It was incredibly exciting to open a restaurant in central London in the early 90’s. A vanguard of French chefs, Koffmann, Blanc, the Roux brothers had arrived in the seventies and recognized not only the business potential of the country but also its first rate produce. Best fish from the islands cold waters, world-class beef from Scotland, same for Welsh Lamb and of course our exceptional game production. Their restaurants were obviously offering an unparalleled product and newspapers started highlighting their work. A generation of young English cooks -me included- were captivated by their work and served apprenticeships in their kitchens. Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons was a veritable factory line of aspirant young cooks; Marco Pierre White, Bruno Loubet, John Burton-Race, myself, all passed through the doors of Le Manoir.
One of the advantages we enjoyed in the UK, particularly this generation of young English cooks, was the fact that we were not crushed beneath the definitions and assumptions of an established restaurant industry as was the case in France, Italy, Spain. For example, my ex-wife, a French lady, ate at her first three-star restaurant when she was nine years old. Good food was something you simply grew up with. For the English by comparison, everything was to invent. Of course mistakes were made, I remember the monstrous excesses of ‘nouveau cuisine’ around the end of the 80’s. However, the business environment and conditions allowed a degree of flexibility in our evolutions. I remember empty nights in our first year, that whilst morally draining, were not financially ruinous as otherwise the business year seemed quite predictable. What the second generation restaurants all dreamt of was a national food review, or a fabled star as these raised your profile above the myriad other establishments in the city. The most important critics were Jonathon Meades of the Times and Fay Maschler of the Evening Standard. A positive review from either, or preferably both of them, would guarantee a huge up-tick in interest in your restaurant, and thereafter the restaurants responsibility to keep those new faces. This was nothing in comparison to the frenzy of speculation around November each year, where trade conversations focused on the Michelin Guide and who was winning a star, which unlucky souls were losing one. There were so few starred restaurants in the UK at the time that the guide had an enormous impact upon the anointed ones. This meant that there was a great deal of competition amongst the starred restaurants, and also a great deal of jealousy and shenanigans towards your competitors. For example, when word spread in the fall of ‘95 that Pied-a-Terre was going to move from one star to two, some horrible rumors started circulating in town that the chef -me- was not in his kitchen as he was in a drug rehabilitation program! I never missed a day, or service in five years, so it was obviously a fabrication in the hope that the people of Michelin would reconsider promoting Pied-a-Terre. We tracked the rumor back to its source which was a very fragile and deranged chef who was jealously guarding his ‘youngest chef with stars award.’ Nasty.
Otherwise, much of the time, the competition was actually quite friendly. Monsieur Blanc at Le Manoir was not only a share-holder of Pied-a-Terre, but a reasonably regular customer. Also, I became quite friendly with Pierre Koffmann through our shared love of gastronomy. Most chefs could be relied upon to share their supplier contacts and even lend you a chef or some products if you were caught short.
As for your mention and recollection of the Ivy, for me this was the greatest restaurant in London at the time. The owners Jeremy and Chris were friends and I used to have lunch there religiously every Sunday. Bloody Mary, Steak Tartare with Chips, Sticky Toffee Pudding. Just such a comfortable place to pass the day. Anyway, from being a gastronomic backwater, London at least had been propelled to being considered ‘The Food Capital of the World’ at least according to the dozens of newspaper and magazine articles that wrote about such things. All in all, a very exciting time.
Thank you Richard for sharing your insights. As you say, London and the U.K. grew from being unknown for its cuisine, to one of the ‘Food Capitals of the World’. I am a great believer that ‘moments in time’ become ‘fond memories’ in later years, upon which we can reflect and cherish.
It’s often said in the Jewish world, that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
Really looking forward to reading this article .. apart from being a fervent zionist and proud Jew, one of my other passions is 'food' .. and Pied a Terre has been an iconic restaurant in London's food scene for nearly 30 + years.
I enjoyed reading about Richard Neat, although I was hoping to read a little more about London’s restaurant scene, and its evolution from the late 80s.
Richard is clearly very talented in cuisine, and it was was good to learn about his other passions and competencies.
Hi Nathan, glad you enjoyed the interview. Anything you’d like to hear about the London restaurant scene around that very exciting time, I’d love to chat with you about. Best wishes, Richard
Thanks for replying Richard .. there is nothing specific that I wish to know.
I have such fond memories of how the UK, mainly London, evolved from boring appetiser dishes like parma ham / melon, avocado vinaigrette, smoked salmon, half a grapefruit, and main dishes like chicken Kiev, steak Diane, and veal Holstein.
Long standing restaurants like Elena’s L’Etoile, Neal St Restaurant, were joined by 192, Alistair Little in Frith St .. first gastropub The Eagle etc ..I suppose just being a foodie, I love reading about London’s restaurants that have come and gone.
The original Ivy in the mid 1990s was such a joy. I was quite a regular there from the late 1990s, and sharing my most memorable moment at the Ivy. It was a bustling evening as usual, my favourite dish being the Poulet de Landes stuffed with foie gras and a Madeira sauce. The night in question, there was a sudden silence .. and all eyes turned to a departing diner .. Margaret Thatcher had stood up from her table, and was leaving the restaurant .. the sudden silence was deafening, as the diners gazed upon her. A moment I will never forget.
I enjoyed reading Jay Rayner’s books about food, so if you have any experiences worth sharing, I would be most interested.
