Alyn Williams at CC (first published 27/6/2011)
Alyn Williams is in many ways a chef's chef. Of the many chefs that we've encountered over the past year, when the name Alyn Williams is mentioned, the same two points come up again and again.
First, respect. We've never met a chef yet who didn't respect Alyn's cooking and he's considered by many to be amongst the UK's leading talents.
Second, that he really is a great guy. We knew this anyway but there are many chefs out there today who have at one time or another worked for Alyn in the kitchen and their stories are all of calm, understanding and leadership, and none of the sweary abuse that has come to characterise others in the trade.
But if to date Alyn has been a chef's chef, over the next couple of years, Alyn's name is likely to become more widely known as from September, he opens the doors to his own restaurant, appropriately named Alyn Williams at The Westbury.
Alyn's restaurant should be a welcome addition to the London scene for he has an immaculate pedigree, having worked with leading industry names including David Everitt-Matthias at Le Champignon Sauvage, Gordon Ramsay at Hospital Road followed by a number of years as Marcus Wareing's Head Chef at his double starred restaurant in The Berkeley.
When Alyn offered to cook one of the Chefs @CriticalCouple dinners, we jumped at the chance. We were excited to get a taste of what Alyn might serve up at The Westbury and, having eaten Alyn's food before, we already know just how good it is: very.
But a normal dinner party is of course too easy for Alyn so to add some extra pressure, we welcomed a guest list that would reduce most chefs to jelly including chefs Pierre Koffmann and Bruno Loubet, Iron Chef America judge Simon Majumdar, leading food critic Daniel Young and Bloomberg food correspondent Richard Vines (amongst others).
First, respect. We've never met a chef yet who didn't respect Alyn's cooking and he's considered by many to be amongst the UK's leading talents.
Second, that he really is a great guy. We knew this anyway but there are many chefs out there today who have at one time or another worked for Alyn in the kitchen and their stories are all of calm, understanding and leadership, and none of the sweary abuse that has come to characterise others in the trade.
But if to date Alyn has been a chef's chef, over the next couple of years, Alyn's name is likely to become more widely known as from September, he opens the doors to his own restaurant, appropriately named Alyn Williams at The Westbury.
Alyn's restaurant should be a welcome addition to the London scene for he has an immaculate pedigree, having worked with leading industry names including David Everitt-Matthias at Le Champignon Sauvage, Gordon Ramsay at Hospital Road followed by a number of years as Marcus Wareing's Head Chef at his double starred restaurant in The Berkeley.
When Alyn offered to cook one of the Chefs @CriticalCouple dinners, we jumped at the chance. We were excited to get a taste of what Alyn might serve up at The Westbury and, having eaten Alyn's food before, we already know just how good it is: very.
But a normal dinner party is of course too easy for Alyn so to add some extra pressure, we welcomed a guest list that would reduce most chefs to jelly including chefs Pierre Koffmann and Bruno Loubet, Iron Chef America judge Simon Majumdar, leading food critic Daniel Young and Bloomberg food correspondent Richard Vines (amongst others).
We start with a touch of humour as Alyn serves his own 'beef and onion crisps' from small pack Pringles tubes momentarily throwing our guests off balance but there's no mistaking Alyn's own creations for anything that you could buy off the shelf. Alyn's prawn crackers feel like old friends while it would be easy to fill up early on his totally delicious Fourme d'Ambert Gougeres. The final two canapes though were real stars, Razor clams, chilli, mint, toasted cauliflower and Frogs legs ballontine curry leaves, spiced onion dip. The former, served in the razor clam shell, balanced this variety of flavours just wonderfully while the Frogs legs were sensational and were many people's early favourite. Alyn sources the clams from from Jeffersons in Looe, Cornwall and sourcing of ingredients is clearly of the highest priority for him.
