour, for a better texture. It’s not for a show, more for an ‘ahhh’ kind of dish”. Now, he notes, the focus of the industry has shifted to sustainability. While García assures us they are doing what they can in this department, he’s also not afraid to speak candidly about his priorities. “My first mentality is to use my culture and local products, but I’m not closed to using other kinds of products around the world. I always say the same: I agree with this sustainable approach and I am trying, but it is very difficult in a restaurant.” For him, while cooking with a conscience is important, so is the happiness of the diner. “I can tell there are a lot of chefs who say, ‘we are going to save the world’, and that’s great, but for us, both are important: the guests and the world.”

The world does appear to be opening up to García regardless, and the next projects on the horizon are two new openings in New York this September, the quick and casual Pollo Verde (The Green Chicken) and a brand-new Casa Dani. Though he admits it has been an intense year, with everything launching together due to pandemic restrictions, he speaks with pride: “New York and London, for me they are incredible cities. Really, it’s an honour to say that I have some restaurants in New York, and I hope to have more than one restaurant here too.” Besides, he’s far too busy to worry about being busy: “Finally, we have to open; we don’t have time to cry.”

Rosamund Kelby

To book a table at BiBo Shoreditch, 45 Curtain Road London EC2A 3PT , call 020 3988 4455 or visit their website here.

This month, we speak with Rishim Sachdeva, whose current residency at the Sun and 13 Cantons in Soho showcases the sheer versatility of plant-based cooking. The chef launched Tendril – “a (mostly) vegan kitchen” – back in late 2019, just five months before the first lockdown transformed the hospitality landscape. Undeterred, Sachdeva reached out to loyal customers with a delivery service, tiding his team over until their recent reopening at the iconic central London pub. Their current meatless menu offers up a diverse discovery of global cuisine, a testament to the chef’s international training at locations including the Fat Duck, The Olive Bar & Kitchen in Mumbai and Chiltern Firehouse, as well as his belief in food without boundaries. Sachdeva tells us about his transition from hardcore carnivore, the dangers of cultural stereotypes and the importance of knowing the limitations of our planet.

Thanks so much for speaking with us! You have just launched your own six-month residency at The Sun and 13 Cantons, a kick-starter for many great chefs including the legendary Asma Khan of The Darjeeling Express. How has the opening week been and what are your aspirations for Tendril?

This opening week was an amazing rollercoaster ride: from a blocked drain (due to six months of non-operations) to a self-isolating restaurant manager. Along with a sold-out room full of guests every lunch and dinner, it has been perhaps one of Tendril’s most challenging yet rewarding weeks!

Tendril first launched in October 2019 with a series of pop-ups and supper clubs not too long before the pandemic hit. What have you learnt from the process of having to adapt your service for delivery and was it harder without a permanent restaurant as a base?

With bags full of confidence and clear plans in sight (and no clue as to the looming pandemic!), we launched our first residency in October 2019. Fast forward to March 17^th 2020, where we had a fully stocked pantry and packed fridges for a “potentially” busy week, and then suddenly found ourselves thrown into a lockdown. Within a couple of days, we started reaching out to our regulars and promising them customised, personally delivered meals, thrice a week. In a week’s time, we maxed out our capacity of 55 families and started driving about 90 miles every other day. It was shocking how quickly we – and our guests – adapted to the “new normal” and collaborated to keep Tendril alive and kicking through was have been without a doubt unprecedented times.  

You went from being a self-proclaimed hardcore carnivore to a champion of plant-based cookery. What was the main catalyst for this change?

A challenge! I practically challenged myself to cook plant-based meals for all of Veganuary 2019, and it turned out to be one of the most fun and thought-provoking tasks of my life. As a chef, it was always easy to cook and present a beautiful piece of meat or fish, but finding ways to champion vegetables in a plant-based meal was time-consuming and often nerve-wracking.

When it comes to sustainability, do you believe that cutting out our meat consumption entirely is the answer, or as someone with a “mostly vegan” menu, do you believe a flexitarian diet could be enough to create significant change in the hospitality industry?

I personally believe in a flexitarian diet. The household I grew up in has always been big on food and no stones were left unturned when it came to feeding and being fed. However, meat wasn’t the most important component on the table. It was always mostly vegetables that were lovingly prepared with a lot of flavour and technique. For a lot of people, cutting down meat entirely from their diet is perhaps the most difficult task ever. But finding the right balance is the need of the hour. We need to understand the limitations of our planet and our body in order to leave a healthy mark for the generations to come.

How else can chefs – and amateur cooks – be more eco-friendly with their cooking?

Know your ingredients and work with local seasonal produce. Think your recipes through and don’t be afraid to be creative. And be thoughtful of your actions: a lentil parfait is way healthier, tastier and cleaner than chicken liver parfait. And just as tasty, in my opinion!

Your flavours draw from many different global cuisines – your Discovery Menu touches on British, Mexican and Greek, to name a few. How would you describe your style of cooking and where do you find your inspiration?

My memories definitely come into play while writing and testing menus out. For instance, a particular flavour may have evoked a memory. It could be a marinade I tried a couple of years ago or a new herb I came across last week. Now how can I recreate those memories in a bite and be consistent with it. How can I put different flavours on the same plate and make it work? For me, food never has boundaries, and with Tendril’s discovery menu we are able to showcase flavour-first, eclectic dishes from across the world.

You have spent time working at some world-class establishments, perhaps most notably the Fat Duck. How has this shaped your approach to food?

Working at these restaurants has instilled a strong foundation of consistency and habit. This has led me to create an outstanding team and to keep moving forward with every step.

Which chef has most influenced your journey so far?

My old boss at Chiltern Firehouse, Nuno Mendez. 

You went back to India for a period to work with the legendary AD Singh at Olive Bar & Kitchen. What drew you to Mumbai, and what inspired your return to the UK?

I grew up in India and moved to the UK when I was 17 to study and work. After more than a decade here, I was excited by the challenge of working in a place like India. My five years there, especially at Olive, were very rewarding. Returning to the UK was always on the cards though, and with two babies (including Tendril!) on the horizon, I thought it was about time and made the move back in 2019 with my beautiful family – my wife and now two-year-old son.

Do you think there are enough platforms for chefs of colour in the UK hospitality industry? How might we better create a more diverse and accessible space?

Like every industry, there are platforms for people from ethnic backgrounds and colours. But in some cases (quite often!), they do come with stereotypical baggage. As a chef, your nationality doesn’t define your passion, skill and understanding of a cuisine. Training and speciality does. My ratatouille will taste better than my curry, because I’m professionally trained in the former. I do intrinsically understand flavours in a curry, but not better then I would in a smoked aubergine on puff pastry.

Talking about and addressing this head-on is a very important first step. Understanding rather than judging is a sensible way to approach it. I think it’s good that the conversation is live today, more than it’s ever been. It might raise some awkward questions, but they are questions that need to be discussed to make the hospitality sector a more inclusive space.

What would you say to any foodies who are cynical about vegan dishes? Why should they come to Tendril?

Come for some great-tasting, thought-through dishes pulled off with precision! All of this just happens to be (mostly) vegan. What we have managed to create at Tendril is an incredible experience where you just won’t miss meat. Flavours always take front-seat and vegetables do the talking!

What do you think will be next for you after your residency?

I genuinely cannot wait to tell you! Ask me this question when you come and eat at Tendril – I’m pretty sure there’ll be a little clue slipped in somehow. We are very, very, VERY excited for what’s ahead. Soon to be revealed…

Rosamund Kelby
Photos: Scaitboard

Read our full feature on Tendril at the Sun and 13 Cantons here. For further information or to book, visit the website here.