chefsimon
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Posts posted by chefsimon
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I'm just an ordinary punter, probably the sort of person you'd like to get into the restaurant. I am happy to travel far and pay high prices for good food. If I find a place that is great then I will tell a lot of people about it (including restaurant critics) and will do my level best to make sure the restaurant succeeds, so that I can keep on going back there.However I am not likely to be going to Alexander's just yet, certainly not at the prices on the website. For one thing, you are a long way from anywhere (I live in central London) and at those prices I can eat very well within a small radius (a few miles) of my home. So my guess is that until you have a reputation (GFG, Michelin, reviews etc) then you are going to be trying to get people within a 10 mile radius of Limpsfield. I don't know too much about the area but my uneducated guess would be that the general population have a 'posh' meal out (ie more than £50 a head) about four times a year, maximum. If I was forced to make an under/over it would be nearer 2.5. Do you have a large enough potential customer base to make it work with that sort of visit frequency?
My main reason why I would not go is that your website does its very best to put me off. This is intended to be constructive criticism, so please don't take it in the wrong way. But here's my thought just about the homepage (or rather, the page you click through to after the totally pointless homepage which only serves to a) confuse and b) ruin your search engine optimisation efforts:
You say:
"Alexander’s at Limpsfield is located in a wonderfully idyllic setting in the quiet and enchanting village of Limpsfield, Surrey. Here, the innovative talents of proprietor Patricia A Douglas have brought together style, elegance and a gastronomic experience of the highest level."
I say:
"FFS. I thought this was a restaurant I was going to. How come we don't get a mention of what kind of food it serves in the first paragraph? And why do I care about the proprietor? Damn, I hope it's not another of those restaurants where someone has made a shedload of money in another profession and now is going to blow it all by pursuing their dream of running a restaurant. Proprieters should neither be seen nor heard, imo, and certainly not in the first paragraph of the sales pitch. As for the "wonderfully idyllic setting in the quiet and enchanting village of Limpsfield, Surrey" it only makes me think that the premises is a rather ugly building stuck in the middle of a nice village - if it were a 17th century converted farmhouse then they would tell me. Ah look at the picture, it's the restaurant in snow. I wonder how ugly it looks when it's not covered in snow". Anyway, why do I give a toss about the setting or even the style and elegance when I'm being asked to fork out 15 quid for a starter!"
You say:
"Transformed from a traditional style restaurant, Alexander’s at Limpsfield opened its doors in November 2006 to challenge the standards of its competitors and raise the bar by delivering a truly memorable experience. At Alexander’s, our aim is to provide every guest with an event in the art of good eating where exceptional food, excellent service and relaxed atmosphere all come naturally."
I say:
"Give me a break. "An event in the art of good eating". Let's try and communicate in English rather than bullshit. "Transformed from a traditional style restaurant"....hmmmm, you mean it was once a Harvester? What is a 'traditional style restaurant'? This sounds like a euphemism for it being horrible.
You say:
"With a cleverly mixed blend of casual and fine dining under one roof, Alexander’s has something to offer everyone and will leave guests wanting to return time and time again."
I say:
Have you seriously got to the end of the home page of the site without mentioning what kind of food you serve and why it is good?
So far, so cruel. Now, let's get to the left navigation of the website. Which do you think your average customer is more interested in, a sample menu or the personnel? At the prices you charge I would hope it would be the sample menu? So why is key personnel listed first? My guess is because there are some big egos involved in this project, which puts me off massively.
Even when I do look at the personnel, it makes me more concerned. For example, let's look at Simon's page as head chef:
http://www.alexanders-limpsfield.co.uk/SimonAttridge.html
It starts:
"Born in Reigate, Surrey, Simon spent his early catering years in Redhill and Reigate Golf Club when he developed a strong desire to become a Chef at the highest level."
Okay, I've read enough. I'm being charged 15 quid for a starter by the chef from the local golf club.
Surely you bury that detail somewhere in the biog.
