Fine dining’s obituary has been drafted a number of occasions however by no means printed. Its shifting innovation retains it alive; its forensic consideration to element and ritualised choreography retains its attract, even with fewer white desk cloths and grand gestures. Without haute delicacies we wouldn’t have the tableside theatre of The Grill at The Dorchester, now below chef Martyn Nail, the place steak tartare is ceremonially mashed on a silver trolley, or the newly opened Lilibet’s, named after the Queen however with one foot within the courtroom of Louis XIV, with its candles, 18th-century French work and anchovy eclairs. Some could also be extra snug with a communal desk and stripped-down, Scandi-style dishes, however given the selection, I’d slightly be seated on my own, my face mirrored within the silver cloche set in entrance of me, ready for a pair of white gloves to raise it up and conjure the large reveal.
The chef’s cooks
Bomee Ki, Sollip
“Le Meurice by Alain Ducasse left a strong impression on me. I did a stage there, which gave me a chance to see his philosophy more closely and to appreciate the beauty of classic, simple elegance. His baba au rhum is still one of my favourite desserts. French techniques are at the foundation of my cooking – they’ve shaped the way I think about texture, layering and precision. Over time I have found a way of expressing those foundations with a Korean sensibility, but the structure remains French.”
Emily Roux and Diego Ferrari, Caractère
“We both love Le Grand Restaurant by Jean-François Piège in Paris. It’s firmly rooted in haute cuisine and Piège redefines certain French classics incredibly. He’s a disciple of Alain Ducasse so he has that same deep understanding of sauces that lay the foundations for grande cuisine. When you’ve worked for Ducasse for so long, you learn that sauces are incredibly important – they make or break a dish. That is something that stays with me to this very day. Precision needs to be felt in every detail – vegetables and protein cooked to exacting temperatures. It’s fastidiousness at the finest level.”
Tom Aikens, Muse
“Joël Robuchon was a stickler for detail. Every single thing on a plate had a specific place, and he even measured the distances between dots. The man was all about precision, detail and execution. He was one of the first chefs to come up with the water bath – we used to sous vide the lamb until it was cooked to exactly 43 degrees Celsius, then roast it. I was lucky to have that schooling: it gives you the basic skills to go on to define your own individual style, but you always need to have the foundations.”