It opened up with three rosettes which is phenomenal.
What made you want to stay at Caxton, why was that the location for you?
Get yourself down for dinner – when you see the hotel it’s located in you will understand why! St Ermin’s Hotel is stunning, it’s a hidden gem which is steeped in history. You walk in the front door and to me, it’s more special than the Savoy which has been updated and modified. St Ermin’s Hotel is so English and so beautiful.
What makes your restaurant stand out among the many other restaurants in London?
I’m big on freshness and we do a lot of juices using lots of different herbs - chervil, basil, dill. We also thicken them to make purees, or we use them as dressings. We’re about light, fresh food. I don’t want to be a special occasion restaurant, I want people to turn up wearing whatever they like. I want everyone to feel relaxed, the music’s up and its’ very rustic and cool. It’s all about nature too – we have the living wall full of things you can eat, the gardens outside which are being developed and old food pots on the table with living cacti in them.
Does the restaurant’s aesthetics reflect your cooking style then?
Yes it does. Food is like fashion, when I first started it was all about large white plates, lots of little dots of sauce and the food piled up really high, then it became spread out, then molecular and now rustic. I can guarantee in a few years’ time it will go back to the big white plates again. At this moment in time I’m happy, and so are the team, because I’m passionate about this rustic approach. Really clean cut flavours, I hardly use butter in my food and there are a lot of Japanese influences. It’s light and really tasty.
What are your goals for yourself and the restaurant in the future?
have no idea, I just take each day as it comes. I love travelling so I want to take a month out and go around South America – I’ll probably come back and change the style of food. I’d love a Michelin star but I would never chase one. If all you do is concentrate on that you lose business. If Michelin give us one because the food is up to standard, the service is great – then I’ll be overly happy. But if I just concentrate on what they want and I lose a quarter of the diners – I’ll get my star but I won’t get paid. I’d also love another restaurant but I want one entirely myself.
In that case would you stay in London?
Yes, I love London, it sets the food fashions for Europe. But in ten years’ time one in London and one in Edinburgh, because I’ve got to have one up there!
And what about TV? Would you do more or do you want to step back and concentrate on the restaurant?
There’s a lot more in the pipeline but I can’t talk about it yet – so yes I would like to do more.
And finally which chefs inspire you?
Sat Bains – he’s my favourite chef ever. We recently did a pop up dinner for American Express together and he is definitely my inspiration. *If you want to know more about Adam’s cooking style, his new book, Smile or get out of the kitchen, is available now.
Hear what Adam had to say about his time on last year's Masterchef: The Professionals series here.