Try something like this:
Head Chef Simon Attridge is a Michelin-starred chef who had worked in some of Britain's top kitchens. He was head chef to Heston Blumenthal at xxx and has also worked with Gordon Ramsey. Before moving to Alexander's he was head chef at Drakes On The Pond in Surrey, where he achieved his first Michelin star.
Personally I think this should be on the home page....others may disagree.
A couple of other points:
http://www.alexanders-limpsfield.co.uk/associates.html is a complete mess and your web designer needs a nudge.
And Bruno Cicco might always have dreamed of achieving a Michelin star but this...
"Bruno has been privileged to work in some amazing locations, for some of the largest and most notable restaurants in the world and is thrilled to finally be given an opportunity to fulfill his ultimate dream of achieving his first Michelin Star alongside the dynamic team at Alexanders at Limpsfield."
....may not help his quest. I think the desire for a Michelin star is something you tell your friends and colleagues about, not post it on the website.
Feel free to ignore this...I freely admit I am no expert.
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I propose a new topic- how to limit the damage of bad reviews by critcs and food writers.
Well i ll defend myself in good time as i m obviously going to!!!
But i got a busy sunday lunch first
Whs it a nice review brown bear?
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"What a surprise sat bains copying heston!!!"
I am hoping you are taking the piss re your comment above.
If not, are you saying that you have never used ideas from elsewhere on your menu?? Or are we to presume that the Valrhona Chocolate fondant on your tasting menu, is your own inimitable creation.
I didnt invent it i just perfected it,only joking
i m not claiming to have re invented the wheel, i know people have done chocolate fondant with caramel before
but saying that the fondant recipe is mine, the ice cream recipe is mine, the foam is mine and the salted caramel is mine,
but over the years i have seen a number of chefs attempt combinations very similer to what heston does, which are obviously noticed as there so different, the chef in question being one of those people.
come off it, i have 2 recipes for chocolate fondant with salted butter caramel from books, I doubt either of the chef's were original when they produced them. Copying combinations from Heston? What next, chef's serving deconstructed bacon and egg ice cream?
Heston has created some innovative dishes, but criticising a chef for perhaps using his ideas as a basis for their recipes, or even for coming up with a mixture of ingredients similar to those at the fat duck is surely daft.
No offence chap but i think its a bit rude to accuse other chef's of such things when you are trying to get your restaurant going.
Hey i didnt criticise, i think hes a very good chef, it was just an observation, maybe i m wrong
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"What a surprise sat bains copying heston!!!"
I am hoping you are taking the piss re your comment above.
If not, are you saying that you have never used ideas from elsewhere on your menu?? Or are we to presume that the Valrhona Chocolate fondant on your tasting menu, is your own inimitable creation.
There is also a big difference between using ideas you have done before and copying, of course people are going to take inspiration from chefs they have worked for ,books, meals they have eaten etc etc
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"What a surprise sat bains copying heston!!!"
I am hoping you are taking the piss re your comment above.
If not, are you saying that you have never used ideas from elsewhere on your menu?? Or are we to presume that the Valrhona Chocolate fondant on your tasting menu, is your own inimitable creation.
I didnt invent it i just perfected it,only joking
i m not claiming to have re invented the wheel, i know people have done chocolate fondant with caramel before
but saying that the fondant recipe is mine, the ice cream recipe is mine, the foam is mine and the salted caramel is mine,
but over the years i have seen a number of chefs attempt combinations very similer to what heston does, which are obviously noticed as there so different, the chef in question being one of those people.
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MPW creative?? No way. He was brilliant at cooking, a total perfectionist. But he didn't really stand out for his creativity. Evidence?? First hand.
Could some one tell me how a 3 michelin star chef could not be creative please?
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Out of the whole menu the salmon dish was the one I was fearing the most, as liquorice is something I am not keen on. I think it stems from the days of eating midget gems and being dissapointed that the black ones had a horrid liquorice flavour. Anyway, I actually found the flavour to be very subtle, considering the colour screams hardcore liquorice and as a whole thought the dish worked very well.
