Chef Interview: André Garrett, Corinthia London, September 2019

Since
January 2019, André
Garrett has been
settling into his new role as Executive Chef of the 280 bedrooms Corinthia London
Hotel, which is situated just off Embankment in the heart of London.  The hotel epitomises definitions of modern
luxury in every aspect, while at the same time maintaining a sense of
accessibility and lightness of touch, traits which are much in line with the
natural requirements of the day and likewise happily complemented by the food
offerings of their new Executive Chef.

André
previously honed his skills, most recently, as Executive Chef at Cliveden
House, having also worked with Nico Ladenis, Bruno Loubet, Guy Savoy (post
Roux Scholarship win) and the Galvin Brothers. 
With natural charm and humility in equal measures, André is proud to
have been inspired by his grandmother, who once worked in the Pump Room
restaurant in his hometown of Bath.  As
the 1980’s
drew to a close, André was qualifying from City of Bath College and taking a
position as commis chef at Hunstrete House Hotel. With a natural inkling
towards long stays, partly through loyalty and partly through a desire to see a
job through, André’s subsequent curriculum
vitae displays strong foundations at every turn.

After
those initial three years, André moved to London as commis chef to Nico Ladenis
at Simply Nico, before rising to Chef de Partie at Nico Central.  He then achieved the same at the three
Michelin starred Chez Nico at ninety Park Lane (1992-1994). To further round
his experience, André spent two years with Bruno Loubet at Bistrot Bruno,
before returning to Nico Ladenis as head chef of Nico Central.

The
next major step in his career was joining the Galvin brothers from 2000 until
2013 where André was to hold various positions within the Galvin Group. From
2002 to 2006 André was Head Chef at Orrery and from 2006 to 2013 Head Chef at
Galvin at Windows. These restaurants respectively retained and gained a
Michelin star. He then opened Restaurant André Garrett at Cliveden House, which
proved a great success, gaining early accolades such as Best Newcomer from the
likes of The Waitrose Good Food Guide. 

With
natural self-effacing modesty, André would credit a continual desire to
self-improve, while at the same time helping the next generation to grow and
succeed as keys to bringing him career satisfaction.  He has sat on the board of the Academy of
Culinary Arts, having received a Master of the Culinary Arts (MCA) in 2005. He
is also patently humbled and proud of what he describes as the honour of the
increasing leadership, mentoring and judging roles held at the prestigious Roux
Scholarship.  The extended Roux family
have clearly welcomed André with open arms since he became a Scholar in 2002 – an
immediate prize of which was the opportunity to spend time in the kitchen of
Guy Savoy – the subsequent bond has continuously strengthened, which is
testament to both his ability and character. 
In 2007, André was selected to represent his country at the Bocuse d’Or,
arguably the world’s most recognised and prestigious international chef competition.  With an on-going thirst for knowledge, André
has also successfully completed a Level 5 management and leadership diploma.

The current role at The Corinthia London Hotel takes
on board responsibility for the breadth of F&B,
which at 280 bedrooms, perhaps
makes it the largest of the roles held by Executive Chefs in London’s set of
the elite, top end luxury hotels. 
Covering The Northall restaurant, room service and in room dining,
events, conferencing and banqueting (two rooms, one sits 180 and the other 80), a mezzanine floor for private dining and meetings,
two all day dining lounges and a beautiful afternoon tea offering.  André is delighted to have an Executive Sous
Chef who operationally oversees F&B to ensure the smooth running of each of the cogs in
the wheel of the hotel offerings. Ioannis Polychronakis has
previously held positions such as Executive Sous at The Connaught, senior sous
chef at Jumeira Carlton Tower, and senior chef de partie at The Square,
which have collectively rounded his experience in both luxury hotel F&B
as well as high performance independent restaurants.

Dominic South is the head chef of The Northall, having
previously worked in luxury hotels in Hong Kong as well as independent
restaurants such as Hibiscus, Tom Aikens Group, One Aldwych and Nobu in the
UK.  Dominic will drive the development of
the market menu, which changes monthly and is seasonal.  André oversees the creative process to evolve
and develop the a la carte menu with Dominic’s input.  The style of cuisine is continuously evolving
along side André’s signature, “there’s more flexibility given a London clientele
and a cosmopolitan feel to the signature of the house,” André observes.  Provenance wise he finds there’s so much to
tap into in the capital, with an audience to match.  Suppliers from his Galvin and Cliveden Days
have complemented a rich roster of producers and suppliers on the books of the
Corinthia London Hotel.

