Taste virgin grills Taste veteran
MICHEL Roux Jr. of Le Gavroche will take part in his sixth Taste of London this year, having taken part every year since the festival started back in 2004. Who better then for Tom Pemberton of Hereford Road, who takes part for the first time this year, to get the lowdown from ahead of his four days in Regent's Park…
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Tom Pemberton: What are the three most important pieces of advice you would give to any chef such as myself who’s taking part in Taste of London for the first time? |
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Michel Roux: Firstly make sure you take more than enough food because Londoners have big appetites and you don’t want to be the restaurant – and there’s always one – who runs out of food too early. I’d also say bring a smile with you, relax and enjoy it. That should be what the whole thing is about and that’s got to come from the people that are cooking as well as the paying public. My third bit of advice would be not to spend too much money on decorating your restaurant’s stand, you want to aim to do it up it in such a way that you can reuse it time and time again without having to spend a lot on it every year. |
TP: How easy is it to get the ordering right in terms of quantity?
MR: It’s very difficult to get the numbers right but as far as I’m concerned you’re better to have too much food than not enough. I think the secret to making sure you’re busy is to sell yourself, to get out from behind the stove and be a personality, sell your restaurant and talk to the public. If you can do that then you can end up being very busy and shift all the food you’ve brought with you. At the same time listen to what the Taste team tell you about estimated numbers.
TP: What are the benefits of taking part for your restaurant?
MR: It’s an opportunity to meet your clientele, to network with suppliers and fellow chefs – and – to have a great time. It’s four days of wonderful fun… unless it rains of course.
TP: What is it that keeps you coming back?
MR: The fact that I really genuinely enjoy it. I get to meet so many clients - not just potential customers but also loyal customers that just want to say ‘Hi’ and shake your hand and have a photo taken.
TP: How different do you think the expectations of the customers at Taste are to the customers at your restaurant?
MR: The expectations are very much the same albeit that the customers do understand that it never will be the same because of the numbers we’re dealing with and the fact that they’re eating off cardboard with disposable cutlery. But they want to get a feel and a taste of what the restaurant is all about and that’s what it gives them.
TP: Do the staff that take part generally want to volunteer again or is once usually enough?
MR: Every single member of staff that I’ve ever taken to Taste of London has always wanted to do it again. It’s exhausting but it’s a wonderful experience.
TP: Is one of the main attractions to you that people who might otherwise not get to try your food have the chance?
MR: Absolutely, it’s a fantastic showcase to potential customers.
TP: Do you think Taste of London is accessible enough for the general public?
MR: It’s an expensive day out but for anyone that loves restaurants, food and drink it still offers value for money.
TP: How accurate a representation of the food you do at Le Gavroche do you feel the plates you serve at Taste of London are?
MR: Presentation-wise it will never be the same but taste-wise it is the food we serve regularly at the restaurant. You’ve got to aim to do food that’s as tasty as it would be in your restaurant.
TP: Do you have a pretty good idea of what your most popular dish will be each year?
MR: Yes. We’ve been serving Braised Ox Cheek with Gratin Dauphinoise since the very first Taste in 2004 and it’s always the most popular dish and sells like mad. I think that’s because it’s got lots of flavour and it’s a very generous portion
TP: After taking part for so many times does Taste still present new problems and surprises each year?
MR: Every year is different. One year it bucketed down and the park was a quagmire; one year we didn’t have any gas, another we didn’t have any water… but that’s what makes it so much fun and a challenge.
TP: How much feedback do you receive at the event?
MR: A heck of a lot, particularly when people are queuing up and eating. The best part for me is when people have been around all of the stands and come back with their last few tokens and say, “I’ve come back because I want another portion of that beef” or “I need more of your lobster soup.”
TP: Do you get involved in the design of the restaurant’s stand?
MR: Yes. We use a colour scheme that’s reminiscent of the restaurant and we always have two great bunches of flowers out, just like we do at Le Gavroche. The most important thing for us as a business is not to sink lots of money into the decoration of our stand for nothing - it has to be money well spent.
TP: Do you feel torn between your restaurant and the event during the four days?
MR: Always and at the same time it can be an issue with staff and making sure that you have full teams at the restaurant and at the event. But when I do Taste I’m always 100 per cent committed and I spend absolutely all day there.
TP: How physically draining is the event for marathon/ non-marathon runners?
MR: It’s full on and very, very tiring. It’s a bit like running a marathon in that when you get to that final stretch – the final 100m of a marathon being the equivalent of that final Sunday evening session - once you cross that line you are really elated because it’s a great achievement and more than a little bit knackered because it’s been damn hard work.
TP: What is the single thing you most enjoy about the four days?
MR: It’s definitely meeting and greeting people and - hopefully - making them happy.
TP: If you could have any chef or restaurant from any period of history at to have a stand at Taste who or what would it be?
MR: I’d have to go for Alain Chapel. Having worked there for two years as a commis chef in my youth I think he would knock everybody’s socks off.
TP: What dishes would you want him to serve?
MR: His lobster salad, his chicken parfait and his “poulet en vessie" – chicken cooked in a pig’s bladder.