I had a similar liquorice and salmon dish at Sat Bains a few months later which presumably was a homage to this dish. I think it was salmon with fennel, vanilla, passionfruit and liquorice which was equally as good if not a little better, passionfruit working better than the grapefruit.
What a surprise sat bains copying heston!!!
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chefsimon
As I have said elsewhere, tone and intimation are difficult to convey on this format of communication. Maybe the debate we are having deserves to be on your original thred 'Critics and Food Writers' or given the responses I have drawn from some, a new thred altogther.
I do not wish to be negative or aggressive and I am sorry if what I say is coming accross as that. Posting after a busy day is probably a bad idea!
I respect what you are doing and trying to achieve and the effort and skill that goes into it. You clearly have an impressive track record. There is nothing wrong with drawing attention to your establishment in any medium. There is nothing wrong with charging £17 for a scallop starter if its great and you can get it and get it again and again.
I noted some of your previous posts on threds - the bath priory? and some other topics - and you clearly have a high and exacting standard for restaurants and food. You also hinted before your Critics and Food Writers thred of having a new place but not wanting to draw attention to it until you had it right......which is compltely fair given what you are pitching.
You make it clear you're seeking to widen your customer base through posting, reviews and maybe Michelin and again, I don't see anything wrong with that. As Matthew's posting proved, you clearly have something worth shouting about which made me think the Food Critics and Writers thred was about something else. .......and I thought thinking was what this forum was intended for.
Peace
No problem but what did you think critics and food writers was abou then?
Dont think to much it ll start to hurt!!!!
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Of course people are talking about it in the area, word of mouth takes time to get around
And so they should, what you are doing, where you are doing it is going to get people talking. And it is going to take time for people to venture out for it other than Friday or Saturday night.
I do not get things cheaper just because i m a new start up restaurantIf you look on the a la carte there are a number of options where you can have a three course meal, amuse, pre dessert for £33, or yes you could spend £55 or
£65 on taster including coffee
A question for you now how many bog standard pub/old restaurant can you go in and spend £33 on just 3 courses, i could name about 10 in a ten mile radius?
And you definatly wouldnt get what were offerring here
You are nowhere near comparable with pub/old style restaurants. A dining experience with you is going to cost a certain amount whatever you have as there are obviously a lot of people involved in getting it right. The bog standard punter does not take this into account. They just look at one thing and thing ' £33-£65 to eat in this place, bloody hell.'
Also there is the cheaper brasserrie offerring, have you looked on website beepopYes I have and three courses (salmon, steak, side of brocoli & salad and pud is £41 - Tasting menu £65, a la carte £64 (scallops, beef, pud, cheese) obviously you hope that is going to help with cashflow in delivery the 2* dishes Matthew mentioned accross the whole menu.
Are you my accountant now?I wish....I am simply saying that with the obvious high start up costs and ongoing costs, why was there not an amount allocated to PR. In your original thred you said,
This is without using a PR agency as they are ridiculously priced!!Yet you are now using one, you have done a deal to get Matthew to post about you and the original thred of yours got Jay down there quicker than a scallop diver on a comission of £1.60 a scallop.
a) Do you know how much the majority of Pr companies cost? and what the majority of there conditions are, i ve got nothing against pr companies and some are very good, in fact i ve actually got one now Victus PR, who are very good reasonable and flexible to the needs of a new start up restaurantSee above
It doesnt take a rocket scientist to work out i was going to get people talking about AlexandersYou and your food are your best PR, I just don't think you needed to get them talking with the thred you did.
also a lot of people want to be negative, like yourself out of matthews review you can only pick up the negative pointsAlexanders
I have not been negative about Matthew's review, I am simply pointing out that thre two negative points he did mention were potentially enough to get Jay lighting his barbaque given what he said in your original thred.....IF i was to come to your place and, at those prices, found a single fault, I would put you over the spit and bbq you.