The Northall lunch times see a significant business
trade where the customers will look for one or two courses from the market menu
with ultra seasonal, lightness of touch and precisely cooked food.  Dinner times perhaps tap more into the
resident based audience, while there is scope to cater for the likes of
pre-theatre diners with the lunch menu for early sitting dinner from 5.30pm, an offering which gets The Northall dining room
and bar buzzing in the early evenings.

There is also a Head Chef for Conference and
Banqueting and an Executive Pastry Chef, so the overall management team is
experienced and strong and supports the luxury hotel operation perfectly.  So while there’s a great base that meets the
shared objectives of the hotel strategic team regarding food and beverage,
projects are continuously scheduled to drive forward and ever improve the
offering to guests.  Over time, some of André’s
objectives are to have his attention to detail, signature and style palpable
across the breadth and depth of the hotel F&B
offering. 

Over the next year, for example, along with building standards generally, André will be looking to develop the room service offering as well as work with a reconceptualised events side of the business, an area where The Corinthia London Hotel sees significant future opportunities.  The team, menu and offering at The Northall Restaurant will see André further stamp his name on the product.  The bar area may become more interactive along with a refurbishment of the front of house.  The service side of front of house at The Northall Restaurant works very well thanks to the astute recruitment of Gold Service Scholar Daniele Quattromini and Gold Service Scholarship Team Gold Member James Dainton who maintain high standards of service throughout the restaurant.

Overall, André Garrett finds himself in a strong leadership position at The Corinthia London Hotel – a large, trail blazing, top-end luxury London Hotel.  Far from being out of his depth, André is found to be thriving, relishing the opportunity to make his mark on this great hotel, which is quickly becoming an iconic London institution.  The situation has not happened by accident, André finds himself in this enviable position through a dedicated career of hard work and perseverance coupled with a nature that allows him to lead with humility and a calm authority.  No doubt, he will also continue to give back and grow those around him in the manner befitting a wise leader of his craft. Best of luck for the future André…

from Fine Dining Guide

Chef Interview: Peter Jospeh, Kahani, September 2019

This article is in a series designed not to provide ‘A N Other’ opinion about a chef’s output, to be lost in the now sea of increasing ‘noise’ about top end dining. In this article the chef will analyse three of their signature dishes against the five criteria used by Michelin for awarding a Michelin star. As a reminder the five criteria were explained under interview by Michael Ellis (at the time WW Director of Michelin Guides) and are given below as he described:-

“The first and most important
criteria is the provenance of ingredients, all great cuisine starts with great
product – the actual product itself is considered for freshness, quality,
flavour and texture and so on. The second criteria is mastery of cooking
technique. The third criteria is equilibrium and harmony in flavours… The
fourth criteria is regularity (or consistency) and this means starter, main and
dessert are each of the appropriate standard and that each are also consistent
over time. Finally, value for money is the fifth criteria.”

Peter Joseph
held a Michelin star for six years as head chef of the original UK Indian
Michelin starred restaurant Tamarind.  A restaurant that has become something of an
institution and while it continues to be based in Mayfair, Tamarind is now under
new stewardship having reopened in 2019 after significant refurbishment and a
change in culinary direction.  This came
about after Peter moved on at the end of 2018 to
set up his own venture in the relative suburban idyll of Chelsea, with his own chic, high-end dining restaurant
offering Kahani.  The name Kahani means story in Hindi, which
perhaps signals Peter’s intent to revisit his roots when writing his menus.  To explore the link between past and present
at the new restaurant, we must consider Peter’s background as well as his
thoughts on the future needs of his local audience.

Peter grew up
in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state in Southern India.  They say that southern Indian cuisine has its
roots in the secretly guarded recipes of private homes.  Well, Peter’s early inspiration for cooking certainly
came from observing his mother, indeed “my sibling and I would compete to get
the last of the pot of our mother’s chicken or lamb curries,” fondly remembers
Peter. Culturally at that time it was a man’s role to be an engineer, a doctor,
a lawyer or an accountant but not a cook, nevertheless the young Peter was found
borrowing ingredients from his mother’s kitchen to cook a dish with his friends
as part of a social gathering around food.  He was also in awe of the chefs he had seen on
TV in their smart uniforms creating colourful and flavoursome food.  So after schooling Peter enrolled at Hotel
Management School on a three years course.

