Alex Dilling - Brutal New York Kitchens, Running Hélène Darroze's Empire and Winning Two Michelin Stars After Just 6 Months!

Ivan Orkin joins Mise en Place for a brilliant, wide-ranging conversation on ramen, restaurants, and the realities of hospitality. Recorded in London over bowls of tonkotsu, fried chicken and aubergine, this episode finds the New York-born chef reflecting on the journey that took him from Manhattan to Tokyo, where he became one of the most unlikely success stories in modern food: an American cook opening a ramen shop in Japan and earning the respect of one of the world’s most exacting food cultures.Across the episode, Ivan talks about his first life-changing bowl of ramen in Shibuya, the obsessive craft behind a great broth, and why ramen is one of the most misunderstood dishes in the business. He explains why a proper bowl has to be eaten fast, why the details matter so much, and how he built a style that was rooted in tradition without ever being trapped by rules. From oven-roasted tomatoes and deep umami to the pressures of pricing, labour and running restaurants across Tokyo, New York and London, it is a masterclass from a chef who has truly lived every side of the industry.It is also a deeply personal conversation. Ivan opens up about loss, reinvention, moving back to Japan, and the path that led him to build Ivan Ramen into a global name. He speaks candidly about the challenge of opening in Tokyo as an outsider, the moment the queues started forming, and how Chef’s Table changed everything. What comes through most is his honesty: about the hardships of the trade, the economics of hospitality, and the responsibility restaurant owners feel towards the people who make service possible.Along the way there are plenty of gems: his love for London, his thoughts on Tokyo neighbourhoods, his dream 48-hour food trip, his views on “bad customers,” and the pizza place he says might serve some of the best in the world. Funny, sharp, and full of wisdom, this is an episode for chefs, restaurateurs and anyone who cares about what makes a meal memorable. Ivan Orkin at his very best: generous, opinionated, and completely devoted to the craft.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eleanor “Ells” Henson joins Mise en Place for a brilliant, wide-ranging conversation from the stunning dining room at Spring in Somerset House — the restaurant created by the late, great Skye Gyngell and now guided by one of her closest protégées. In this episode, Ells reflects on what it means to lead one of London’s most influential kitchens, the weight and privilege of carrying Skye’s legacy forward, and the mentorship, clarity and sense of purpose that still define the restaurant today.At the heart of the conversation is Spring’s deeply thoughtful approach to food. Ells shares the story behind the restaurant’s much-loved Scratch Menu — a daily-changing, four-course menu built from offcuts, surplus produce and pure kitchen imagination — and gives a rare, honest look at what it really takes to run a restaurant rooted in genuine seasonality. From muddy vegetables arriving fresh from Wales to the challenge of absorbing entire harvests from partner farms, this is a fascinating portrait of produce-led cooking without compromise.The episode also explores the figures and philosophies that shaped Ells as a chef, including the profound influence of Darina Allen and Ballymaloe. Ells speaks beautifully about Darina’s role in opening up a whole way of thinking about food, farming and education — not just for chefs, but for ordinary people at home — and about how Ballymaloe helped form her understanding of seasonality, accessibility and the wider food system. Alongside Skye Gyngell’s example, Darina’s impact comes through as a major thread in Ells’s cooking life and leadership.And because it wouldn’t be Mise en Place without some glorious detours, there’s plenty of that too: anti-soup hot takes, biodynamic baked potato ambitions, private chef horror stories, dogs ordering steak, dolls being served at table, and a dream West Country weekend taking in The Three Horseshoes and Osip. It’s thoughtful, funny and full of strong opinions, sharp insight and proper hospitality heart — a must-listen for anyone who cares about restaurants, ingredients and the people who make them matter.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Moore joins the Go To Food podcast for a barnstorming conversation that spans 35 years of restaurant history, from opening Pied à Terre in just two weeks to turning it into London’s longest-running Michelin-starred restaurant. In this episode, he tells the real story of life at the sharp end of hospitality: the punishing economics of today’s trade, the rates bill that made him cry, the disappearing profit margin, and why simply surviving in this market now feels like an achievement. It is brutally honest, brilliantly dry, and full of the kind of perspective only someone who has genuinely seen it all can give.But this is not just an industry analysis, it is packed with outrageous stories. David remembers growing up around his mother’s hotel in Ireland, hanging sirloins, slicing steaks, and dreaming of becoming a chef before realising the front of house was where he belonged. He talks about his formative years at Le Manoir, living with Bruno Loubet, staging at Alain Ducasse’s Louis XV, learning luxury service on carpets so thick they hurt your legs, and discovering what real fine dining looked like. He also shares the origin story of Pied à Terre itself, from late-night chess games and leftover wine with Richard Neat to quietly sounding out would-be investors from the dining room floor, including some very famous names.The episode is full of proper restaurant