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| The wines we consumed during the interview at Hereford Road Restaurant |
A remark by a friend of Rowley's in Hong Kong
Rowley Leigh is the most active and influential member of the original trio of the Modern British Cuisine movement - neither Simon Hopkinson not Alistair Little are currently active as chefs, though Hopkinson's influence is still substantial because of his brilliant Roast Chicken and Other Stories cookbook.
Rowley recently sold Le Cafe Anglais - his large restaurant in Bayswater - but continues as a consultant for Soho House group and the Continental in Hong Kong as well as writing his weekly cookery column for the Financial Times.
I have known him now for nearly 30 years, initially as a grateful customer of Kensington Place, his ground-breaking establishment at Notting Hill Gate. This was perhaps the first "High Low" Restaurant in Britain - really cooking above its price bracket and providing a casual democratic vibe which meant it was packed from the week it opened in 1987. It quickly won The Times Restaurant of the year accolade which Rowley had also won a year earlier when he was head chef at Le Poulbot, the Roux-owned restaurant in the City of London.
There are a huge number of chefs who have learnt their trade from Rowley, including my own son who spent a couple of months at Le Cafe Anglais three years ago. Along with chefs Simon Hopkinson and Jeremiah Tower, Rowley has a serious passion and knowledge of fine wine. Like me, he considers Natural "Wine" to be absurd, and in the interview he prefaces his remarks by saying it is "undrinkable...irresponsible....stupid".
This is a very frank interview with his thoughts on Modernist Cuisine being especially trenchant. It was shot on my iPhone in Hereford Road, a popular place in Bayswater and my current "regular. He turned 65 two days after we spoke. I don't know how to make this link interactive so I suspect you will have to copy and paste it into your browser. I hope it is the first of many interviews I will do under the generic name of iWitness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP9nF4qWuno