I doubt I will make it to 100
The Disruptor Chefs: Patrick Powell
Food
Irish chef Patrick Powell’s CV is impressive, Wild honey, Demetre at Tower 42 and then head chef at Nuno Mendes’s Chiltern Firehouse. His next project is a new restaurant at Manhattan Loft Gardens in Stratford, East London.
Where do you currently cook? I am in the process of opening a restaurant at Manhattan Loft Gardens in East London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Based on the 7thfloor, the restaurant opens up onto an incredible garden and will be completely unique to anything else in London.
Describe your cooking style: Seasonal and product driven.
Sweet & smokey barbequed peas, razor clams, mint & hazelnut milk. From yesterday’s @hospitalityaction charity event at one of my favourite restaurants @sosharulondon. A lot of money raised for a very good cause.
A post shared by Patrick Powell (@ppowellchef) on
What kind of chef are you in the kitchen? I always try to lead by example. Set the pace and standard. But I also like to have fun and make sure everyone enjoys what they are doing.
What did you want to be when you were growing up? I knew I wanted to cook from an early age and once I got a job washing pots in my early teens there was no looking back.
How did you get to where you are today? Lots of hard work and travelling. Whenever I felt I achieved everything I could at a restaurant, I left, moved somewhere else and dropped down a position. My current job came about when I had a conversation with Harry Handelsman, the owner of the previous restaurant, when I was head chef at The Chiltern Firehouse. We both had a similar vision of a destination restaurant where hospitality is the main focus. An institution.
Smoked eel, Isle of Wight tomato, nasturtium & almond. Back on the menu next week.
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Was there a place or meal that changed everything for you? The restaurant I worked at in Melbourne (Cutler & Co) was a real eye opener for me. I went there thinking I knew it all. The head chef quickly reminded me I didn’t. it was a good learning curve.
What would you consider a trend in the food industry for 2019? Good old-fashioned hospitality.
Is there an area of the food industry that needs disrupting? Kitchens where staff get bullied.
Signature dish: Still working on it.
Last supper: Lamb Offal Flat bread at Black Axe Mangal.
DAY ONES TING. Lamb Offal Flatbread, the only dish that has featured on every BAM menu. #blackaxemangal
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Favourite place to cook: In my back garden.
Who would you like to cook for? I always like to cook for friends.
Who would you like to cook for you? My grandmother. She has passed away but I would give anything to taste one of her stews or roasts again.
Food hero growing up? Probably Marco Pierre White. I got my hands on a copy of White Heat at a young age.
Most memorable meal you’ve had? Septime in Paris.
Winter soup service: Watercress and nettles veloute, spelt bread, local whipped ricotta infused with clover sweet, trout roe and olive oil #septime
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Favourite wine? Matassa Blanc.
Where would you hold your 100th birthday party? I doubt I will make it to 100.
What’s your go-to dinner for one? Lunch at Lyles is a great solo dining spot.
Grilled crayfish with fennel pollen and crayfish emulsion 💦 on the lunch and bar menu today and tomorrow.
A post shared by Lyle’s (@lyleslondon) on
What makes you angry about your industry? Bullying. It has led to a serious staff shortage.
What do you love about your industry? Hospitality. Essentially you get to earn a living from making people happy.
Follow @manhattanloft for updates
Read more on our disrupter chef series.
@shadyalabama
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