I trust you are enjoyed Costa Rica .. best wishes .. Nathan
It was incredibly exciting to open a restaurant in central London in the early 90’s. A vanguard of French chefs, Koffmann, Blanc, the Roux brothers had arrived in the seventies and recognized not only the business potential of the country but also its first rate produce. Best fish from the islands cold waters, world-class beef from Scotland, same for Welsh Lamb and of course our exceptional game production. Their restaurants were obviously offering an unparalleled product and newspapers started highlighting their work. A generation of young English cooks -me included- were captivated by their work and served apprenticeships in their kitchens. Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons was a veritable factory line of aspirant young cooks; Marco Pierre White, Bruno Loubet, John Burton-Race, myself, all passed through the doors of Le Manoir.
One of the advantages we enjoyed in the UK, particularly this generation of young English cooks, was the fact that we were not crushed beneath the definitions and assumptions of an established restaurant industry as was the case in France, Italy, Spain. For example, my ex-wife, a French lady, ate at her first three-star restaurant when she was nine years old. Good food was something you simply grew up with. For the English by comparison, everything was to invent. Of course mistakes were made, I remember the monstrous excesses of ‘nouveau cuisine’ around the end of the 80’s. However, the business environment and conditions allowed a degree of flexibility in our evolutions. I remember empty nights in our first year, that whilst morally draining, were not financially ruinous as otherwise the business year seemed quite predictable. What the second generation restaurants all dreamt of was a national food review, or a fabled star as these raised your profile above the myriad other establishments in the city. The most important critics were Jonathon Meades of the Times and Fay Maschler of the Evening Standard. A positive review from either, or preferably both of them, would guarantee a huge up-tick in interest in your restaurant, and thereafter the restaurants responsibility to keep those new faces. This was nothing in comparison to the frenzy of speculation around November each year, where trade conversations focused on the Michelin Guide and who was winning a star, which unlucky souls were losing one. There were so few starred restaurants in the UK at the time that the guide had an enormous impact upon the anointed ones. This meant that there was a great deal of competition amongst the starred restaurants, and also a great deal of jealousy and shenanigans towards your competitors. For example, when word spread in the fall of ‘95 that Pied-a-Terre was going to move from one star to two, some horrible rumors started circulating in town that the chef -me- was not in his kitchen as he was in a drug rehabilitation program! I never missed a day, or service in five years, so it was obviously a fabrication in the hope that the people of Michelin would reconsider promoting Pied-a-Terre. We tracked the rumor back to its source which was a very fragile and deranged chef who was jealously guarding his ‘youngest chef with stars award.’ Nasty.
Otherwise, much of the time, the competition was actually quite friendly. Monsieur Blanc at Le Manoir was not only a share-holder of Pied-a-Terre, but a reasonably regular customer. Also, I became quite friendly with Pierre Koffmann through our shared love of gastronomy. Most chefs could be relied upon to share their supplier contacts and even lend you a chef or some products if you were caught short.
As for your mention and recollection of the Ivy, for me this was the greatest restaurant in London at the time. The owners Jeremy and Chris were friends and I used to have lunch there religiously every Sunday. Bloody Mary, Steak Tartare with Chips, Sticky Toffee Pudding. Just such a comfortable place to pass the day. Anyway, from being a gastronomic backwater, London at least had been propelled to being considered ‘The Food Capital of the World’ at least according to the dozens of newspaper and magazine articles that wrote about such things. All in all, a very exciting time.
Thank you Richard for sharing your insights. As you say, London and the U.K. grew from being unknown for its cuisine, to one of the ‘Food Capitals of the World’. I am a great believer that ‘moments in time’ become ‘fond memories’ in later years, upon which we can reflect and cherish.
It’s often said in the Jewish world, that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
Richard and Nathan: I can add your question and answer to the main article. Thanks both.
Really looking forward to reading this article .. apart from being a fervent zionist and proud Jew, one of my other passions is 'food' .. and Pied a Terre has been an iconic restaurant in London's food scene for nearly 30 + years.
Looking forward to your feedback Nathan.
I enjoyed reading about Richard Neat, although I was hoping to read a little more about London’s restaurant scene, and its evolution from the late 80s.
Richard is clearly very talented in cuisine, and it was was good to learn about his other passions and competencies.
Hi Nathan, glad you enjoyed the interview. Anything you’d like to hear about the London restaurant scene around that very exciting time, I’d love to chat with you about. Best wishes, Richard
Thanks for replying Richard .. there is nothing specific that I wish to know.
I have such fond memories of how the UK, mainly London, evolved from boring appetiser dishes like parma ham / melon, avocado vinaigrette, smoked salmon, half a grapefruit, and main dishes like chicken Kiev, steak Diane, and veal Holstein.
Long standing restaurants like Elena’s L’Etoile, Neal St Restaurant, were joined by 192, Alistair Little in Frith St .. first gastropub The Eagle etc ..I suppose just being a foodie, I love reading about London’s restaurants that have come and gone.
The original Ivy in the mid 1990s was such a joy. I was quite a regular there from the late 1990s, and sharing my most memorable moment at the Ivy. It was a bustling evening as usual, my favourite dish being the Poulet de Landes stuffed with foie gras and a Madeira sauce. The night in question, there was a sudden silence .. and all eyes turned to a departing diner .. Margaret Thatcher had stood up from her table, and was leaving the restaurant .. the sudden silence was deafening, as the diners gazed upon her. A moment I will never forget.
I enjoyed reading Jay Rayner’s books about food, so if you have any experiences worth sharing, I would be most interested.
I trust you are enjoyed Costa Rica .. best wishes .. Nathan