To the average punter, those two minor minor minor points are hardley going to be a reason for them not to return or reccomend. But for a food critic of a national, and not one that rewrites the menu, we'll see.
who are you to say i want more adulation that will come from just the locals, believe me if it was a successful business i didnt need any awards or any reviews and nobody knew who i was and every customer every night was from Limpsfield High Street, the food and service was good i d be happy with that, but as thats not going to happen we need to go out to a wider field.Of course myself and the team want to be recognised for the fifteen,sixteen seventeen hour days we do and work and passion we put into it but adulation, definatly the wrong word to describe it
Maybe it is the wrong word, but something does not add up given the weight of posting you are generating about everything other than the food.
I look forward to dining at Alexanders, wish you the best of luck and look forward to reading the Observer Magainze.
A couple of things for you i definatly did not do a deal with matthew about writing on here, i invited him down and made it clear i wanted no bias but would be intrested in his feedback. both positive and negative as there are clearly people on here worth listening to and people not worth listening to.
Now your say myself and the the food are the best pr which totally contradicts what your saying about me looking for some kind of ADULATION
yes i want people to get out my way when i walk doen the street, i dont think
About the brasserrie again you mention expensive things you dont mention you can have 3 courses for £23 and if you order a side of broccoli and a salad, very strange, do you have a food intrest or you just here to be negative about people trying to do good food in a nice environment
Not everybody goes out and has 4 course or the 4 most expensive items on menu again you getting on your band wagon with your blinkered view
Could you tell me what doesnt add up. give me the sum? Also what shall i do come on here and say this this and this is great my food is fantastic all come and try it !again i dont think so !!!
Do you not think this site is a good place to get intrest in a new venture?
Please tell me what was so bad about the food critic thread it cant be that bad as your fine self has obviously taken such an intrest and spent some of your mighty valuble time writing on the subject
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Nice review....all in the line of duty.
So do you think Matthew, that this establishment can make it without a national review?
Or is its concept, cooking and overal appeal not enough to stand out enough to get people talking about it in the area, which is where their cashflow is going to come from?
Of course people are talking about it in the area, word of mouth takes time to get around
Did you feel all your attention was on the food and expection?
Do you think the reviewers will be unfairly harsh given the high prices which are obviously there to cover the high cost of delivering something of this nature as well as the whole conceptualisation of what they are doing?
I do not get things cheaper just because i m a new start up restaurant
If you look on the a la carte there are a number of options where you can have a three course meal, amuse, pre dessert for £33, or yes you could spend £55 or
£65 on taster including coffee
A question for you now how many bog standard pub/old restaurant can you go in and spend £33 on just 3 courses, i could name about 10 in a ten mile radius?
And you definatly wouldnt get what were offerring here
Also there is the cheaper brasserrie offerring, have you looked on website beepop
I mean, Jay is already lighting his barbaque because of the extra rock salt on the ham hock, cheesy muzik and original thred.
Yep somebody put the wrong music on i can admit that, but believe me it wont be happenning again!
I don't mean to be an asshole chefSimon, but with the high start-up cost, the salaries that are being paid,
Are you my accountant now?
the track record you have and the obvious belief in what you are doing why a) did you not wish to use a PR agncey as it could have been factored in to cost and b) why did you feel the need to pose the question you did on the original thred? I get the feeling you are seeking more than the adualtion that will come from locals - sorry, I don't mean to be an asshole.
a) Do you know how much the majority of Pr companies cost? and what the majority of there conditions are, i ve got nothing against pr companies and some are very good, in fact i ve actually got one now Victus PR, who are very good reasonable and flexible to the needs of a new start up restaurant
b)Look at the response i ve got a lot of people are talking about it now on Egullet, We all know Jay has been in, Matthew has been in for a meal, there is also another guy coming in next week and i have now got a Pr company, thats not bad for starts
It doesnt take a rocket scientist to work out i was going to get people talking about Alexanders and i ve had some good positive advice from a number of people and also a lot of people want to be negative, like yourself out of matthews review you can only pick up the negative points
do you know me, who are you to say i want more adulation that will come from just the locals, believe me if it was a successful business i didnt need any awards or any reviews and nobody knew who i was and every customer every night was from Limpsfield High Street, the food and service was good i d be happy with that, but as thats not going to happen we need to go out to a wider field.