folklore. There are stories about chefs vanishing on “Tesco runs” and never coming back, the chaos of rewriting menus daily before in-house printing existed, diners walking into Pied à Terre expecting an Indian restaurant because they kept the old phone number and awning, and the extraordinary intensity of the kitchens David helped build. He reflects on working alongside and around huge figures including Raymond Blanc, Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay, Tom Aikens and Shane Osborne, and opens up about pivotal moments that shaped the restaurant’s history, from the jump to two Michelin stars to the fallout from kitchen scandal, devastating fire, and a wine fraud scam involving fake wealthy clients and disappearing bottles of Cristal.And because this is Go To Food, the whole thing is laced with food, wit and obsession. David arrives with a beautiful scallop and beetroot ceviche-style dish, talks through the first ceviche he ever put on a menu in London, gives his view on Michelin stars and why there should be decimal points, names the restaurants he most admires, and shares his dream food weekend on Île de Ré with oysters and Muscadet. He even reveals his ultimate final meal, from smoked eel cheung fun to roast turbot and plum tarte tatin. If you want war stories, hospitality wisdom, Michelin gossip, and one of the great restaurateurs speaking with total candour, this is an episode you need to hear.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conor Gadd has just opened Burro in Covent Garden, and this episode captures him right at the start of that journey—equal parts excitement, pressure and controlled chaos. Only weeks into service, he reflects on what it feels like to step out from behind the scenes and suddenly be the person everyone wants a piece of. It’s a rare, honest snapshot of a chef adjusting not just to a new restaurant, but to a completely new role within it.The conversation leans into the reality of opening: the moments that don’t make the press release. Conor recounts a second night so disastrous he genuinely considered shutting the whole thing down, complete with broken lifts, missing tickets and a dining room running blind. He describes the process like sailing across the Atlantic—periods of calm, sudden storms, and the constant temptation to fix everything at once, even when you know that’s the one thing you shouldn’t do.From there, it opens up into a series of unforgettable stories from his career. There’s the Trullo service interrupted by a full Home Office raid, the entire KP team legging it barefoot into the night, and the surreal calm of carrying on service as if nothing had happened. Elsewhere, he reflects on early kitchen days filled with relentless banter, flying onions and hard-earned respect, and the formative experiences that shaped both his cooking and his outlook on the industry.What emerges is a portrait of a chef grounded in instinct, humour and long-term thinking. Conor speaks candidly about what actually sustains a restaurant over decades, why consistency matters more than trends, and how much of the job is simply about people—staff, guests, and the culture you build around them. It’s funny, chaotic, occasionally brutal and full of perspective: a conversation driven by stories, not soundbites, with one of the most compelling voices in hospitality.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From royal roots in Calcutta to building one of London’s most inspiring restaurant stories, Asma Khan is a force of nature. Fresh off a flight from India and fasting during Ramadan, she joined the GoToFoodPod to reflect on a life shaped by fierce family values, extraordinary food, and an unshakable sense of purpose. She spoke movingly about growing up between Rajput warrior heritage and Bengali royal lineage, while being raised not as a princess, but as a fighter — encouraged by her parents to play cricket, ignore cruel expectations, and understand that true leadership means protecting your people.Some of the most unforgettable stories came from her childhood in 1970s Calcutta, where her mother’s catering business filled the house with everything from traditional Muslim wedding feasts to turkey dinners for expats and High Commission parties. Khan painted a vivid picture of a city unlike any other: prawn cocktail, chicken à la Kiev, Armenian dolma, Afghan breads, Indo-Chinese dishes from Tangra, and the legendary tutti frutti ice cream that she still dreams about. Her memories captured Calcutta as a culinary crossroads shaped by British, Portuguese, Persian, Chinese, Afghan, Armenian and Jewish influences — a place where food told the story of migration, generosity and cultural exchange.The emotional heart of the conversation came when Khan described arriving in Cambridge at 22 for an arranged marriage, isolated, homesick, and unable to cook. In a cold, unfamiliar world, she found comfort not in status or education — despite later earning a PhD in British constitutional law from King’s College London — but in learning to recreate the aromas of home. That journey eventually led to her supper club, then her first restaurant, and a now-iconic all-female kitchen team she refused to abandon when others told her to replace them with “professionals.” Her story of opening a restaurant at 48, backed by women who had stood by her from the beginning, became a rallying cry for anyone who has ever been overlooked.But this episode was not just nostalgia and triumph — it was also a call to action. Khan spoke powerfully about racism, misogyny, gatekeeping and abuse in hospitality, challenging the industry’s silence and hypocrisy with extraordinary honesty. At the same time, she shared exciting news about her move to Rupert Street, where she plans not only a bigger restaurant, but a basement kitchen designed to train and employ women who are shut out of the workforce. Alongside stories of serving King Charles and Queen Camilla, feeding refugee families, charming Paul Rudd and nearly getting Danny DeVito as an investor, Khan proved exactly why she remains one of the most compelling voices in food today: fearless, funny, deeply humane, and determined to change the system from the inside.