Gary Rhodes

[jayrayner]

I have shortly to interview Gary Rhodes for a large profile piece. My general opinion as it stands is positive. Put aside the hair (which he has cut, thnak god) and he seems to have endured the desperate fripperies of televisual cookery, and kept true to his thing. His masterchef was oceans better than grossman's. His cookery year is serious stuff and his two flagship restaurants  in London are still held in high regard, not least on this bulletin board.

So, inform my opinions with yours.  Has anybody eaten at the other Rhodes brasseries? What were they like. How useful are his cook books? Is he, to repeat myself, saint or sinner?

[AdamLawrence]

Jay, I've never eaten in a Rhodes restaurant but I would agree with your general opinion. Rhodes treats food seriously: he demonstrates technique clearly, and I've learned a lot from watching him on TV. I don't particularly like his style as a presenter - his voice and vocabulary annoy me - but he is, I think, among the best food broadcasters we have (up there with Hugh F-W to my mind). He doesn't treat the viewer as an idiot who knows nothing; nor does he go way over the head of the amateur cook. Good on you Gary.

Adam

[Tonyfinch]

I lean towards sainthood . As Adam says he isn't condescending or contemptuous towards people and I think he handled the Masterchef format exceptionally well. Also,his Turkey Wellington on TV a few months ago was a piece of gastroporn so hardcore that one was left drooling with awe and wonder.

I,ve eaten in both the London restaurants and really enjoyed both meals. However one wonders at his level of day to day involvement given that,at Rhodes in the Square at least,someone else is named as Head Chef on the menu and the menu doesn't change that often which,given his culinary retlessness,you might expect it to do. Maybe you could ask him just how involved he is

[Jinmyo]

Saint. One of the few British TV chefs worth watching.

[Adam_Balic]

Mostly agree with what has been said before (especially the hair bit), but you could ask him about his association with Tate & Lyle. He was interviewed on the BBC "Food-Junkies" special about sugar and was very unhappy when it was vaguely suggested that had compromised himself. Anyway, he might get up and punch you, which would still make great copy .

Other then that I have heard he is a Saint (stories about him visiting children in hospital who were invoved in car accidents are common, not surprising given his personal history).

[Wilfrid]

I have nothing significant against the chap, but would like to ask him how he felt having the Nolan Sisters sing "You're simply the best" to him on camera after he'd served them dinner.  I found it so embarrassing I had to hide behind the armchair until it was over.

[Adam_Balic]

It's O.K., you are an Englishman, so that sort of behaviour is perfectly normal.

[John Whiting]

I too was favorably impressed with his Masterchef interaction with both contestants and guests. There was encouragement for the understandably nervous contestants, intelligently leading questions for the guests, and solid information coming across every minute. He also has the unusual record of being one of the very few telechefs who have actually improved on camera rather than yielded to ego and deteriorated. (A certain A W-T comes to mind -- the gross becoming grocer.) My guess is that he'll give you an easy time doing your feature.

[Wilfrid]

It's O.K., you are an Englishman, so that sort of behaviour is perfectly normal.

Yes, the embarrassed Australian - something of an oxymoron, I agree.  

[SamanthaF]

Saint - I've looked after his kids I have to say that!

But seriously (I haven't seen him for over 8 years) Scott and I love his cook books, personally I like the way he promotes British food, and the new take he often has on 'British Classics'. His recipes are also really 'do-able' and there is a sense of achivement when you present one of his dishes at home.

On the British note, I think it may be worth taking along a print out of the thread regarding British Food on this board for his perusal.

We have eaten at Rhodes In The Square, our review is here somewhere - and you may note that although it was an overall good experience, it was not without it's negatives.

As a telechef, I think Gary is informative, not patronising and vey enthusiastic.

Jay - the question I'd like you to ask Gary is - Does he have shares in the dairy industry as he has a tendancy to stick huge amounts of butter in everything! (Mind you, I am not moaning - I love it )

[jayrayner]

Thankyou. All brillant stuff so far. Wilfrid, which programme was the Nolan sisters 'event'?

Samantha - how come you looked after his kids? (You can do this by messenger if you prefer.)

And re the dairy question you raise, watching him cook it always strikes me that what he's doing is restaurant kitchen food without any compromises. ANy one who has stood in a top flight kitchen for even 15 minutes will know that they use vast amounts of salt, butter, cream. That's one of the things I like about him. that he just gets on and does it, without apologising. Anybody think he ought to be tailoring his recipes for perceived domestic tastes?

BTW - where's Majumdar?

[SamanthaF]

Jay - His Kids used to go to school (Bickley Park) with my Godmothers son. Being a student at the time, any extra money to be earned from babysitting was welcome

As to the butter, I think you are spot on when you say that Gary is a chef first and foremost - He is not going to compromise flavour to fit to the domestic 'inexperienced' palate.

[Clare Leaman]

The one episode of Masterchef I saw, his fellow judge was Raymond Blanc. The contestants were making soup. Soup is very exciting, very difficult, very complex, said Gary (or words to that effect).  Not at all, said Raymond. My mother used to pick a few vegetables and herbs, cook them for ten minutes in some stock and voila. What could be more simple?

I love his books and use them all the time: there's often an intriguing tension in the recipes where you see him having to try hard not to overindulge his fondness for the baroque. On television, I wish he wouldn't use the phrase 'build the dish' so much, it's almost as bad as 'plate up'. But I can remember only one serious aberration and that was the turkey Wellington.

