You moved from the role of head chef and partner at Notting Hill’s The Mall Tavern to take on full ownership of Kensal Green’s Parlour last year. How did you find the transition?
My career has always been gradual and progressive, moving from the sinks of a busy restaurant in Edinburgh to owning my own place. It has taken 15 years, but I have made it from the very bottom rung of the ladder to the top of this one.
The transition from partner and chef at the Mall Tavern to independent owner was just another natural path for me. It has been tricky, because my wife and I had twins at the same time, so that has been another very challenging part to play in this all. We survived the first full independent year, and are now getting into our stride. The future is bright!
What have you introduced to Parlour?
We are a pub. We are also a restaurant. We are also a cafe. We are also a bar. We are multi dimensional in a pub space. We are everyday as well as special occasion. We have classic dishes on; we do funky specials. We are exactly the kind of place I would like to live near. We also cook; we cocktail. We brew (coffee, tea and ginger beer) and we party, too. The evolution of what we offer has been tinkered with, but is essentially what we opened with nearly two years ago.
I have added more of an element of personality, and warmth to the place, and it is lovely to see so many familiar faces coming back every day and week.
Your work has taken you around the UK, to Australia and to the US. What do you most love about British food and what have your experiences abroad taught you?
I love the casualness of ‘fine dining’ in Australia; they don’t taken themselves too seriously. I also learned to love coffee there. There is an amazing freedom and freshness about the food there, and some wonderful chefs.
America taught me about style and service (I worked as a waiter at Balthazar in NYC to round myself better as a restaurant man). I learnt about ‘show time’ and the circus of the industry. We, as British, have been rather snobbish about food in America, but you scratch the surface, and there is an awful lot going on there, at every level.
But really I am in love with England and what we do here. British cooking feels natural and honest to me, and I love remembering and discovering things about food here, which I seem to do everyday — British food all the way!
Which chef has been your biggest inspiration?
I have learnt my trade from several top chefs, including my first chef Alan Matheison in Edinburgh, Micheal Caines, Mark Best, Charlie Trotter, Rowley Leigh, Mark Hix, and the special one; a non-chef Oliver Peyton, and I have drawn different things from each of them; flair, discipline, honesty and fun. All are important ingredients that have made me and the food we cook, and the style it is served in, what it is. I also went to different people in order to learn specific things.
What are you most proud of?
I am very proud of having got this far, and also having survived one year in an independent business.
What has been your biggest kitchen disaster?
A commis chef took off the end of his finger in an ice cream machine — is that what you were looking for? Or miscounting plates for a large dinner, leaving a couple of people without food (that happened a very long time ago — never at Parlour).
What has been your most memorable meal?
I had a very memorable meal cooking for my wife on our first Valentine’s Day — pigs’ liver faggots at midnight after a long shift.
What’s the longest you’ve ever worked in a kitchen without a break?
I have worked a few 19-hour days. It gets busy, you get behind, and the only way to get through it is coffee and hard graft!
How do you switch off from work?
I love to watch football and cooking shows on TV, especially after work late at night… The best thing these days is to spend time with my wife Jessie and little twins Monty and Ada.
How would you spend a perfect day off in west London?
My best day off strategy is to buy three newspapers and go and eat at a greasy spoon — the greasier the better — and work through the papers. Bliss!
What’s your philosophy on life?
Survival of the fittest.
Where did you last go on holiday?
I went on holiday with the family to Bali earlier this year — amazing black sandy beaches and surfing waves. The food is wonderful and fresh, too.
What’s on your bedside table?
Normally the phone, nappies, and a late-night treat of dark chocolate. Shh..
What would be your last supper?
Chicken noodle soup; macaroni cheese with smoked bacon; profiteroles!
