'It doesn't belong': Top chef on one thing you should never put in a burger and the supermarket product every cook should have
My favourite restaurant chain is... Pizza Express! I haven't been for a while, but I've got a lot of love for it and so many fond memories there. It's the smell that gets you, of the freshly baked dough balls - so nostalgic. I usually get an American Hot style pizza. It's such a safe haven - it's cheap, cheerful and basically everyone who grew up in London spend their childhood at Pizza Express.
My favourite supermarket product is... Maggi liquid seasoning, which you can get from pretty much any major retailer. I put it on everything - some fried rice, a few poached eggs or even in the base of a really good sauce just to lift it a bit.My go-to simple recipe to cook at home is... a puttanesca. I always have those ingredients at home, so normally I don't even need to go to the supermarket. You can just raid your cupboard - find a nice tin of anchovies, a jar of capers and some tinned tomatoes. If you've got parmesan rinds left over and some parsley in the fridge, you can bring it all together quite quickly. That's what I tend to eat in when I get back late from work for a snack.
My favourite cheap place to eat where I live is... Dom's Subs for a £10 sandwich. I think they've got a few now but I go to the one on Hackney Road. It's such good value, anywhere between £9 and £14, but these things are absolutely massive, filled up right to the brim. I usually get something like The Grapes, a super spicy sub filled with Thai ground chicken, gem lettuce and some of their house-made mayo, then all the pickles, chillies and crispy shallots you need.
If I say come round for dinner... I'm the one looking after you and wanting to be hospitable, so if you turn up empty-handed that's all okay with me... Food is always going to be provided and it's more about having a good time together.
The best city in the world to eat in is... Chiang Mai, Thailand. The food was all cheap and delicious. More than that, there's a shared culture of people who care so deeply about the food they eat and time spent eating together. It's not something you really get in London, but in Chiang Mai all the farmers, school kids and people from the city all sit down together and eat in the same places.
One restaurant in the UK that's worth blowing out for is... Trinity in Clapham. One of the best meals I've ever had. Lots of people would agree it should really have two stars.
Forget the pressure to pick the right bottle of wine... Explore, ask questions and go with what you like. That's where the good stuff is.
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The toughest moment of my career was... at Emile during COVID and the restaurant closed. When things opened up after the first lockdown, it was a total reality shock to be doing those hours again and on my feet for so long. It really made me think whether this was the career for me. When you work, work, work and then it all comes to a grinding halt, can you really go back to a 60-hour week? It's a big adjustment and you really have to love this lifestyle. Watching restaurants that I loved close down was also so hard.
A classic dish that I don't really like is... smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. I love them individually but not combined. Texturally, I don't think they really go together. Also, toad in the hole is something I could never get on board with.
My controversial food opinion is... bacon on burgers is the worst thing in the world. It just doesn't belong in there. I love bacon sandwiches, I'd take one any day of the week. Have a good burger with really good beef, but I don't know why anyone would put bacon in there. Most of the time it's chewy, or absolutely incinerated and the whole thing falls out when you try and eat it. Good-quality beef has enough flavour by itself that you don't need to add the bacon!
The best chef in the UK is… Cynthia Shanmugalingam from Rambutan, a Sri Lankan restaurant in Borough Market with a focus on open fire cooking. I'm consistently amazed by what she does and a big fan of the food that comes out of her kitchen.
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