Blumenthal: In Search of Perfection

[Andy Lynes]

The arguement about whether chefs should or shouldn't be in their kitchens and whether or not it makes a difference to the food if they are or aren't has been rehearsed many times on these forums on different threads and at various times throughout eGullet's 5 year history. But Tim has made a specific point comparing the reputations of Heston and Ramsay and people's expectations and perceptions of who they are and what they do.

I remain unconvinced that now Heston has had mainstream primetime exposure on a BBC show where he introduces himself as chef/proprietor of the three Michelin starred The Fat Duck restaurant in Bray and that includes numerous shots of him in chefs whites, The Fat Duck sign, Bray High Street, the lab in Bray/ the Hinds Head pub etc etc that he has somehow cleverly avoided presenting himself as a chef that cooks in a restaurant kitchen in Bray.

Apart from the now aged and mostly forgotton Boiling Point, Ramsay on the other hand is filmed anywhere but his restaurant kitchens. He's at home, he's in a fake restaurant in LA or the East End for Hell's Kitchen, he's in other people's kitchens around the country, he's in the kitchen of The F Word restaurant (which doesn't actually exist as a permanent entity and which is in fact someone else's restaruant), he's sitting opposite Michael Parkinson on a chat show, he's on the This Morning sofa - anywhere but Royal Hospital Road, Petrus, The Savoy etc etc etc. If that doesn't give people the very firm idea not to expect him to cook your dinner for you then I don't know what would.

Edited December 1, 2006 by Andy Lynes (log)

[PoppySeedBagel]

Tim that was a wonderfully-written review - thank you very much for taking the time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it & I certanly want to go the FD now - I didn't before, as I thought the theme park side of it would interfere too much with my enjoyment.

[Zoticus]

Well, as Heston would be the first to tell you, Ashley (the head chef) has been there since the beginning. He's the boss of the hot kitchen. And although Heston is often at the pass come service, you couldn't tell the difference between his work and Ashley's.

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As Heston always says eating is a multi sensory experience. In fact he's built his reputation on it. So presumably he would acknowledge that although there might be no difference in the food whether he's there or not, the fact that he's there or not feeds into the dining experience. Heston must be well aware that simply by making his presence known to the diners he can positively alter their experience.

[Tim Hayward]

I remain unconvinced that now Heston has had mainstream primetime exposure on a BBC show where he introduces himself as chef/proprietor of the three Michelin starred The Fat Duck restaurant in Bray and that includes numerous shots of him in chefs whites, The Fat Duck sign, Bray High Street, the lab in Bray/ the Hinds Head pub etc etc that he has somehow cleverly avoided presenting himself as a chef that cooks in a restaurant kitchen in Bray.

I tried to make clear that this is not intentional on anyone's part. It's just the way they things pan out. Because HB has a less abrasive and more generous personal style, we are prepared to believe he's head of a team. Because his food is about precision and science rather than personal genius we are prepared to believe that it works without him.

He's lucky it's panned out that way for him.

Apart from the now aged and mostly forgotten Boiling Point, Ramsay on the other hand is filmed anywhere but his restaurant kitchens. He's at home, he's in a fake restaurant in LA or the East End for Hell's Kitchen, he's in other people's kitchens around the country, he's in the kitchen of The F Word restaurant (which doesn't actually exist as a permanent entity and which is in fact someone else's restaruant), he's sitting opposite Michael Parkinson on a chat show, he's on the This Morning sofa - anywhere but Royal Hospital Road, Petrus, The Savoy etc etc etc. If that doesn't give people the very firm idea not to expect him to cook your dinner for you then I don't know what would.

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Similarly, because GR's personal style is that of the lonely creative genius, irritated by the sub-standard humans surrounding him, we are led to believe that his presence is vital. His positively Paris Hilton public appearance schedule, therefore, can only make him look hypocritical.

I'm increasingly feeling sorry for GR. He's obviously working hard but things are moving on around him. He's become typecast as some towering, Ayn Rand fantasy in whites and it's just starting to look so out of date.

The CCTV story, mentioned upthread is, to my mind egregious spin control. It remains to be seen if the fabled kit will actually be installed but, even if it is, it's hard to imagine anyone would believe that it could make any difference. It is, however, evidence that Ramsey's people are trying to tackle the issue of his omnipresence before it harms the brand.

Corinna, in answer to your question of where HB could take the brand next I think the obvious answer is to distance himself from MG and to open an other restaurant - one that enables him to astonish more regularly without the 300lb gorilla of the tasting menu. That lucrative franchise will run itself.

In terms of pure publicity I think we're in for an interesting time. It's rapidly looking like "The Bully v. The Geek". This being Britain, nobody likes a bully and everybody loves a nerdy underdog.