Of course myself and the team want to be recognised for the fifteen,sixteen seventeen hour days we do and work and passion we put into it but adulation, definatly the wrong word to describe it
On that note
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The Website is also up and running a lot better than a couple of weeks ago will give people a much better idea of the place
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Tucked away off Reigate High Street is a new gem - Charlie Hicks who's often on the radio talking about eating seasonally, has opened a greengrocers selling ... excellent seasonal produce.
As the only other sources of Fruit 'n veg in the town are Morrisons (boo hiss) and M&S I do hope it prospers. I can't keep it going on my own! The Italian oranges we bought, for example, are gorgeous - sweet yet tangy.
I had a look around the shop this morning and there is definatly some fantastic produce in there, I was in the vine king on saturday picking up some wine for the restaurant and they were promoting him so lets hope he does ok and word gets round hes there
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Oh i do like to be beside the seaside.....
50p each(day boat, not hand dived by virgins) Good size tho'
4 to a portion, capers, halzenut dressing £6.95 bosh and indeed bosh
Today we had some hand dived Scottish scallops ( I know it's a long way from here, but they were offered, OK
)They worked out at £1.25 each, but one was just a smidge under 4oz.
hows Buisness at the moment Simon? Was VD day good for you?
Good thanks Basildog
Did a 6 course taster and coffee for £50 over tuesday wed thursday
did 40 on both tue and thur and 58 which was full on wednesday so not bad and yourself
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The inherent problem with gastro pubs is staff. I think every gastro pub in the country has one person saying it is wonderful and another claiming it is dire and both are probably right. They are just so inconsistent.
It is hard to attract staff because most chefs and front of house want a good restaurant on the cv not a pub. so you are stuck with well meaning but ultimately pretty clueless local lads and lasses.
Another problem is the lack of control you have over bookings in a pub, people just will not be dictated to like they can in restaurants (however much people complain about staggering tables and having to eat at 7pm, its what makes restaurant services run smoothly)
Thus the similarities with restaurants are blinding chefmatt.
I have never heard such generalised claptrap. Then again, sticking gastro onto any public house that does not serve packet food is the biggest generalisation of all.
So on this note why do they charge so bloody much?I'm off now to buy my own private island with all the dosh I've made from charging people so bloody much.
Couldnt agree more baker states, i hate the word gastro pub cannot stand it, what do you do or where do you work chef matt
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I agree that people should not make reservations without cancelling them in a sensible time fashion but that is the name of the game in NY, reserve and make a choice.
Sure some jackasses dont bother to cancel in good time or at all but my only point is this tendency of preachy responses from people in other countries.
The poster is a personal friend and I know his intentions and his respect for restaurants.
One person making multiple reservations is democratic.
One entity making multiple reservations and selling them under assumed names when you show up at the restaurant is frankly BS and completely different.
Bakhoum's husbands analogy that he is doing it for any other reason but money is a collective insult to the intelligence of new yorkers.
It was nothing personal to your mate!and it happens in every country, just because i live in another country doesnt mean i cant have a point of view and i visit your country on many occasions during the year
Obviously a cancellation to these kinds of restaurants is not going to effect them, but if your friend does it to these whos to say its not his common practice on smaller independent restaurants also, independent restaurants can be very difficult to book a table at to at prime times
I ve experienced it before as a chef/restauranteur and its not nice especially when you have turned down a table who would really like the experience you as a chef/restauranteur has to offer!
So its definatly not a good practice and if someone cant decide where to go and only book one place they got issues, maybe do there reserch a bit earlier
Simon
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OK NYC egulleter's, I need your help again. You have helped me in the past and I am calling on your expertise once again. I will be driving up from Philly and taking my wife into your lovely city again next weekend (Saturday the 17th) for a Valentine's dinner and night out (we never do Valentine's Day proper for obvious reasons). We are serious food eaters but my wife also loves to dine at sleek, chic, sexy places that also have good food. I was going to try for Buddakan Philly or NYC but both are booked solid.
