Steven Smith on swapping Freemasons for KAJI

Deciding to step away from a role you have been in for 15 years, and been very successful in, is always a big call.

But for Steven Smith, he felt the time was right for “putting myself back out there again”.

During his long stint at Freemasons at Wiswell, Steven ensured the pub was continually at the top of its game, winning multiple awards, including a regular spot in the Top 50 Gastropubs list and the same for the Good Food Guide.

But late last year saw Steven move into Manchester city centre, becoming chef patron of KAJI, which marries British produce with Asian flavours, cooking over open flames and creating sushi and omakase experiences for guests.

“I was a business partner in Freemasons for 15 years,” Steven told The Staff Canteen.

“Like they say, all good things come to an end I suppose. I think you can get a little bit stale and the stars aligned with the opportunity came along to take over the restaurant site that was already existing here and relaunch the next one.

“I just thought of myself, my own personal growth and really putting myself back out there again. I had a very successful 15 years for the restaurant and myself.

“The time is just right now to sort of go again and let the world of gastronomy know that Steven Smith is still about and still got a few points to prove.”

From Village Gastropub to City-Centric Dining

Discussing the transition after spending so long in one business, Steven added: “I've brought some of my old staff on board here, so that's obviously helped.

“I've always done a hell of a lot of stuff outside of Freemasons anyway over those years so, to be honest, it's been very, very smooth.

“Obviously you’re in a city. It's a different sort of clientele. But the amount of my old customers so far that I’ve had dining with me has been unbelievable as well. I never really realised until I got into Manchester how well my name's travelled as well into Manchester. That's been a breath of fresh air.

“There’s been some adjustment. The nights are a lot later because you're in a city centre and that type of thing, but it's been quite a smooth transition really.”

He continued: “We opened in October. Things are going very good.

“The name is getting out there and there have been some really good reviews. It is going in the right direction. I think we’ve pretty much nailed what we wanted to do with it.

“We’ll just keep pushing and try and make it a serious dining destination for Manchester and the country.”

KAJI operates with 25 staff, catering for between 60 and 70 covers, which includes the popular chef’s table experience, with other offerings including the sushi counter, main restaurant and bar.

Discussing the variety of options

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available for diners at KAJI, Steven said: “I’ve always said the same thing - a true restaurant, for me, is somewhere you could go to two or three times a week, if you really wanted to.

“I think that’s what we’ve created at KAJI. You can come on a lunch time and have the £30 set menu. You can come on a weekend night and maybe have some sushi and a great piece of beef and then come on Saturday night and have a tasting menu. I've always stuck to those principles of that's what a true restaurant is, not somewhere where you just visit once a year.

“You want somewhere you can go for multiple different occasions and different experiences, but still are of that very, very high standard.”

He added: “We’ve got some awesome produce coming in, from the tuna to the lamb and beef we’re using. You can very much see Steven Smith within the food, if you know what I mean?

“There’s been clever little adjustments on old dishes that I’ve been known for and things like that. And we’re using flavours from Asia, using the fire and wood to really bring those natural flavours out.”

In a bid to drive more interest in the restaurant, KAJI are setting up some collaboration events, the next coming with Dave Wall, chef patron of The Unruly Pig, the UK’s number one gastropub.

Dave and Steven will cook together for one night only, on Wednesday, February 5, for a nine-course tasting menu.

Tickets are priced at £120 per person, available via KAJI's website.

“That's something that we've always done,” said Steven, when asked about collabs.

“I did that many times throughout my tenure at Freemasons. It’s great for the team to see what other people do.

“I think it's super important we support each other within the industry as well.

“It’s just great fun. From the Top 50 Gastropubs, which I was fortunate to be very high up there for the whole 15 years, we've got all these contacts and we're all great friends. We're going to use them and do stuff together and have fun along the way.

“There’s plenty of fantastic restaurants out there, but you've got to give people a reason to come to yours.”

A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR KAJI

Looking ahead, Steven said: “First and foremost, we want to be a sustainable business. We’ve got to be a good business.

“I’m at an age now where we’re not chasing x, y and z, we know what we do. We know we've got a great product, so let's make a great sustainable business.

“Then if anything else that comes off the back of that, then that’s fantastic. But we know what we’re doing, we know the product, so we’ll just keep what we’re doing.”

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