Edited December 1, 2006 by Tim Hayward (log)

[algy]

Similarly, because GR's personal style is that of the lonely creative genius, irritated by the sub-standard humans surrounding him, we are led to believe that his presence is vital. His positively Paris Hilton public appearance schedule, therefore, can only make him look hypocritical.

although this "personal style" isn't quite exemplified by the content of his website, which shows pictures of the great man with the chefs who actually cook at (and have a stake in) his restaurants.

I'm not Ramsay's biggest fan, but one thing that he does seem pretty good at is building, developing and rewarding what is now a very substantial team. Of course, he could exert a svengali-like hold over them but, perhaps, it could just be that he's a very effective motivator.

Does he present a caricature of himself to the media? Doesn't everyone darling?

As to nerd v bully, in contemporary Britain, I wouldn't be so sure that the nerd would win out.

As for feeling sorry for him, I'm sure that he'll appreciate that, but there have to be more deserving subjects for your compassion.

[Tim Hayward]

although this "personal style" isn't quite exemplified by the content of his website, which shows pictures of the great man with the chefs who actually cook at (and have a stake in) his restaurants.

I'm not Ramsay's biggest fan, but one thing that he does seem pretty good at is building, developing and rewarding what is now a very substantial team. Of course, he could exert a svengali-like hold over them but, perhaps, it could just be that he's a very effective motivator.

Ramsey as motivator is an interesting issue. In terms of the restaurants and his successful management of them I think you underestimate the influence of GRH. No other sleb chef has that big an organisation behind him. If GR was, hypothetically, some sort of terrible liability with an out-of-control addiction, the GRH organisation would continue to handle both the man and the empire with brilliant efficiency.

In terms of his personal ability to motivate we'll probably never know. Because GR chewing out hapless civilians makes such good TV we're never really allowed to see him successfully teaching some schlub how to cook or run his restaurant better. It's so much more entertaining if they never quite come up to his high standards.

Does he present a caricature of himself to the media? Doesn't everyone darling?

See above. I don't blame Gordo for this any more than I blame HB for looking like Magnus Pyke. I blame sloppy programme makers taking the most obvious route.

As for feeling sorry for him, I'm sure that he'll appreciate that, but there have to be more deserving subjects for your compassion.

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Guess you're right there.

Edited December 1, 2006 by Tim Hayward (log)

[Andy Lynes]

The CCTV story, mentioned upthread is, to my mind egregious spin control. It remains to be seen if the fabled kit will actually be installed but, even if it is, it's hard to imagine anyone would believe that it could make any difference. It is, however, evidence that Ramsey's people are trying to tackle the issue of his omnipresence before it harms the brand.

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..or he may want to keep an eye on things back home when he's in New York. The idea that he's never in his restaurant kitchens is as equally ludicrous as the idea that he's trying to appear as though he's always in them. I understand he's cooking in Dubai this weekend for example.

[Tim Hayward]

..or he may want to keep an eye on things back home when he's in New York. The idea that he's never in his restaurant kitchens is as equally ludicrous as the idea that he's trying to appear as though he's always in them.

Agreed.

I understand he's  cooking in Dubai this weekend for example.

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Your inside knowledge of the movements of the great man is truly impressive

[MobyP]

Pointed out to me in a kind Pm, a correction:

Talented though he is Ashley certainly was not there at the beginning, you had garrey dawson and Pete as the right hand men in the old days and jerome on patisserie.

[RDB]

Interesting review of the Fat Duck Tim. I liked the bit about the fun and humour that is experienced whilst going through the tasting menu. I also like a good laugh with my food. My problem with it though is it tends to be a 'one off' humorous experience, with the joke not being as funny the second or third time after, as you know the punchlines. Did you hear the one about the snail porridge? Even before you actually go to the FD there is a fair chance you get to know the jokes and punchlines. The majority of reviews written about it although varying in style and focus point all contain the same themes, simply because it is and has been the same menu (material) for so long. I know before I went I had actually read so much about it I knew what to expect and having seen the slide show on Chez Pim, I knew what the dishes would look like. Although taste wise it was an amazing experience (which is the most important), conceptually it did not thrill or tickle me as much.

Jay Rayner did a review of Juniper many years ago, and originally captured the idea of a gastronomic restaurant/experience being funny. Having had the 20/30 course gourmet menu a few times he is definitely spot on. The difference between the two is each time you go to Juniper the courses are different, there is no menu to state what the courses will be and you are relying upon the chefs creativity, spontaneity and sense of humour. This to me adds to the humour factor as jokes work better when you have not heard them before and you do not know what to expect. Maybe thats the difference between a scientific style and an artistic/eccentric style.

I also found Locatelli's to be funny to the point of absurdity, but thats another story.

[Andy Lynes]

"I'm not going to list everything else we ate dish by dish; the tasting menu has been comprehensively documented (with photos) by an eager brigade of food bloggers." Tracey MacLeod acknowledges that some things never change in her recent review of the Fat Duck in the Independent .

[Tim Hayward]

...the tasting menu has been comprehensively documented (with photos) by an eager brigade of food bloggers.

