Adam Tooby-Desmond interview: Two-Michelin-starred Trivet

Adam Tooby-Desmond is the latest chef tasked with continuing to fulfil the vision set out by Trivet owners Jonny Lake and Isa Bal.

Arriving a few months ago from fellow two-Michelin-starred London restaurant Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, where he spent eight years, Adam took the head chef role at Trivet, following the departure of Lukas Juhaniak.

Chef Jonny and sommelier Isa joined forces to launch their own restaurant having met years ago whilst working together at The Fat Duck.

Trivet opened in 2019, earning a first Michelin star in 2022, before being upgraded to two stars two years later, an accolade it has retained ever since.

They operate with a slightly different feel to some other two-star establishments, with their focus on repeat local Bermondsey neighbourhood business, by sticking to their à la carte menu offering.

“I would describe Trivet as a local neighbourhood restaurant that delivers incredible food,” Adam said, succinctly.

“My role as head chef is working really closely with Jonny and Isa to deliver the food and service that they’re looking for in this restaurant.

“We’re open five days a week, Tuesday to Saturday, doing about 20 to 30 covers for lunch and then 30 to 40 for dinner. So it has that nice, cosy neighbourhood feel.

“There’s a lunch menu, which offers a little bit more value and a little bit more sharing or smaller plate ideas, especially throughout the summer when we have the nice terrace outside.

“Then we have the main à la carte menu.

“It’s an à la carte restaurant, which Jonny and Isa are big supporters of, rather than the tasting menu. They like the choice of the à la carte, especially with the matching wine that Isa is delivering here.”

The food and wine pairing is a big selling point for the restaurant, given Isa’s award-winning background, including winning the 2022 Michelin sommelier award. The Turk was also selected as the ‘best sommelier in Europe’ by the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale, back in 2008. He passed his Master Sommelier exams in 2009, further highlighting his expertise in the field.

“Here at Trivet, the relationship between food and wine is massive,” said Adam.

“The knowledge that Isa brings in terms of wine means that he’s working really closely with myself and Jonny to have an impact on the food as well, to make sure there is a real synergy between the wine and the food, and they are there to be enjoyed harmoniously.”

From Dinner by Heston to Trivet

Having trained at Westminster Kingsway College, Adam went on to begin his professional chef career in Cambridge, at Michelin-starred Alimentum under Mark Poynton.

There he rose from demi chef de partie to junior sous chef, before in 2017 moving on to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park.

Adam worked his way up the brigade, to become head chef.

After a long stint at Dinner, Adam decided to opt for a new challenge at Trivet in Bermondsey.

And the responsibility of holding two Michelin stars is not lost on Adam.

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“The two-star reputation is all about consistency and delivering incredible produce,” he said.

“We spend a lot of time finding and researching the best produce we can find in the UK.

“Then it’s all about consistency and trying to deliver the best we can every day, trying to improve as much as possible, and finding new ways of serving incredible food.”

He added: “The difference with Trivet is that an à la carte restaurant isn’t the norm for a two-star.

“I think part of the feel that Jonny and Isa wanted was repeat neighbourhood guests. Having an à la carte menu gives people the opportunity to come back and try different dishes.

“From Isa’s side, being able to share a bottle of wine with different dishes and come back repeatedly makes it a good option.”

Adam Tooby-Desmond and food at Trivet

Putting his own stamp on the menu

Having now spent some time understanding the workings of Trivet, Adam is ready to really make his mark.

“After five months here at Trivet, it’s really now my chance to work closely with Jonny and have my stamp on the menu, bringing some of the ideas that I’ve got forward,” he said.

“It all starts with finding incredible ingredients. Spring is a wonderful time, starting with incredible produce and just trying to extract as much flavour out of them as possible.

“It’s about finding something interesting that we’ve not done before and keep trying to drive it forward.”

He added: “My responsibilities here are managing the whole kitchen operation and team, from the basics of finding the ingredients and managing the way we get them in, to controlling costs and making sure the team here are positive and working hard to keep delivering incredible food.”

Food at Trivet and Isa Bal and Jonny Lake — Trivet owners Isa Bal and Jonny Lake

Different accessible menu offerings

Discussing the menu in more detail, Adam explained: “We do a slightly different offering at lunch to incorporate sometimes a bit of a speedy service.

“We offer a few more snacky options, smaller dishes and faster service.

“We have some amazing chicken wings that we’ve deboned and topped with a nice crumb, which is a favourite at the moment.

“It’s also looking for value. We try to find underused or less-used products and give them a bit of a shine at lunch.

“For dinner, we go into more of the main à la carte menu, which is the restaurant’s staple.

“We have the langoustine pici on the menu at the moment, which is one of chef Jonny’s favourites.

“We’ve got hand-rolled pasta, extra-large langoustines from the west coast of Scotland, crystal caviar, langoustine oil and cream.

“We’ve also got another one of Jonny’s signatures, which is the chicken and vinegar sauce.

“We’ve got Sladesdown Farm chicken, which we’ve slow cooked and roasted, and then we serve that with potato purée and a chicken and vinegar sauce.”

He added: “When guests leave Trivet, we want them to walk away with a massive smile and a really positive attitude, and hopefully the thought to come back as soon as possible.

“We know we’ve had a good day when all the guests have left happy, with smiles on their faces.

“But also the team has to be happy as well, because that’s a massive part of what we do.

“Making sure the team are enjoying what they’re doing means the guests feel that experience as well.

“Holding two Michelin stars is an incredible achievement and it makes us really proud.

“It also gives you a lot to keep working towards, with the demands to keep the consistency and to be as good each day and every day, to keep moving forward.

“It’s everyone’s responsibility in the team to keep driving that, from the commis chefs all the way up to myself, the kitchen and the front of house.

“It’s a big effort from everyone to keep moving in the same direction and keep trying to be better.”