Peter’s first
role thereafter was at Sheraton Group of International Hotels starting as a
pastry chef, before becoming a sous chef at the hotel, this experience exposed
Peter to a variety of international cuisines to match the international
clientele of the hotel – from classical French to Malaysian, or from Chinese to
regional Indian and so on.  Peter’s
executive chef, Rakesh Upadhya, proved an inspirational figure, teaching him the
importance of channeled passion, such that he was able to plan accurately and
be adaptable to new challenges.  From 2004, after five years with the Sheraton Group, Peter moved
to London and a hotel at London Bridge. Peter’s first understanding of the
rigours of a Michelin starred restaurant came two years later when he joined
Tamarind as a sous chef.  This was a
challenging time, as through all his previous experiences, he had not encountered
anything like the demands of this type of cooking – the expectations, the
challenges, the consistency required.  By
2012, Peter had earned his stripes delivering the right taste and texture
service in, service out and was rewarded with the head chef role at Tamarind,
holding the Michelin star in his own right continuously until his departure at
the end of 2018.  Peter was
ready for a new opportunity and challenge, so his own restaurant, Kahani was
conceived.

[Kahani restaurant interior with impressive glass walled wine cellar which is home to some beautiful wines and vintages]

The concept at Kahani was to be
different from Tamarind, a move away from traditional curries and spices, to
develop his own personal cooking signature and identity.  Part of this would involve taking the spices
of traditional sauces and making powders to effectively lift and flavour
enhance through seasoning a dish.  This
would replace the need for a heavy or overwhelming sauce applied to ingredients
that at Kahani might be prepared on the robata grill or in the tandoor.  The sauces to food, where such apply, are
made far lighter than the traditional recipes that we might associate with
Indian restaurants.  This, no doubt, will
appeal to the modern British audience and to those of Chelsea and Belgravia
particularly.  The theme is also of
sharing, like Peter once did in the quintessential Indian practice of young
friends cooking and sharing a meal – a real social occasion to his diners at
Kahani.

So now for the chef to analyze
three of his signature dishes against those Michelin criteria.  These will be the Broccoli, Prawn and Butter
Chicken based dishes found on the a la carte menu.

[The Kahani broccoli dish is one of the customer favourites and a dish Peter is proud to have created]

Peter believes that there is a
window for getting cooking techniques right and that window applies to cooking
time, method and seasoning.  For example,
should you over boil broccoli it will lose its texture, colour and flavour.  Likewise cook broccoli too long in the
tandoor it will become burnt, crisp and bitter. 
So essentially there is a direct correlation between cooking technique
and consistency, so both are fundamentals and basics that must be got
right.  There is also a link to
consistency from provenance.  Overall
consistency checks and balances are achieved through knowing the recipes
clearly, practice, calm but clear communication, tasting, ensuring constant
quality of ingredients and training. Peter continuously conducts this orchestra
of taste in his kitchen and instills the right values in his team. To enhance
both flavour and texture of the broccoli, Peter’s technique is to coat with
roasted lentil flour.  Balance and
harmony is achieved through marination using honey, combined with nigella seeds
and wheat crisps for texture. The finishing touch that lifts the tandoor dish
to dizzy heights is a tamarind infused yoghurt garnish. 

[Kahani King Prawns impress with complementing sweet and sour notes]

Exceptional Indonesian prawns are selected for the next dish.  These were found to maintain a sweet meaty
texture, avoiding the smaller, mushier textured products that might populate
lesser menus. The dish leans on Malabar cuisine – south west Indian coastal
origins – but instead of a wet curry sauce, here Peter makes a powder from
coconut, green chilli, curry leaves and ginger and cooks the prawns in a
tandoor to avoid heaviness or grease. A smoked tomato chutney is served as a
garnish to cut through the natural sweetness of the crustacean and the marinade. 

[Bottom left: Kahani Butter Chicken has a lightness of touch that is so appealing to modern tastes]

The Kahani butter chicken is a signature because it is lower on cream and butter compared to more traditional makhani recipes. Garam masalas from India are used in the traditional way, there is no compromise on flavour with finest quality herb-fed chicken, which is chargrilled.  The consistency of the chicken supplied is a key objective of Peter’s with this flavoursome dish that exudes a lightness of touch.

Overall the menu at Kahani is impressive and Peter’s thinking about appealing to the more residential audience of Chelsea, who may have particular tastes, has struck a winning formula, with a refreshing new perspective on traditional Indian cuisine.  There’s a lot more to this restaurant than the phrase ‘modern twist’ might evoke.  The front of house is large – counting ten on a Wednesday evening in August – who are faultlessly well drilled, engaging and knowledgeable without being obtrusive. The glass walled cellar on display at one end of the restaurant boasts a collection of grand crus Burgundies and Grand Cru Classe Medocs perhaps fitting of the lofty list at Le Gavroche.  The open kitchen and extensive bar fill two other sides to the basement room and are impressive in equal measures.  Peter’s vision is to satisfy happy customers and perhaps one day Michelin recognition will follow, one senses that both have been earned and deserved.

from Fine Dining Guide