Chefs tables

Kitchens are notoriously hot and stressful environments, where people pass the time hurling abuse at each other. Hardly the most relaxing place for a meal, and yet more diners are heading for the kitchen to enjoy the best seat in the house. Tina Nielsen explores the growing allure of the chef’s table

Usually located in the heart of the kitchen, the chef’s table offers diners a luxurious and intimate experience along with the chance to sample dishes tailored especially for them. In some restaurants every dish is introduced by the chef who prepared it, while others encourage guests to help prepare at least one dish. Many head chefs enjoy the interaction that the chef’s table offers. “We try to make it as interactive as possible and we always encourage guests to cook a course,” says Angela Hartnett, head chef at the Connaught.

Seated at a chef’s table, you may not see a menu or a wine list. Instead, the head chef and the head sommelier will sit down with you to establish likes and dislikes and a wine budget.

For the chef, the table presents an opportunity to use ingredients that cannot be bought in large quantities and which will therefore only stretch to a few servings. Mark Sergeant, head chef at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s, says he cooks a 10-course menu from what is available at the market that morning. “Our suppliers might phone and say they have landed some beautiful baby turbot or that the first of the new season’s, milk-fed Pyrenean lamb has just arrived and so we go with that,” he says.

Sergeant asks diners for their opinion of the food and greatly values the feedback: “The feedback really opened my eyes to the passion that ordinary people have towards our profession, especially when you consider all we are doing is cook their tea,” he says. Hartnett, too, appreciates the feedback from guests. “The chef’s table also gives me an opportunity to show off with different dishes,” she says.

It comes as no surprise that it was serial restaurateur Ramsay who introduced the chef’s table concept in the UK, when he introduced the first one in his kitchen at Claridge’s in 2001. Today, five of his nine London restaurants have space in the kitchen for diners who want to be at the heart of the action.

The culture of celebrity chefs and television programmes, such as Gordon Ramsay’s The F Word , have opened kitchen doors and increased people’s fascination with the preparation of their food, as Ben McCormack, deputy editor of online restaurant guide squaremeal.co.uk admits: “It can’t be a coincidence that the bulk of chef’s tables in London are in restaurants that belong to Gordon Ramsay, the most famous celebrity chef of all,” he says.

But despite its celebrity roots, McCormack thinks more affordable alternatives will continue to appear. “One of the hottest new launches in the last six months, Barrafina—a tapas bar where people sit at an eating counter in full view of the open kitchen—is a more affordable way into the trend than the chef’s table,” he says.

The best of the bunch

Angela Hartnett at the Connaught
Diners at the Connaught’s chef’s table don’t get to see a huge amount of close-up action in the kitchen, as the table is nestled into an alcove and guests primarily view the kitchen on three plasma screens. Hartnett, a Ramsay protégé, won her first Michelin star for the Italian inspired food served at the Connaught in 2004 and designs the 10-course menu especially for each day’s guests. The chef’s table, seating 6-10 people, is available for lunch (£70) and dinner (£90) with a minimum charge for six guests.
www.gordonramsay.com

Cambio Restaurant, Guildford, Surrey
The chef’s table in this popular Italian restaurant seats up to six people. There is no menu—the chef tailors the menu specifically to the diners at £60 per head, excluding drinks. Guests have prime views of the kitchen and are free to ask questions about the food and cooking. At quiet times they may even get to help the chef prepare some of the dishes.
www.cambiorestaurant.co.uk

Gordon Ramsay at Claridges
Where it all began. Ramsay introduced the chef’s table here in 2001—and the Claridge’s chef’s table is right at the heart of the kitchen and affords a superb insight into the workings of head chef, Mark Sergeant, and his staff. The table seats six people and is available at a set price for lunch (£630) and dinner (£780) for exclusive use.
www.gordonramsay.com

L’Ortolan, Shinfield, Berkshire
Outside London, French eatery L’Ortolan is a popular place to experience a chef’s table. It is reportedly the most intimate in the UK—it seats just four people and is placed right at the heart of the kitchen. Michelin-starred patron chef Alan Murchison creates a special feast for diners, according to what guests like and dislike. And it will only set you back an affordable £150 per person, including drinks.
www.lortolan.com

The Longridge Restaurant, Longridge, Preston
Not actually a table in the kitchen, but a kitchen in the dining room where guests can opt to have the chef cook especially for them. Last year voted among the top five British restaurants by Observer Food Monthly, Paul Heathcote’s Longridge Restaurant in Preston continues to be his flagship eatery. Longridge champions the best of British and Heathcote continues to work closely with farmers and growers to ensure the highest quality. It costs £100 to have a chef cooking in the room and there is a selection of menus available, costing between £35 and £65.
www.heathcotes.co.uk

Zuma, Knightsbridge, London
Seats up to 12 people
The bitty nature of Japanese food makes it perfect for the chef’s table, where it is all about tasting a lots of dishes. A seating at Zuma averages about six courses—each course constituting four or five plates to share around the table. There is no extra charge for use of the chef’s table and diners can choose from the range of menus available at the restaurant.
www.zumarestaurant.com