Eat & Drink
Originally published on Tuesday, 1st May 2012
Marcus Wareing Q&A
Marcus Wareing is an internationally acclaimed chef who has been achieving Michelin Stars since 1997. Having worked at some of London’s top restaurants (L’Oranger, Pétrus, The Savoy Grill), he now runs The Gilbert Scott at the recently revamped St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.
UJ caught up with Marcus to get the lowdown on what tastes make him tick.
How did your career in the food and drink industry begin?
My father was a fruit and potato merchant so taught me the value of great produce. My older brother also went to catering college so it was a natural progression for me, and I finally found my forte in doing so.
What was it that drew you to the industry initially?
It was a hands-on skill that also required thought.
What do you think it is about the experience your guests have at The Gilbert Scott that has made it so popular?
Any great dining/drinking experience is all about the location, the company you are with, the product and the service. We are located in one of London's most impressive buildings so it is up to us to put a great product out there and deliver it with a hospitable service. This is what we aim for at The Gilbert Scott. We have a fantastic menu, a great cocktail list and the team are very good at what they do.
How do you think taste interacts with the other senses in affecting how you experience food and drink?
Sense of time and place has a huge impact on how we taste. It aligns with the above in that the elements need to be right in order for the experience to be enjoyed. This relates to taste also: your environment and your emotions have a big influence. We try and get the environmental and tangible elements right so that the occasion is enjoyable.
Tell us about your earliest memories of taste?
Fresh fruit from my Dad. I understood the difference between unripe fruit (sour, bitter) versus ripe fruit (sweet, and I guess a slight element of umami in some). For instance, with an unripe pear you have a dull crunch with a bitter skin. A ripe pear has sweet notes as well as a much more enjoyable texture.
Are there any particular childhood foods that you feel a strong attachment to / dislike towards?
I used to love pretty much anything sweet. I had, and still have, a fondness for jaffa cakes! I think as a child your taste buds are amateurs so some tastes are seen as unpleasant (salty, bitter) yet as an adult, when your taste buds have matured, when you eat/drink great combinations you learn that all tastes can be great in the right balance.
What is the best / worst taste experience you’ve ever had?
I was recently in Tokyo and went to the fish market. I tried monkfish liver for the first time, which I found incredible – pure umami! I have an aversion to blue cheese, anchovies and kidneys so mostly avoid these.
How do you think your taste preferences have evolved as you have grown up, and are they still changing?
I think your taste buds mature, but also, as a chef, I have a sense of what tastes will work well and what won't without having to actually taste things. For example, I love salty sweet combinations (salted caramel, margaritas) whereas as a child it repulsed me. I think Britain is constantly evolving as a food nation which means the public are more aware of taste, which makes my job much more enjoyable.
How important do you think it is to understand taste and the way the different elements of taste interact when ordering food and drink?
It depends where you are eating and what trust you can place in the offering. If my guests query the interaction of taste in my food and beverage offerings, then I am not doing my job properly. Taste can be objective (ie defined into the five elements) but it is mainly subjective, which will always take precedence. I think understanding what you as an individual like is important but also having the trust, when you go to a restaurant, to try something different.
Of the five elements of taste, which do you think are the most important?
I think they are equally important as without one of them you restrict flavour.
What are you most looking forward to about Taste By Appointment at The Gilbert Scott?
Joe's insight - he is a fantastic character and is great with people.
What can guests at Taste By Appointment look forward to learning from you?
I hope they will come away understanding more about their own personal tastes, as well as how taste combinations can work.
What can guests at Taste by Appointment look forward to seeing featured in your bespoke Grey Goose cocktail?
That would be telling...
What is your favourite Grey Goose cocktail?
My bar manager at The Gilbert Scott, Dav Eames, makes a fantastic Grey Goose cocktail with elderflower, lime, cucumber and Grey Goose La Poire.
Info
Taste By Appointment is taking place at venues across London. To book Taste By Appointment at The Gilbert Scott or other upcoming events click here. Select venues (*marked below) are also offering exclusive three-course meals at a special price for Taste By Appointment ticket holders.
May 6: The Gilbert Scott, St Pancras*
May 12: Redhook, Farringdon
May 22: Bread Street Kitchen, St Paul’s*
June 17: The Savoy, Strand
July 1: Hakkasan, Fitzrovia*
July 2: Rhodes Twenty Four, The City*
