Chef's CV: Jason Atherton
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[email protected] Chef’s CV: Jason Atherton Current: After all 020 7479 6959 __________ this experience, I felt ready to Born: Sheffield, 1971 open my own Dine place, and on Training: 18 April Pollen • At the age of 16, I knew I wanted Street Social elcome to the latest issue of This issue’s Focus on feature celebrates to be a chef. I don’t know where will welcome WDine. It’s so exciting to be an unusual but effective ingredient pair- the inspiration came from – my its first custom- part of the London restaurant scene, ing – cheese and whisky. I’ve been hear- mum could cook but people ers. I’ve always which is bursting with news and ing more and more of wouldn’t have travelled for miles to dreamed of what my own restaurant openings this spring. For starters, this coupling and eat her food. would be like – from how I would many chefs are launching solo Our top five wanted to under- • Working in the kitchen at the Coun- conduct my chefs to what cutlery I’d venues in the capital. most booked stand the theory ty Hotel in Skegness, I was the only use – and now I think, ‘My God, it’s __________ behind it. Both one to go out and buy cookbooks actually happening.’ Jason Atherton made the products offer and to practice my knife skills. news when he left Gordon 1. Dinner by Heston huge diversity, • In 1989, when my mother was on Pollen Street Social will embrace the Ramsay’s empire, having and you can current wave of passion for good 2. Hakkasan Mayfair holiday, I booked a one-way ticket to created Maze, a concept find them at London. Knocking on the doors of food and ensure everyone can enjoy 3. Zuma that has been expanded any restaurant, all the top chefs, I was finally given a fine dining experience. I’ll be in around the globe. Now going 4. The Fat Duck home or dinner a chance by Boyd Gilmour. On my the kitchen at every service, and solo, we interviewed him for 5. The Ivy party. This should days off I was doing unpaid work at customers can expect a regularly our Chef’s CV, which looks at inspire you to try Pierre Koffmann’s La Tante Claire, changing menu. I don’t do signature his journey that led to opening his the combination on until he gave me a full-time position. dishes – it’s not my style. My food own restaurant – Pollen Street Social. your next night out. • In 1992, I joined Marco Pierre evolves. I might be in Japan and be White at Harvey’s, before moving blown away by a dish and use its Our New in town choice had to be As always, we value immensely your to Restaurant Marco Pierre White at flavours in my cooking. Dinner by Heston, living up to its feedback, comments on and participa- the Hyde Park Hotel. hype as the opening of the decade. tion in the Dining Club service. If you • In 1998, I backpacked to Barce- Future: It’s far too early to tell if I will Many members have already visited would like us to feature a venue that’s lona and slept on the beach before open more restaurants, but I cer- and given glowing feedback, some of dear to you or somewhere you want to cycling to El Bulli in search of a tainly hope so. If I do branch out, my which you can read in this issue. The find out more about, do not hesitate to job. My determination paid off and restaurants will not have my name verdict from me and the team here is contact us. I became the first British chef to splashed all over them. In my opinion that it’s a must-try and an absolutely complete a stage in Ferran Adrià’s a restaurant should live – or die – by winning addition to the capital. We hope you esteemed kitchen. the food, service and atmosphere. enjoy reading • In 2002, I joined the Gordon Ram- Also in Knightsbridge, Zuma has been this issue of say group as executive chef for Verre There is a real interest in and passion a consistently hot booking, always Dine. and Glasshouse restaurants in Dubai, for good food in the UK at the mo- on members’ lips and popular in our before heading up Maze in Mayfair ment and as a chef you can’t rest on weekly table availability update. Our Hernan and the in 2005, winning it a Michelin star your laurels. Luckily, the country has Icon section explores why we love Dining Club and expanding the brand across the some seriously talented and enthusi- Rainer Becker’s constantly evolving team globe, including openings in Mel- astic chefs and the restaurant scene cuisine and the restaurant’s range of bourne, Cape Town and New York. can only get better. dining options for different occasions. [email protected] 020 7479 6959 New in town: Dinner by Heston History has also inspired the laid-back dining room, and it’s hard to decide whether its views across Hyde Park are more