So, I made reservations at 4 different places and need your help deciding on which ONE to go to. You'll see by my choices I have decided on an Asian-themed dinner with decor as a significant factor, but still wanting good food. So with that in mind please give me your opinions on the following (feel free to rank them if you want to):
Buddha Bar
Kittichai
Asia de Cuba
Spice Market
I was also thinking about Megu but that looks a bit too pricey. Also, feel free to suggest any places for a lively night life/dancing afterwards. I was thinking of places like Cielo (not too "sceney" but have dancing?). Thank you for any and all help you can offer.
Do you realise how restaurants may suffer when you cancel 3 of those dinners
An absolutly discusting thing to do in my opinion
Ok the larger restaurant may fill your cancellation no problem, but smaller independent ones may struggle
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but "that depends on your staff" just backs up my point about gastro pubs, it is so much harder to recruit quality experienced staff for a pub.
Whats your definition of a Gastro Pub, everybodys is different!
I m sure Heston would not call the Hinds Head a Gastro Pub
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all you need is head chef's day off, a bit busy and it doesn't get baked twice a day.
Well i guess that depends on your staff, maybe that happens where you work chef matt
people do say some unfounded ridiculous things some times!!
On what information are you basing that comment
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i m not doubting his quality but you have to have the team behind you, thats one of the differences between being a great chef and a great restauranteur, i know its a very old saying but a true one, your only as good as your brigade
That's a very good point. Interesting that his longest-standing employee is the sommelier, and the kitchen at his new place is run by his twin brother.
Perhaps it's best not to speculate about specifics. But, generally, it may be plausible that if an employer tends not to trust his employees to do their jobs properly, he tends to be left with employess that are not worth trusting. Vicious circle.
If all the "empire building" is taking a toll on quality (and I'm not convinced that it is), then it's most likely to be because he is in his kitchens far too much, not too little.
Dont understand this comment?
Spoken like a true chef.
If I were to work 20 hours a day, seven days a week, and insisted on overseeing every single aspect of my business, the basic quality of everything I did would suffer. And it would not be too much of a surprise if I started accusing people of stealing teaspoons, or attacking co-workers with pallet knives.
Is the that Toms Kitchen run by his brother or is Ollie Couillard in charge?
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i m not doubting his quality but you have to have the team behind you, thats one of the differences between being a great chef and a great restauranteur, i know its a very old saying but a true one, your only as good as your brigade
That's a very good point. Interesting that his longest-standing employee is the sommelier, and the kitchen at his new place is run by his twin brother.
Perhaps it's best not to speculate about specifics. But, generally, it may be plausible that if an employer tends not to trust his employees to do their jobs properly, he tends to be left with employess that are not worth trusting. Vicious circle.
If all the "empire building" is taking a toll on quality (and I'm not convinced that it is), then it's most likely to be because he is in his kitchens far too much, not too little.
Dont understand this comment?
Spoken like a true chef.
If I were to work 20 hours a day, seven days a week, and insisted on overseeing every single aspect of my business, the basic quality of everything I did would suffer. And it would not be too much of a surprise if I started accusing people of stealing teaspoons, or attacking co-workers with pallet knives.
i ve only just learnt to write, you know us chefs
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Who’s cooking in the kitchen there if he’s busy empire building?
As it happens, I talked to Tom about this a month or two after Tom's Kitchen opened. He said he was running service Monday to Friday at the eponymous place until all covers were on desserts and coffees,
So whos doing the desserts then, because i know a number of pastry ches who ve been through the door
Tom, I'd suggest, takes perfectionism to the point of an obsessive compulsive disorder. He seems completely unable to delegate. I'm not in the least bit surprised that he has a problem with staff turnover
Which doesnt put him in good stead for expanding, i m not doubting his quality but you have to have the team behind you, thats one of the differences between being a great chef and a great restauranteur, i know its a very old saying but a true one, your only as good as your brigade
-- it must be a nightmare to work for him, stuck in that tiny basement kitchen where the boss is always looking over your shoulder and telling you exactly what you're doing wrong.