Once sat at the table, Alyn tells us that the dishes we are to be served tonight are a representation of what we might expect at The Westbury. First up, we have a West coast langoustine, skewered with rosemary, quickly pan fried so they are still pink in the middle with watermelon that has been chargrilled. The trimmings of the watermelon have been juiced and reduced down to make a glaze while on top of the langoustine is some additional rosemary while the heads of the langoustine, dried and roasted are also used as seasoning. The dish was paired with an ever wonderful Dom Perignon Rose (2000).
Simply fantastic. As well as being of superb quality, the addition of the rosemary and langoustine heads on top not only offered additional depth of flavour but additional 'rougher' textures too, all round, an utter treat. The treatment of the langoustine here not only respects the ingredient but adds to it, the perfect start.
Once sat at the table, Alyn tells us that the dishes we are to be served tonight are a representation of what we might expect at The Westbury. First up, we have a West coast langoustine, skewered with rosemary, quickly pan fried so they are still pink in the middle with watermelon that has been chargrilled. The trimmings of the watermelon have been juiced and reduced down to make a glaze while on top of the langoustine is some additional rosemary while the heads of the langoustine, dried and roasted are also used as seasoning. The dish was paired with an ever wonderful Dom Perignon Rose (2000).
Simply fantastic. As well as being of superb quality, the addition of the rosemary and langoustine heads on top not only offered additional depth of flavour but additional 'rougher' textures too, all round, an utter treat. The treatment of the langoustine here not only respects the ingredient but adds to it, the perfect start.
West coast langoustine/watermelon/rosemary
The menu description hints at, without revealing the next dish: Orkney/Aquitaine/Mersea. Orkney is, naturally, scallops; Acquitaine is caviar and Mersea of course oyster. In front of us then we have a tartare of scallop, diced oyster with grated cucumber through it, all wearing an impeccable caviar suit. Around that is a refreshing sauce of cucumber, celery and apple while on top of the caviar, for a little sweetness, is the dried, smoked and grated corals from the scallops.
It might seem hard to go wrong with such ingredients but this was so right. Each mouthful was a taste of seafood heaven, no real chewing needed, just let it dissolve in your mouth wonderfully combining fresh, salty and a touch of sweet. For some, this was the dish of the night. This, or something close to this, is a dish that you will highly likely see at The Westbury, a dish we'd be delighted to eat again and again.
The scallops, together with the langoustine, were sourced from Keltic Seafare, the oysters from Colchester Oyster Fisheries and the caviar (and the chocolate later on) from Classic Fine Foods.
It might seem hard to go wrong with such ingredients but this was so right. Each mouthful was a taste of seafood heaven, no real chewing needed, just let it dissolve in your mouth wonderfully combining fresh, salty and a touch of sweet. For some, this was the dish of the night. This, or something close to this, is a dish that you will highly likely see at The Westbury, a dish we'd be delighted to eat again and again.
The scallops, together with the langoustine, were sourced from Keltic Seafare, the oysters from Colchester Oyster Fisheries and the caviar (and the chocolate later on) from Classic Fine Foods.
We've not seen anything quite like the next dish presented to us in a restaurant before. Simply listed on the menu as snails, Alyn describes the glass bowl in front of us as a terrarium - a living garden. As well as the snails (not living we should add), we have carrots, chickweed, a soil made from trompette mushrooms and malt, Umbrian truffles on top, crumbled malt 'cake' and chopped peas. You're first hit by the truffle aromas and the 'living garden' stays with you through earthy flavours from the soil but with the freshness of the peas and carrots; the snails meanwhile are beautifully textured having been carefully sourced and prepared. It's another dish with a lot of wow factor.
The carrots and herbs are again sourced from Looe, Cornwall, but this time from Sean & Robert at Keveral Farm allowing Alyn to know that the carrots on our plates is less than 24 hours out the ground. Mash Purveyors supply Alyn with the other vegetables.