alluring than those of its open Blumenthal kitchen. Dark woods are accented with leather and tweed while playful details are peppered throughout: look for jelly-mould lights and the disappearing Must-try modern medieval dining from cookbooks. Circular medieval-style chandeliers hang from the high ceiling and the UK’s most experimental chef the centrepiece is a mechanical pulley system, modelled on a 16th-century de- __________ sign, that wheels hypnotically above the open kitchen and operates the spit. mandarin arrives on a wooden The chef’s table commands the best view A board, a sprig of green leaves of the kitchen and grants diners an un- still attached to its dappled skin. precedented insight into Blumenthal’s Members’ feedback But cut it and instead of peeling rind research. Staff reveal the story be- __________ you’re slicing through jelly. Instead of hind every course as it’s served, and fruit, its flesh is chicken liver parfait. explain how an outlandish creation I’ve had the pleasure of going such as Meat Fruit makes perfect twice since it opened (re- Meat Fruit (c.1500) is among the signature sense in its historical context. served through Ten). Service dishes at Dinner, Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant and food were impeccable on at the Mandarin Oriental, which has rediscovered and reinvented Britain’s ‘In the past, especially during medieval both occasions and I even had culinary past. If the chef’s Fat Duck is a laboratory at the fringe of food sci- times, living conditions and standards the pleasure of seeing the big ence, then Dinner is a library where research inspires invention. were very poor and food storage was man himself on Monday. ‘Britain’s culinary history has always inspired me,’ Blumenthal told Dining primitive,’ Blumenthal explains. ‘Without Club, ‘but I really got into researching it after meeting the food historians refrigeration, most food was eaten with from Hampton Court Palace in 2003.’ strong smelling ingredients such as rose oil to mask the smell of ‘off’ Members’ feedback Months spent mining ancient tomes along- produce. However, there was a lot __________ side Ashley Palmer-Watts, his long-term of theatre in dining in the days Members’ feedback collaborator and head chef at Dinner, before TV, Game Boys and We had table 11, by the kitchen, with __________ have yielded a menu drawn from computers, so the recipes we a good view of the action, and not centuries of royal court banquets. It researched were entertaining too noisy. Fantastic food, notably the Thank you for the table. Exceptional takes a brigade of 25 staff and two to say the least. The Meat Meat Fruit and the wing of Angus - the evening was a gastronomic kitchens to prepare these regal Fruit was inspired by that.’ rib with amazing wine sauce and triumph. Tasting the hay-marinated creations. Beef Royal (c.1723) is chips. Great wine list as well; we mackerel and Meat Fruit, we could cooked in a water bath for 72 Dinner plans to serve after- had a lovely Thierry Mortet Gevrey- not recall such excitingly complex hours, giving it a buttery tex- noon tea and is working on Chambertin 2007. Friendly, efficient food, with a vast variety of flavours ture, and Tipsy Cake (c.1810), its private dining menus. service; you wouldn’t believe it’s that worked together magnificently. soaked in Sauternes and made Blumenthal also said it will only been open a few weeks. Ashley Followed by the cod in cider and from spit-roasted pineapples, is be constantly ‘developing Palmer-Watts came to our table at powdered duck, both excellent. The a must-try dessert. and reviewing’ its menu – my request to sign our menu, and highlight was the Tipsy Cake, with which could involve a return to sat down and discussed the restau- the best tasting spit-roasted pineap- Blumenthal explained: ‘We haven’t Hampton Court. ‘There were so rant with us. The whole experience ple I’ve ever eaten. The sommelier copied the exact historical recipes. many recipes and other culinary works. We will be trying to go back! recommended the best Chablis on It’s more about taking the essence archives there,’ he says. The future the menu, which was superb. of the original dish and creating of British cooking, then, is in its past. something flavourful and modern.’ [email protected] 020 7479 6959 Icon: Zuma The 10-course tasting menu – fea- turing wagyu beef and finishing Members’ feedback: More than just exquisite sushi with delectable chocolate fon- Gauthier Soho __________ dant with caramel and praline – __________ is very popular with members hen it launched in Knights- as it gives an overview of the We were looking for Dean Street Wbridge in 2002, Zuma was an eclectic plates available.