Foodie Tales With Ollie Dabbous

Chef Ollie Dabbous spent years honing his craft in top kitchens before springing onto the London restaurant scene in 2012 with his first own restaurant, Dabbous. It was an instant success, renowned for offering top-class food amid relaxed settings – and within just eight months, the eatery had secured a Michelin star. For the next few years Dabbous was one of London’s hottest spots – but in 2017, Ollie turned his attention to something even bigger: the opening of Hide, a mega-restaurant spanning three floors on Piccadilly. This, too, was a big hit, with three distinct concepts, all centred around Ollie’s product-driven ethos.

Ollie Dabbous Interview

What’s your food philosophy?

Taste everything. Question everything. Keep it simple. Respect the integrity of the ingredient, showcasing it in the most organic way. Something like that.

What was the first dish you learnt to cook?

Profiteroles. It was the dish I wanted to eat, therefore it was the dish I chose to cook. I was six at the time.

What’s your favourite in-season ingredient?

Right now, definitely pumpkin. The best ones are almost as sweet and fragrant as ripe melons.

Your go-to throw-it-together dinner?

I hate food waste so a quick pasta dish is a great way to turn some random ingredients that need using up into something wholesome and delicious.

What’s in your fridge right now?

Plenty of fruit and vegetables, yoghurt, cheese. It’s all pretty healthy. Quite a few condiments too, which always gives you more dinner options.

Hide

What restaurant should everyone try before they die?

Trattoria Cammillo, Florence.

Food trend you can’t get on board with?

I think people went overboard with fermentation a few years ago. It doesn’t benefit every ingredient. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.

Which cookbook do you refer to the most?

I haven’t really used any for a long time. When I cook at home, I just freestyle it. When I cook at work, I deliberately don’t have any recipe books there.

What’s one amazing way of using up leftovers you’d recommend to our readers?

For this time of year, pies are always good: puff pastry and a healthy amount of bechamel with herbs and nutmeg can transform any leftovers into something satisfying and comforting.

Worst kitchen disaster of all time?

When I was just learning how to cook at home, as an early teenager or even younger, I tried making extremely complicated desserts but without any of the expertise or kit required. I think I probably generated a huge amount of washing up.

When you’re not in the kitchen, where are you?

Realistically with my family. I don’t have too much just for myself but if I do have an opportunity, then I’ll try to fit in a game of tennis.

Tell us about your upcoming residency at Coral Reef Club…

I am so excited to be going back. The place is so special: the setting is idyllic, the staff are so kind and the guests are all repeat customers. It feels like everyone knows everyone, so as a result the atmosphere is incredibly inclusive and familial. I am looking forward to cooking there again. Some dishes deliberately have a nod to the UK; other dishes will be explicitly more exotic. We are doing a local fish tempura in a roast bone broth with lemongrass, also an orange blossom ice cream sundae.

Find out more at hide.co.uk and coralreefbarbados.com