The carrots and herbs are again sourced from Looe, Cornwall, but this time from Sean & Robert at Keveral Farm allowing Alyn to know that the carrots on our plates is less than 24 hours out the ground. Mash Purveyors supply Alyn with the other vegetables.
'Snails'
Regular readers of our site will know our feelings around foie gras and our belief that tasting menus with foie gras are too a safe choice for a chef; we had joked with Alyn about this before the meal. He told us to our surprise that foie gras would be on the menu but it would be nothing like what we were used to, leaving us intrigued. Also unusually, it's well into the menu, not the usual starter but described on the menu as Yoghurt/lime/foie gras; Alyn announces to the table that this is a palate cleanser! This, he tells us, is a foie gras semi-freddo served with frozen yoghurt (with whipped egg white to make it fluffy), some lime curd and 'lime tapioca' powder.
Another able demonstration of Alyn's ability to use ingredients in creative ways to give new effects. It was light, it was refreshing, the foie gras semi-freddo had none of the usual drag of foie gras allowing the dish to cleanse your palate in an entirely new way; superb.
Another able demonstration of Alyn's ability to use ingredients in creative ways to give new effects. It was light, it was refreshing, the foie gras semi-freddo had none of the usual drag of foie gras allowing the dish to cleanse your palate in an entirely new way; superb.
Yoghurt/lime/foie gras
Our next dish is simple, elegant and tasty: Turbot/turnip/liquorice. The turbot is sourced from Fish for Thought, Bodmin, and cooked with turnips and liquorice; on top is a fine baby leek, some sweet cicely, and liquorice powder. At The Fat Duck, the salmon poached in liquorice has never been to our taste but here it was entirely different for the liquorice in this dish never tries to compete with the turbot for top billing and the fish simply shines.
Turbot/turnip/liquorice
While the previous dishes might well appear on the menu at The Westbury, our final main course was 'for love'; it was also an education for many. Alyn has previously spent time in the US and has taken on board many influences, while one half of the Critical Couple also enjoys Southern roots. Accordingly, the next plate was titled: Barbecue/corndogs/po'boys/slaw/corn on the cob/ranch; in every way, quite a mouthful.
So let's do a reminder, what we have here is Rhug Estate suckling pig in a variety of styles. First, a 'corn dog' is traditionally a sausage coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter and deep fried, while a po'boy is a 'traditional submarine sandwich from Louisiana'. We have barbecue belly and collar, the shoulder has been pulled down for the po'boy and there's baked potato which 'is in a thoroughly modern style' and therefore could be topped up from a foamer canister.
Accordingly, Simon Majumdar, in both the broad and specific sense said "while every dish we were served showed Alyn WIlliams's impeccable technique and a great deal of wit, there was also an old fashioned charm about his cooking and a respect for ingredients used that I found refreshingly old school. It was a winning combination that allowed even the most prosaic of dishes, such as the humble corn dog, to be transformed from the workaday to one of my favourite bites of the year so far." Enough said.
So let's do a reminder, what we have here is Rhug Estate suckling pig in a variety of styles. First, a 'corn dog' is traditionally a sausage coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter and deep fried, while a po'boy is a 'traditional submarine sandwich from Louisiana'. We have barbecue belly and collar, the shoulder has been pulled down for the po'boy and there's baked potato which 'is in a thoroughly modern style' and therefore could be topped up from a foamer canister.
Accordingly, Simon Majumdar, in both the broad and specific sense said "while every dish we were served showed Alyn WIlliams's impeccable technique and a great deal of wit, there was also an old fashioned charm about his cooking and a respect for ingredients used that I found refreshingly old school. It was a winning combination that allowed even the most prosaic of dishes, such as the humble corn dog, to be transformed from the workaday to one of my favourite bites of the year so far." Enough said.
corndogs
Barbecue//po'boys/slaw
As we move to the dessert, first we start with Mead/ginger biscuit/milk as a nice, satisfying and again, unusual refresher, followed by Caramel/chocolate mousse/peanut butter (ice cream). Then finally, Turkish delight/rose/lemon/candied saffron. A lovely trio of sweets with, a particular favourite of ours, peanut butter ice cream offering both sweet and refreshing set off against a lovely textured chocolate mousse.
