The English chef shows some of the dishes from his bi-star Kitchen Table
James Knappett did not know when he cooked in other restaurants what the customers thought of what he and his colleagues were doing, whether they were happy or upset. He needed that direct contact with the customer and he decided that when he had his own restaurant, he would break that barrier. Ten years ago, he got it. He opened Kitchen Table, in London, where diners eat in the kitchen. Or you cook in the food hall. “For me, direct contact is essential,” acknowledged the English chef with two Michelin stars on stage at Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España.
The chef offered several brushstrokes of his philosophy in the kitchen and what the Kitchen Table is like. He explained that they offer a twenty course tasting menu and that 90% of the products he uses in his kitchen are British. “We want to use ingredients that support our producers and farmers,” explained Knapett, who is involved in a river fish project taking advantage of the number of rivers and lakes that England has. Like the trout that he prepared on stage, which he keeps maturing for two weeks. “It’s fat and smooth, with a very strong umami flavor,” he added. A fish that is cooked with the fat of the foie gras and presented with a broach with candied onion and trout roe. It was also accompanied by a sherry vinegar gel and a little thyme.
In his speech, Knappett focused on one of his favorite and typically British products: rhubarb. A plant that is grown in small houses and in the dark and that keeps “all the energy in its roots.” In addition, it grows only in two weeks. A vegetable that he loves and that served him to accompany a pigeon – “We are in hunting season in England, the chefs are very happy” – along with a fig puree. Two small samples of a kitchen that changes every day and that, according to Knappett, motivates his team. «Today you have figs, but tomorrow they are quinces. All days are different”.
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