[Tonyfinch]

Serious aberration??? That Turkey in Wellingtons was a thing of erotic wonder.By the time he'd finished I didn't know whether I wanted to eat it or sleep with it.I've certainly never been able to look at turkeys in the same light since.

If Rhodes does have a fondness for the baroque it certainly didn't come through to me at his restaurants,which offer well cooked,well presented but actually quite conservative,risk free food.Maybe Jay you could ask him about this.Does he feel constrained about experimenting ? Or is he more of a 'well if it ain't broke don't fix it type'?

[tony h]

you could ask him about his association with Tate & Lyle. He was interviewed on the BBC "Food-Junkies" special about sugar and was very unhappy when it was vaguely suggested that had compromised himself.

I'm glad someone picked up on this.  He didn't come over very well at all - then again, he may not have fully known what the programme was going to be about.  I guess he was probably pissed off when he saw the final thing.  (For those who didn't see it - it was a documentary about the sugar and the suspect marketing that goes into selling it - plus a lot more).

I didn't like his earlier shows because they were a bit gimicky for my taste - but in the last couple of years he's turned into a fairly watchable tv chef.  His food is never very exciting (to my mind).  I've only eaten in his Edinburgh establishment - food was passable but served cold.  I've eaten in the Peoples Place once or twice (I don't know if he's still involved) - again OK rather than great.

Overall - he's ok but a bit bland.

[Andy Lynes]

Majumdar is in New York I think, where they don't have computers apparently.

I have eaten at The Greenhouse when Rhodes was in charge (he was in the kitchen that night) City Rhodes twice (once when he was in, once when he wasn't) , Peoples Palace once and Rhodes and Co in Edinburgh (now closed) and Crawley once each. I have many of his books and have cooked a great deal from them.

I think he is a wondeful cook, a very good communicator, but makes annoying TV programs (which I never miss because the food is so good).  I have heard conflicting stories about his behaviour in the kitchen, some saying that he is exactly as he appears on the TV (can't quite imagine that) others that he is a bit of a tyrant.

I am looking forward to his new venture in central London (Portman Hotel?) and will be interested to see how his relationship with Sodexho develops given his outside interests at Lygon Arms and the Portman thing. I believe there is to be a Sodexho backed Rhodes and Co in the West End bofore the end of the year as well, so it all sounds rather complex.

[yvonne johnson]

BTW - where's Majumdar? BTW

Last seen April 30 in Astoria, Queens (New York) getting into a yellow cab with a woman. This was after putting away copious helpings of brains, kidneys, spleen, liver, sweetbreads, along with champagne, white wine, red wine, malt whisky.  

For some reason I thought Simon was heading back to UK during the next week.

Jay: I now have your book. I'm taking it on the plane with me to Hawaii next week. Bad idea?

[jayrayner]

Yvonne, reading my book on a plane seems a very good idea indeed. I mean, what are the chances of your plane crashing  while you are reading a book about plane crashes? Simply by carrying the book you'll be upping your chances. You see, fate just hates irony.

[Scottf]

Jay

Any news on the interview yet?

[Tonyfinch]

A damning review of City Rhodes by Matthew Norman appeared in the Sunday Telegraph magazine on July 28th.

Norman dips his toe into the Janet Street-Porter/Nick Foulkes school of sneering at fellow diners,describing the restaurant as "a sea of greys and browns half filled..with sombre accountants and lawyers (do these critics expect punters to be dancing on the tables doing the hokey cokey?)

Norman is told that Rhodes is in the kitchen "about 60% of the time" but questions this as the place is "as diametrically opposed to the Gary Rhoders image (ie joyous,enthusiastic) as could be"

Norman is shocked by being charged £16.50 for three scallops,calls the restaurant "spectacularly dreary" and concludes that it is a "miserable,moribund,executive canteen". He questions whether Rhodes's partnership with the catering company Sodexho might be responsible.

Has Jay done his interview yet?

[Andy Lynes]

It's going to be in the September OFM apparently.

[Gary Marshall]

Tony

i'd agree entirely with the review you mentioned, over priced, under sauced (to my taste) and not really the classic rhodes i was expecting.

Even more bizarrely, given the sodexho connection, the restaurant is in their head office, we arrived early for a 12.00 table, they said the restaurant wasn't ready yet would we like to, and i can't remember the exact phrase used but, i got the impression we were going to a bar area for a drink.

oh no

we were taken and plonked in the reception of sodexho HQ, a greater contrast to the minimalist rhodes you could not find, 70's office complete with nescafe dispenser!

me and colleague took one look at each other and simulaneously said, it's ok we'll go to the pub next door!

[Gavin Convery]

I'd agree about City Rhodes...zero atmosphere - a bit like being sat at my desk. The food was passable but not I would argue Michelin star standard. Also having eaten a few years previously at the Greenhouse which was wonderful (bread and butter pudding!!) this was a big disappointment. It was trying too hard to be french whereas GR's USP is that he champions British food (which is of course much better that French food ). Rhodes in the Square from reports on this board sounds more like it....

[Simon Majumdar]

I have not tried City Rhodes for many of the reasons expressed here. It sounds way too clinical.

Rhodes in The Square was very good on my last visit and, while very expensive, it was more than a match for other places at its level ( GR's @ C and The Square )

S