Mead/ginger biscuit/milk
Caramel/chocolate mousse/peanut butter
Turkish delight/rose/lemon/candied saffron
The table was buzzing with conversation all night but by the end, the conversation gave way to applause as everyone sought to congratulate Alyn on a remarkable meal. Pierre, Bruno and Richard were amongst the first to congratulate Alyn with Bruno saying that 'Alyn's food is creative, fun and technically precise and Alyn will now make a name for himself'. Daniel Young meanwhile suggested that 'the ideas of Alyn Williams may look great, on paper as well as on the plate. But it's what's felt, not seen - the fresh, clean interaction of flavours inside your mouth - that distinguished them. The (hardly) ever camera shy Tom Harrow (@winechapUK) can be seen giving his verdict below.
Bruno, Pierre and Richard congratulate Alyn on a great meal
Richard, Giancarlo, Alyn, David and William celebrate a successful service with Dom Perignon Rose
We finished with a totally gorgeous whisky, Glenfarclas 40 Year Old generously provided by Mr Glenfarclas himself, George Grant, and enjoyed by guests, the kitchen and front of house alike. Alyn was then thrilled to be presented with a Porsche type 301 knife from Chroma Knives while guests took away Haiku knives as part of their goodie bags together with treats from Glenfarclas and Fine Food Specialist.
It was overall a fabulous night. Front of house was flawlessly provided by Giancalo Princigalli (@gcprinci) who is the General Manager for Alyn Williams at The Westbury and the ever brilliant William Bonfield (@turbopow). Meanwhile, Alyn was ably assisted in the kitchen by Richard McLellen and David Murray. Alyn takes the evening's praise with his usual modesty and in turn thanks his wife Alison and The Westbury Hotel for their support. And then there is his and our thanks too to CCS for the chinaware and Robert Welch for cutlery.
By a broad consensus of an extremely experienced and demanding audience, Alyn surpassed expectations. There was a commonality to descriptions too: technically perfect, original and of course 'brilliant'. The wow factor was omnipresent throughout the meal and in a world of 'me too' menus, Alyn seemed not once to be short of a new idea to awaken even the most jaded palate, quite a skill, and surely most welcome. Put in its most succinct form by Iron Chef judge Simon Majumdar, 'I am very much looking forward to trying more of his cooking', a sentiment that was universally shared.
You can try Alyn's food for yourself at Alyn Williams at The Westbury from late September and before then, you can follow Alyn on Twitter @chefalyn.
It was overall a fabulous night. Front of house was flawlessly provided by Giancalo Princigalli (@gcprinci) who is the General Manager for Alyn Williams at The Westbury and the ever brilliant William Bonfield (@turbopow). Meanwhile, Alyn was ably assisted in the kitchen by Richard McLellen and David Murray. Alyn takes the evening's praise with his usual modesty and in turn thanks his wife Alison and The Westbury Hotel for their support. And then there is his and our thanks too to CCS for the chinaware and Robert Welch for cutlery.
By a broad consensus of an extremely experienced and demanding audience, Alyn surpassed expectations. There was a commonality to descriptions too: technically perfect, original and of course 'brilliant'. The wow factor was omnipresent throughout the meal and in a world of 'me too' menus, Alyn seemed not once to be short of a new idea to awaken even the most jaded palate, quite a skill, and surely most welcome. Put in its most succinct form by Iron Chef judge Simon Majumdar, 'I am very much looking forward to trying more of his cooking', a sentiment that was universally shared.
You can try Alyn's food for yourself at Alyn Williams at The Westbury from late September and before then, you can follow Alyn on Twitter @chefalyn.