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"Comprehensively"?

Surely she means "Better".

[Andy Lynes]

Sometimes less is more.

[BertieWooster]

But mostly less is just less.

[Tom Roberts]

Anyone catch last nights programme? Enjoyable as usual but unlike other eposides I think the dish offered less scope for science and novel method and the result was that at times it seemed like he was trying too hard to use unexpected techniques to conform to the theme. Roast chicken - while in my opinion one of the finest meals - is relatively straight forward to cook and it's easy to achieve good results if you follow a couple of simple principles. I have eaten countless chickens (or at least portions thereof) cooked only in the oven and which had crispy skin at no noticable detriment to succulence of the flesh (although, I admit that having not tasted HD's effort I could be missing a whole new level of flavour). I imagine I will try this method but it strikes me that it will be difficult to acheive uniform browning/crispyness using the frying pan.

Also slightly surprised/dissapointed that cooking the roast potatoes in goose fat was dismissed without mention. And where was the gravy (other than what was injected into the bird)?

Also, I know I'm a little late in the game on the chip discussion but I missed that episode and was wondering whether HB considered the "Robuchon method" of starting with cold oil and rapidly heating until the chips brown? Has anyone tried this? Having used the tripple cook method I'm not sure how anything else could achieve better results but legend has it that M. Robuschon knows his way around a kitchen so there must be some merit to this method.

RDB - on the subject of Juniper do you know if they still have the extended 20+ course menu? I heard that this has been slimmed down to a meagre 12 courses - I suspect so as not to scare so many away from the tasting option.

[Matthew Grant]

I vaguely remember reading an article or talking to HB about starting with cold oil. If I remember correctly it was dismissed as there were a lot of variables to control e.g. starting temperature of the oil and potatoes and the speed at which the oil heated up

[ajnicholls]

There is a chicken gravy recipe on the DVD that came with the Times. Involved a pressure cooker if memory serves.

As for Juniper, the number of courses you get seems very much to be based on the mood that Paul Kitching is in. I know of people who have been served around thirty and that wasn't too long ago.

Adam

[RDB]

I am aiming to get down to Juniper pretty soon, so I will report on the amount of courses Paul is throwing out. I will also get a mood check before hand to ascertain any correalation between emotion and course quantity

[Infrasonic]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/programmes/?id=heston_blumenthal

Clips of all the shows here....

And I'm sure one of those naughty P2P sites will have the full shows on it for downloading.....

I

[Serieux]

His cooking is reminiscent of The Emperor's New Clothes.It is smarty pants bullshit to target a television audience.

Who in their right mind would want to cook a Roast Chicken or Fish and chips in such a manner.

Get a life Heston

http://books.guardian.co.uk/digestedread/s...1953188,00.html

[Matthew Grant]

I thought the Roast Chicken episode was the best one so far. The slow coking method is pretty well documented but I thought it was presented well and explained the process in a way that most people would have been able to cook.

Serieux, I'm curious why you think nobody "in their right mind" would want to cook a chicken like that, I presume you have never tried slow roasting a chicken?

Edited December 9, 2006 by Matthew Grant (log)

[Corinna Dunne]

I thought the Roast Chicken episode was the best one so far. The slow coking method is pretty well documented but I thought it was presented well and explained the process in a way that most people would have been able to cook.

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I agree. I thought it was very interesting and will be giving the slow cooking method a shot. I was surprised that he did not discuss using a blowtorch as a method for crisping the skin. Rolling the chicken around to get it evenly browned would be akward enough (I presume it was edited as it seemed to brown very quickly), but I'd imagine that the flavour is better this way.

[Carlovski]

I'm not sure about the whole browning in a pan afterwards technique. A chicken is a fairly bumpy creature - there will be bits of skin which never touch the pan, around the joints for instance. Which surely means there will be patches of soggy flabby chicken skin.

I wonder if the ultimate answer is to somehow remove the whole skin and cook separately.....

[Duncan]

I'm not sure about the whole browning in a pan afterwards technique. A chicken is a fairly bumpy creature - there will be bits of skin which never touch the pan, around the joints for instance. Which surely means there will be patches of soggy flabby chicken skin.

I wonder if the ultimate answer is to somehow remove the whole skin and cook separately.....

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Or you can give it a quick blast in a very hot oven, either at the end of the cooking (letting the oven heat up while the joint/chicken is out of the oven), or I guess it would also work at the beginning except it might take a while for the oven to cool down enough to put the meat in.

[jackal10]

Blasting at the beginning doesn't work since the since it adsorbs moisture and goes limp in the long slow cooking period.

However the browning " Maillard reaction" flavours do permeate the meat some from the intial browning, so it makes some sense to blast it at both beginning (for flavour and colour) and end (for crispness).

HB achieves this from injecting with the butter the wingtips are braised and browned in.

Edited December 12, 2006 by jackal10 (log)