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’re joined by Patrick Withington, founder and head chef of Manchester’s cult favourite Erst. Fresh off welcoming a new baby and about to turn 40, Patrick sits down with us in the restaurant everyone told us we had to visit during our 36 hours in the city. Tucked into the heart of Ancoats, Erst has become something of a pilgrimage for natural wine lovers and food obsessives alike — the place locals insist you visit if you’re anywhere near Manchester.Patrick’s route into cooking is far from conventional. A former plumber who didn’t start in professional kitchens until his late twenties, he built his way in through supper clubs, travel-inspired cooking and a belief he could create the kind of restaurant he wanted to eat in himself. That idea became Erst in 2019. After a quiet start, a turning point came when Patrick had to call diners to cancel bookings ahead of lockdown — including restaurant critic Jay Rayner, who promised he’d return. When he did, his glowing review helped ignite the buzz around Erst and cement its place as one of the most exciting restaurants in the city.In this episode we talk about the journey from Sirocco Supper Club to Trove to Erst, the dishes that have become cult favourites (including the famous beef-fat flatbread), and why natural wine became such a big part of the restaurant. Patrick also shares his favourite Manchester spots, the realities of opening a restaurant, service horror stories, and what his ultimate three-course meal would be. It’s a conversation about instinct, hospitality, and building a restaurant that stays true to what you actually want to eat and drink.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're joined by the wonderful Henry Harris fresh back from Sri Lanka — complete with tales of dog bites, hoppers, sambals and chicken curry for breakfast — Henry arrives in glorious form, reflecting on the journey that took him from the dining room floor to becoming one of the most admired chefs in Britain. From his early days around his father’s restaurant Le Grand Gésier in Brighton to falling in love with hospitality over long lunches and simple French food, this episode is packed with the stories that shaped him.Henry looks back on the pivotal people and places that defined his career: the magic of Karl Lauderer at Manley’s, the terrifying but transformative start to his cooking life, and the years spent learning under the legendary Simon Hopkinson at Hilaire and Bibendum. He recalls topping and tailing endless French beans in silence, watching great classical cooking up close, and later finding himself surrounded by an extraordinary generation of chefs who would go on to shape British food culture. There are wonderful glimpses of old restaurant London here — a time of Bobendum lunches, roast chicken revelations, and a generation of cooks learning that true greatness often lies in doing the classics absolutely right.At the heart of the episode is the story of Bouchon Racine: how a failed pub project, a false start in Farringdon, and one overlooked pub near the station eventually became the home of one of London’s most beloved dining rooms. Henry speaks beautifully about building the restaurant with Dave Strauss, doing the maths on a spreadsheet, keeping expectations modest, and discovering that what they had created was somehow outperforming even their most hopeful plans. He shares the philosophy behind the blackboard menu, the joy of cooking the food people actually want to eat, and the pleasure of running a restaurant full of character rather than polish — a place with good bones, brown carpet, old mirrors, cycling prints and the unmistakable feeling that you are in safe hands.The conversation wanders delightfully through stories of Racine, restaurant politics, pub culture, set lunches, offal, tartare, tongue sandwiches, and the dishes Henry believes never go out of style. He talks with disarming honesty about business partners, missed opportunities, Michelin disappointment, and the changing face of London, but always comes back to the same idea: restaurants should restore people. Warm, generous and full of hard-won wisdom, this is a portrait of a chef at the happiest point of his life — still cooking, still caring, and still finding enormous meaning in feeding people well.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we’re joined by Andrew Clarke of Acme Fire Cult for an episode that goes everywhere — from fire cooking and restaurant building to addiction, recovery, music, and the moments that change a life. This is a conversation with a true original: chef, restaurateur, former Maverick of the Year, co-founder of Pilot Light, plant medicine facilitator, and owner of what may well be the best facial hair in London.We recorded this one at Acme Fire Cult in Hackney, and Andrew paints the full picture of how the restaurant grew from a scrappy lockdown car park operation into one of London’s most unique dining experiences. He talks about starting with barely any money, serving on palm leaf plates because proper crockery was out of reach, and slowly reinvesting every pound back into the space. There are brilliant details throughout — the dark walk down Abbott Street before you reach the yard, the old wine bar they inherited, the