Yeah it is, i ve seen it and i wouldnt reccomend it there, but all good places are hard work
If all the "empire building" is taking a toll on quality (and I'm not convinced that it is), then it's most likely to be because he is in his kitchens far too much, not too little.
Dont understand this comment?
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My point is this: Those who generally succeed at the haute money-making game generally establish a solid reputation and firm foundation at the upper **/*** level before branching out. My concern is that Aikens, like J-CN before him, has not yet laid this firm foundation.
Fair enough. My point was though that he had done enough (even if he could achieve more). I don't think the comparison with JCN is fair either, by all accounts the man went completely expansion-bonkers, and there is no reason at all to suppose Aikens' project is of the same order of lunacy.
I wouldnt say tom is trying to expand at the haute money making as his his new offerings are not trying to be Restaurant Tom Aikens, if anything there there to make money to help Tom Aikens, i am in no way saying Tom Aikens doesnt make money but we all know how hard it is for top end fine dining restaurants
I also wouldnt agree you have to get to 2 star 3 star to expand, but i would say you have to have a solid team and i would say if you expand before you get to that level, its very hard then to get to the 2-3 star level which again we all know Tom Aikens wants to, So maybe there is the question whether he has decided lets just make some fucking serious money?
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I think you are right Jon, being a great chef and being a great restauranteur are two VERY different things. Having two stars at the flagship Tom Aikens restaurant would certainly help with any future restaurants, especially if he is seeking similar michelin recognition in them. I wonder if his twin (who is also a chef but who has been working in corporate catering) is going to work at one of the restaurants to help him out, he deffinately needs a larger support base than he has at present, and there have been rumours.
Chefsimon, I have to say I disagree with you about TA. I have been on a number of occasions in the past year, and certainly don;t think that it has slipped in any way since it first opened - if anything it has got better (IMHO) - and their chees board is divine (as are their breads!).
Who’s cooking in the kitchen there if he’s busy empire building? His former head chef Dylan McGrath is running Mint in Dublin since early summer (pretty impressive in a torturously small kitchen). He said that Aikens was very hands-on during his time there. I recently picked up a copy of his book as I’ve never eaten in his restaurant and was interested to see how it compares with what’s on the menu at Mint. He’s a good looking guy, but why so many “achingly cool” B&W reportage shots? Tom wrapped up in a snuggy jacket out walking, Tom on the phone, Tom reflected in the mirror…
I am lead to believe the head chef is a guy called Dominic cant tel you more than that, i think thy worked together at some time before
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I think you are right Jon, being a great chef and being a great restauranteur are two VERY different things. Having two stars at the flagship Tom Aikens restaurant would certainly help with any future restaurants, especially if he is seeking similar michelin recognition in them. I wonder if his twin (who is also a chef but who has been working in corporate catering) is going to work at one of the restaurants to help him out, he deffinately needs a larger support base than he has at present, and there have been rumours.
Chefsimon, I have to say I disagree with you about TA. I have been on a number of occasions in the past year, and certainly don;t think that it has slipped in any way since it first opened - if anything it has got better (IMHO) - and their chees board is divine (as are their breads!).
My meals have deinatly deteriated imho, obviously yours not and i agree the breads have always been amazing. Also i d like to say the somelier fantastic i think he has been there from the beginning
To be a great restauranteur you have to have a great team like gordon did and now there all in very good places, the majority of his head chefs now were there at the begnning!i think thats where tom could struggle i did a stage there at Tom Aikens for a senior position beginning to middle of last year and none of the staff apart from Dylan the head chef who has now moved had been there more than a year and none of the staff there were very happy! in my opinion whether you got the money to or not thats not a good position to be starting a restaurant empire!!!whether they be just round the corner or not!
Also we all know what michelin think about spreading yourself to thin before you get the top accolodes! so 2 stars could be a way away!
Critics and Food Writers
in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
Posted
Dont worry bertie i m still here just not replied yet as thinking about things like us ultra intelligent chefs do!!!!!!!!
i will be replying in the near future, dont you worry