The Rhode to good fare

Having achieved superstardom in the UK for his countless appearances on television over the last 20 years, his numerous cookery books and his many successful restaurants that bear his name across England, Rhodes decided to venture further afield and last year saw the opening of The Rhodes Mezzanine. This fine dining establishment in the heart of the Marina is a testament to Rhodes’s philosophy of serving traditional British food with a French twist. The menu is a superb representation of the food on offer in Britain and will provide endless enjoyment for lovers of British food and is sure to win over any sceptics that may still hold preconceptions about this type of cuisine. City Times spoke to Gary on the occasion of this anniversary to find out how the last year has gone and what is in store for the future.

How does it feel to be celebrating the first anniversary of the Rhodes Mezzanine?

I find it quite incredible actually. The year has just flown by so quickly so I can’t believe we’ve been here this long. There is so much more I want to do or hope to do and that makes it even more exciting so hopefully I’ll be here for many more years to come. This evening is like a huge present. You open the present and still realise there is still so much more in the overflowing Christmas stocking, there’s much more to discover and that is what I’m hoping will happen with the restaurant. We’ll discover more and that will create even more customers.

What is the appeal of the food in this restaurant as opposed to others?

I’ve always been renowned for predominantly British cuisine with a French influence. I had that firmly in mind when I opened here and I have been pretty true to the idea. I’ve got lots of really exciting dishes looking at great British classics that I wish to give a fresh identity to and the cooking here is incredibly refined. People who eat here hopefully start to understand the whole Rhodes concept. I like to put a lot of my personality into the food we serve.

Do you see yourself leading a bit of a renaissance of British cuisine?

I think we have still got a long way to go outside the UK. In the UK there are a lot of restaurants now calling themselves modern British and that’s what I love. I want to show off all we have to offer. Britain has probably the finest ingredients in the world. Everybody wants to buy Scottish lobster or beef, Welsh lamb, English asparagus is the best in the world, English Strawberries, English raspberries it’s non- stop. So I say let’s show it off as many people are unaware of the food we can serve. I like to take the concept of a British dish and then refine it, take the ingredients your grandparents used to cook and prepare them in a different way.

Would you consider basing yourself over here?

Oh yes. I love it over here and if I could move over I would. I have four restaurants in the UK and I’m opening a fifth in November so I have to be sensible. I’ve got many more dotted around the place so I have to make sure I have a central base where I can keep an eye on all of them. But I have certainly not written off moving over here; it is so exciting. I would like to develop more than just this restaurant so I keep saying to the GM of this place if there are any more projects I’d like to be part of them.

If you could only ever have one more meal what would it be?

If I had to choose a last meal without a shadow of a doubt it would be braised ox tails with mash potatoes for several reasons. But the number one reason would be that if something is braised it is cooked for such a long time that the meat just melts in your mouth, it’s divine. It also takes about four or five hours to prepare so I’d also have longer to live.

What is your favourite dish to cook?

I don’t really have a favourite like that; I just love cooking. But I must admit when I’m at home I love to make a really nice risotto, easy to make, delightful, soft and creamy. That or just some simple pan-fried fish. I’m very particular about cooking fish and I love doing it.

Who does the cooking at home, is there any rivalry between you and your wife?

Well my wife was also a chef so we take turns, there’s not really any rivalry. There are certain things that she makes which I can’t beat and vice versa. I do the risotto and fish and a few other things but some things she makes are amazing so there is no competition. Honestly.

Where do you go immediately after this?

Well I’m opening a new restaurant in November so that’s coming up soon. And in the long term people often say what is your dream and actually I’ve surpassed it. When I was a young 13-year-old and started cooking all I wanted to do was be a head chef. When I was a young lad head chefs were always sixty years of age, a sous chef was at least fifty so I thought I would have to wait ages! I became a head chef very early of many restaurants. So now my dream is, in Britain at least, that when I’m gone people might ask ‘who was that chef Gary Rhodes’ and someone might turn around and say ‘I remember him and that boy could really cook,’ that would be a dream for me.

david@khaleejtimes.com