Charlie Tayler: Life inside Aulis London’s Michelin-starred kitchen

Aulis London: An Intimate Chef’s Table Experience

There are four versions of Aulis - in Cartmel, Phuket, Hong Kong and Soho.

The concept centres around an intimate dining experience. In London, that features a chef’s table for 12 covers.

Aulis London opened in 2017, refurbishing and expanding before first earning a Michelin star under Charlie’s watch in 2024.

The nature of the Aulis dining experience is something which appeals to Charlie. Starting out in kitchens aged 14 in his hometown Brighton, his joy came from being hospitable, as well as cooking.

“When guests leave Aulis London, I want them to feel like they've not only had a great meal, but a great experience - just generally nice, warm, good feelings towards it,” he said.

“Yes, we're chefs, but we're in the hospitality industry. We want to be hospitable, we want to look after our guests as much as possible, and personalise their experience to each individual.

“Everybody comes for a slightly different experience. It’s nice that we’ve touched people’s lives in that respect.

“You can cook for people who come to restaurants like this once a week - but also for people who come once a year, twice a year and save up for a big anniversary or a big birthday.

“I like to think that in a year's time, at their next birthday or anniversary, they might reminisce about their evening with us. And it's nice to have that impact on people.”

From Our Farm to the Pass

Dishes on the Aulis tasting menu include ‘cheese ice cream’, a take on cheese and crackers, sweet woodruff mousse, fallow deer and Orkney scallops.

“We get deliveries from Our Farm in the Lake District,” Charlie explained.

“I believe we've got seven full-time farmers up there, a few more during the summer months.

“We're constantly having meetings every week - what’s good this week? What’s good next week? How much quantity do we have? If we can't use it on the menu, how can we preserve it? How can we prolong the harvest of our produce?

“Even during the winter months when the farm's a bit slower, we're still leaning on as much produce from Our Farm as possible - whether it's pickles and ferments, oils and vinegars, or dried bits, all produced by Liam (Fitzpatrick), who's the head chef of Our Farm.

“It's incredible quality. It’s all made to L’Enclume standard.

“As a chef in London, to have that at my fingertips, a huge larder of ingredients that have been preserved and grown just for us, that's very rare in the city.

“We're very lucky in that respect.”

Culture, Craft and Kitchen Rotation

In Charlie’s mind, sustainability is not just restricted to ingredients.

A work-life balance for his staff is also paramount.

Aulis has a small kitchen team, but everybody gets three days off a week.

“We always sit down and have our family meal between 4pm and 5pm,” Charlie said.

“It’s a bit of downtime for the team. They can go for a walk, scroll Instagram, whatever they want to do and see what's going on in the world.

“The menu typically takes four chefs, four days to be prepared from start to finish.

“It's so nice, that end product, to deliver it to the guests in person, with such close contact in an intimate environment.

“That’s what brings us in every day. That’s what gets us out of bed - coming here and thriving for the best possible guest experience, and every day making the food better.”

He added: “I'm very keen to get my team to move around the sections quite quickly. All the dishes themselves are designed by myself and Oli, and then Simon gives his two cents on that as well.

“But I think it's important not to have a dedicated pastry chef. I think it’s important for chefs to learn the pastry section as well as cuisine.

“Every month I change the team’s section. They'll do a month on the canapés, looking after the first four or five snacks that happen in the lounge.

“You can become a bit stagnant when you're cooking the same section for a long time. It's important for the team to understand and work the whole kitchen.

“So I move them around as frequently as possible so they can see all the sections.

“If everybody is better at cooking all the different sections, it makes my life a bit easier as well.

“If somebody can’t come in for work for one day for whatever reason, then there's no drama, because everybody knows everything.”

Team Synergy at the Pass

Ultimately, if all the chefs know what everybody else is doing, the final result will be seen by the guests.

“Our chefs here at Aulis, we plate everything together,” Charlie explained.

“It's important that everybody knows where every element of each dish is.

“There are so many procedures in place to make sure service is as smooth as possible so we can focus on the guest experience - making that the best it can be.

“Every day we try and improve something. Every day we try and change one thing, to make our service better, to make our day better, to make the restaurant better.”