Hall of Fame: Adam’s Restaurant

Most definitely, I was surrounded by quality food and from a very early age, I knew what good quality food tasted like, especially vegetables, which we always got from my father’s allotment.

I love eating! It’s my passion and hobby. I also like to overindulge on seasonal offerings as the months flow past. After Asparagus has been in season for a while my wife Natasha is sick and tired of it! But that is the beauty of eating the seasons: you get the best flavours you can from the food. This does reflect on the current menu and range of foods that are showcased.

The catering industry is a superb industry. When you’re willing to give it your all, it can be so rewarding in return. It does have its challenges, but once you get on board and into the same mindset as others around you there is so much fun to be had.

I had a turbulent education and found that if I was interested in something I would apply myself 100%, but also vice versa if I wasn't! When it came to cooking, I just fell in love with it. Being able to create different tastes, textures and temperatures through processes of Physics, Biology and Chemistry was fascinating! It’s also such a great feeling when you see how much happiness what you’ve made brings to the diner.

How would you describe your style of cooking?

My food is purely flavour driven. I enjoy combining a range of ingredients that come together to please all the senses in the mouth: sweet, salty, sour, umami and bitter. If a dish has these flavours and they marry together perfectly, then the dish is complete and therefore extremely satisfying to the diner.

Are there any essential ingredients couldn’t you live without?

Salt and lemon juice! These are the ingredients that allow you to build and develop flavours out of other ingredients.

The foods that are at the top of my tree for use in the kitchen are Langoustines and Veal Sweetbreads. If they are on the menu when I’m eating out I will always order them.

Small elements of food trends and dining styles come into consideration when I’m compiling a menu, to ensure they are in-line with the guest's needs and wants.

Only six months after opening your two-year pop-up restaurant you receive a Michelin star! Was this a shock? Did it alter your future plans?

As a Studio William fan, you may already know that all of our ranges are inspired by trees. What is your favourite tree and why?

I love olives, to eat and to cook with so I would say my favourite tree must be Olive! The Studio William cutlery we use is also the Olive range.

Passion, hard work and dedication. I also think it takes a real element of training to become a well-rounded chef. So many chefs these days want to get to the top as soon as possible when in reality, quality training will take the chef much further in their career in the long run.

We love all of your food presentation, but we’re particularly taken with the creative ‘snacks’ we’ve seen featured on Instagram! What’s the story behind these?
They are designed to be an exciting start to the meal: small tastes of big flavours to get the senses going. They are served in different stages to give that feeling of opulence and even an almost overwhelming feeling. It really is a great start to the meal.

Eating! I try and eat out as much as possible. When I do, I am looking for well-sourced ingredients prepared to perfection to release their full potential and a balance of flavour – nothing over-complicating the dish. The Hospitality industry is my career and thankfully it is my hobby too.

Your plate ware is absolutely lovely - very Japanese to our eye. Along with your sashimi snacks we’re wondering, is Japan somewhere you have an affinity with?

I am fascinated with Asia as a whole. Culinary-wise, introducing Asian flavours into our style of food is bringing a really exciting twist to the menu. Asian ingredients have different levels of depth of flavour and it enables us to enhance our style in a really subtle way.