GARY RHODES Star Gazing - Mayfair Times

18 19
One
for the
Rhodes
Meeting Gary Rhodes is a bit like a reunion with a long
lost friend. I’m old enough to remember his early TV days: the
spiky haircut and cheeky grin that charmed housewives
across the country. Twenty years later, the trademark hair style
has gone, but there’s still that glint of cheekiness in the eyes.
Cappuccino in hand, he relaxes back into one of the
funky graffiti chairs at his new restaurant near Marble Arch.
“It’s every chef’s dream to have a small restaurant,” he
says, glancing around the Kelly Hoppen-designed room. “It
provides you with so much more time to take the level of
cooking to another level.”
Gary’s first foray into television was in 1988 at the age of
27. His amiable personality and classic British fare won the
hearts of the nation long before Gordon and Jamie were
effing and blinding their way into people’s living rooms.
He’s still making TV programmes, most recently Hell’s
Kitchen, Masterchef, Great British Menu and Saturday
Cooks. The latest, Rhodes around India, will be aired next
month.
But a successful career in television has had its
downsides. “When I first got involved, I had ridiculously long
hair and a lot of food writers just thought, ‘who’s this silly boy
on the television who thinks he can cook?’ And the trouble
is, they then think all these years on, it’s that same person.”
Gary managed to shake off that image and is considered
a serious player in the industry. He’s already headed five
Michelin starred restaurants (including The Greenhouse in
Hay’s Mews), had 17 bestselling books – and was awarded
an OBE last year.
But he still finds the idea of opening a new restaurant
daunting. “It’s quite frightening because you think how long
can this go on for and will we suddenly fall flat on our faces?
We’ve been very lucky so far and found success with so
many of our restaurants.”
After a spell creating brasseries, Gary is now going back
to his classically trained roots with Rhodes W1 at Great
Cumberland Place. The emphasis on the food from head
chef Brian Hughson (30 St Mary Axe – “the Gherkin” and The
Savoy Grill) is classical French with a modern British influence
– a far cry from the steak and kidney pudding, faggots and
bread and butter pudding Gary is famous for.
“I wanted to release myself from that, as proud as I am,”
he says. “I just want to feel much freer with what I’m doing
with food.”
With that, he has added a new concept to his repertoire:
tasters as well as a standard three-course menu. Guests can
choose how many to have and so create their own menu.
“Obviously, I’m hoping we’ll achieve some sort of Michelin
status, but I really do feel we have the potential to take it to
that two-star level,” he says.
As a young lad, Gary had set his sights on becoming a
policeman until one day, he found himself cooking supper for
the family. That led to him taking on the Sunday lunch and
pretty soon he’d become obsessed with cooking. He then
told his parents that he wanted to become a chef.
“It was an odd thing at that time because I was 13 or 14
years of age and in those days (in the early 1970s), you
certainly did not want to tell your friends that you’d been
there making little scones, or cakes, or whatever it happened
to be,” he says.
IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE
THAT IT IS NEARLY 20
YEARS SINCE GARY
RHODES FIRST APPEARED
ON OUR TELEVISION
SCREENS. BUT IT IS.
SELMA DAY MET THE
AMIABLE AND STILL
POPULAR CHEF
“And I remember just before I left school telling my best
buddy that I wasn’t going to be a policeman at all – that I
was actually going to become a chef. And he said, ‘what’s
wrong with that’? And he went on to tell me that he’d been
doing ballet lessons all those years and was going to the
Ballet Rambert. So there was I, cooking bits and pieces in
the kitchen and there he was doing ballet – both keeping
secrets.”
All these years later, Gary’s passion for food seems to be
stronger than ever.
“I never get bored with wanting to create something new
– or rather trying to present our guests with a menu with a
different edge to it. I thrive on that, I really do.”
Though Gary is still labelled a “celebrity chef”, it’s a term
he hates.
“I had the opportunity to get involved with television and
never really expected it to take off. It did – it was quite
incredible and a great learning experience, but it was so
different then.
“Today you’ve got your Jamies and your Gordons – it’s
huge. It’s like being a top footballer. They make silly amounts
of money – and good luck to the guys. But there’s a lot of
chefs out there who have become totally carried away with
this whole kind of celebrity thing and I just sort of think –
come back down to earth. When will the bubble burst? I
think it will one day.”
So Gary has learned to keep a check on reality.
“I drive a Porche Turbo and a Ferrari 430 – it’s a nice
luxury and I’ll enjoy them while they’re here. But, if one day, I
have to sell them, I’ll sell them, buy a nice Audi or whatever
and be happy.”
But if his track record is anything to go by, Gary will still
be living life in the fast lane for the next 20 years.
Gary’s Michelin stars
1986 The Castle in Taunton, Somerset, when
Gary was 26.
1996 The Greenhouse in Hay’s Mews.
1998 City Rhodes, a year after Gary opened.
2000 Rhodes in the Square, within months
of opening.
2005 Rhodes Twenty Four.
Gary on his…
Favourite restaurants
For fine dining, without doubt, Le Gavroche because the Roux brothers
are my absolute heroes. The restaurant has maintained its original
design, so you feel a sort of comfort if you are a regular. I like the
stability – they have created these classics so the food is consistent.
For me there’s just no question about it that it is the best in central
London.
Best eating experience
Globe artichoke soup at Guy Savoy in Paris – served with two shavings
of parmesan and two shavings of black truffle. I took one spoonful of
this soup and had to put my spoon down – it was a sensation, like silk.
Without a doubt, it was one of the greatest dishes I’ve ever eaten.
Favourite chefs
The Roux brothers are my heroes. I’m also a big fan of Chris Galvin.
Heston (Blumenthal) is a lovely, lovely, lovely man. As far as cooking
is concerned, I’m all for development, but I’ll leave it to Heston.
I really like Gordon (Ramsay) a lot – he’s a very talented chef and a
really good buddy.
Marco Pierre White – he’s not the sort of person I’d get on with but
having said that, I do believe he was the greatest British chef of all
time. There was something magical about Marco – he was just
incredible and I don’t believe there will ever be one as good as him.
Desert island dinner
I would start off with a nice glass of Krug rose champagne. Then I
would go for Guy Savoy’s bowl of globe artichoke soup (see above).
Then I would have a dish I had at Le Gavroche some time ago – a
whole roast John Dory – a sensational fish that was just taken off the
bone at the table and served with just a very simple beurre blanc
sauce and some pea purée on the side.
And for dessert, I think it would be whatever fruit was in season on
that island, whether a beautiful fresh mango or a good old-fashioned
banana straight from the tree.
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