butternut squash cooking overnight in residual heat, the signature leeks with pistachio romesco, Marmite bread made from brewery yeast, and the way Acme turns into a “curry house” each winter inspired by his travels through Mumbai, Goa and Kerala.But what makes this episode really special is just how much Andrew gives us. He shares stories from his childhood eating pie, mash and liquor, his early years wanting to be a professional musician, playing in metal and hardcore bands, DJing to fund his record habit, and drifting into kitchens almost by accident. He takes us through working at places like The Square, St. John, Anchor & Hope, Rita’s, Brunswick House and St Leonards, with all the chaos that came with it — tattooed chef prejudice in old-school kitchens, sleeping on banquettes, wild post-service nights, and the intensity of trying to create great food while his life was unravelling behind the scenes.This episode also gets incredibly raw. Andrew speaks movingly about depression, cocaine addiction, telling his dad he didn’t want to live anymore, and the long road back through honesty, friendship, therapy, men’s circles and plant medicine. He tells unforgettable stories — a terrifying first ayahuasca ceremony in a blacked-out room in Essex, reviving a collapsing croquembouche at a wedding, a non-paying table turned into tequila-shot regulars, and the mad reality of building restaurants with brilliance and dysfunction happening at the same time. It’s hilarious, heavy, generous and packed with hard-won wisdom — and by the end, you’ll understand why Andrew Clarke is one of the most compelling figures in hospitality today.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Caines joins Go To Food for one of the most raw and revealing conversations we’ve ever had. Fresh from winning a Michelin star at The Stafford just months after opening — and still chasing that elusive second star at Lympstone Manor — he breaks down the realities of modern fine dining. From why tasting menus might be getting too long, to why à la carte is far from dead, to the financial tightrope of running a destination restaurant in rural Devon, this is Michael in full flow: honest, sharp and unapologetically ambitious.He takes us back to the beginning — a young lad from Exeter set on joining the Royal Marines before a last-minute pivot to catering college changed everything. We hear about staging at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, walking an hour each morning from a B&B just for the chance to cook for Raymond Blanc, and then heading to France to work under Bernard Loiseau and Joël Robuchon. The brutality of those kitchens, the silence, the stove inspections, the mind games — and a young Gordon Ramsay in the same brigade — it’s a masterclass in what elite training really looked like in the 90s.Then comes the moment that changed his life forever. Driving home exhausted, a split-second lapse, the car flipping — and waking up to see his arm gone. Michael recounts the crash in chilling detail: running from the wreckage, asking surgeons if they could save his arm, and returning to the kitchen just two weeks later with no insurance payout, no safety net. Teaching himself to cook left-handed. Learning to fillet fish and truss pigeons again. Being written off — and refusing to accept it.Four years later, he wins his second Michelin star at Gidleigh Park. A crowning moment earned through pain, grit and sheer bloody-minded belief. From building the Abode hotel brand, to rethinking pricing strategy with sold-out lunch offers, to explaining why too many chefs obsess over micro-herbs and tweezers instead of flavour — this episode is packed with stories, lessons and hard truths. It’s about resilience, reinvention, and why great chefs — like great restaurants — survive by evolving.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we sit down with a man who is reshaping how the world sees Middle Eastern cuisine: the one and only Fadi Kattan. Born in Bethlehem, classically trained in Paris, and now leading acclaimed restaurants in London and Toronto, Fadi is more than a chef — he’s a storyteller, a cultural historian, and one of the most important voices in food today. From his grandmother’s kitchen to Michelin recognition, from Venetian influences to Palestinian terroir, this is a conversation about identity, resistance, generosity, and flavour — with a side of glorious beard and just enough nicotine to get us started.We dive deep into his London restaurant Akub in Notting Hill — a place where Palestinian produce and philosophy meet seasonal British sourcing. Fadi talks us through slow-cooked short rib with feta, coarse-textured hummus (the way it should be), mansaf with fermented jameed — the “Arab umami” — and eggs with sumac that honour sacred breakfast rituals with his father. He unpacks the politics of shakshuka, the beauty of kaleid mandala, and why hummus has absolutely no business being chocolate. It’s food rooted in Bethlehem’s old souq, in farmers knocking on the door at 7am, in adapting to what’s available — never cherry tomatoes in January.But this episode goes far beyond the plate. Fadi opens up about launching a gastronomic restaurant in Bethlehem during the Second Intifada, cooking by head torch when the electricity was cut, refusing to overcook 40-day-aged lamb, and building a wine list that proudly features Palestinian producers. He reflects on brutal kitchen culture in 1990s Paris, the scars — literal and emotional — that shaped him, and why culinary education must return to mothers’ kitchens instead of espuma machines. There’s sharp commentary on food appropriation, trends, terroir, and what it really means to cook with integrity.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.