What makes a great restaurant?
James and his partner Maria Guseva.
Those times, when we all were able to travel, I have been lucky enough to eat in many good restaurants around the world: from very small bistros, appreciated by the locals, to Michelin starred or rated best in the world establishments. My passion for eating out and cooking was continuously growing. At the beginning of my food journey I thought, that for the restaurant to be great, the food had to be complicated, intricate, almost unapproachable. So when I started cooking in my own restaurant, I would try and put multiple elements on a plate, and then feel very frustrated with the outcome. It wasn't my style of food, my heart wasn't in it, I just had that misconception, that it was something I had to do in order to impress. Many restaurants choose this path and some of them even manage to be successful, but through travelling, eating out, experiencing different food cultures and being obsessed with food, I eventually changed my style of cooking for the better. The idea of a great restaurant changed for me too.
A trip to the eponymous Trois Gros restaurant changed my mind forever with one single dish! It was a slice of perfectly cooked duck with a few sweet juicy plums and an amazing rich duck sauce. There was nowhere to hide, and there was no need for it, because everything was in its right place, turning three elements into a wonderful symphony of flavour. As I ate that dish, I realised, that just like with everything else in life, the simple things are the best, even though sometimes its hardest to achieve. Yes, it was a three Michelin star restaurant, but since then I had those moments many times and each of them I remember. There was a tiny local Italian bistro in Montalcino, recommended to me by locals, where an old Italian Mama was making pasta all day, so I ordered a rustic pasta dish. Hand rolled pici with ceps. There was just that. My partner ordered a second portion for her dessert.
Simplicity is what I look for in restaurants: the best ingredients, cooked with expert technique and a chef with the confidence to execute it. Take any great cuisine in the world: Japanese, Italian, French. They all appear to be simple at the first glance, but if you ever tried to execute any of the dishes in your home kitchen, you know how much work, right ingredients, knowledge and skill it requires. Simplicity in a great restaurant means working with amazing suppliers, having a passionate team and never compromising on the quality of the ingredients.
After being restricted on travel and restaurants for nearly a year now, I am confident that we all have grown a totally new level of appreciation for the most simple pleasures in life. To meet our friends or family in a local restaurant, to share a great meal and a good bottle of wine with them, to create memories together once again. It makes me believe, that as soon as we can go back to our normal life, hospitality in the UK will flourish, especially chef led restaurants. And we all will be out, enjoying ourselves and appreciating it just that little bit more.
James Close is the chef patron of The Raby Hunt, North East England’s first and only two Michelin Star restaurant.