WE WRITE THE
RECIPES OUT
THEN WE GO BACK
AND LOOK AT THEM
AND CHANGE THEM IF
NEEDED - IT CAN TAKE
FIVE OR SIX TIMES TO
GET A DISH RIGHT”Adam Simmonds
- 2004 – 2006 Ynyshir Hall
- 2007 – 2013 Danesfield House Hotel
- First head chef role: The Greenway
- First Michelin star: 2006
- Opened his first own restaurant in 2017 – The Test Kitchen in Soho,
London. - Also worked at Adam Handling Chelsea at the new Belmond
Cadogan Hotel for five months. - Other stints at: The Halkin, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, The Greenway
the whole thing work better. It's all very
positive and I'm excited.
What changes have you
implemented so far?
We’ve changed all the suppliers, all the
menus; 90% of the suppliers you change
because you’ve worked with different
suppliers who know what you want
and how you want stuff. We've changed
certain menus, have other ones to
change and new ones to implement.
How do you like to work when
introducing new menus?
The way I work is quite meticulous -
we put stuff on the plate the first time,
then we rework it and put it on the
plate again, rework it again and again
until it's right. You can't just put dishes
straight on the menu, it doesn't work
like that. Because if it's not seasoned
properly, the textures are not right, the
balance isn't right - we only have one
shot at this, in launching it properly.
We cook it, I may not like the way it's
cooked or the balance so we go back and
do it again. It's a lot of work. We write the
recipes out then we go back and look at
them and change them if needed - it can
take five or six times to get a dish right.
And this is how meticulous it has to be.
We have to manage guest expectations
when they come into The Capital, they
have super high expectations, so we have
to manage that as well as deliver with a
new team and front of house, so they get
the concept across and it's consistent.Do you prefer running kitchens
within hotels, rather than a
restaurant?
For me it's about people. Hotels are
very different because you have all the
other elements, but breakfast is a whole
other challenge as well. But as a chef
you need to push yourself otherwise itbecomes boring.Have you brought in new staff?
A couple of people came through word
of mouth, others we find by going
down other avenues. We can interview
as many people as we like but their
personality has to fit. I'd rather have
somebody who has the aptitude who can
learn, than somebody who thinks they
know everything, then it's just chaos.
And we won't have that in here that's for
sure. Everyone is on the same level.How do you manage your staff in
the kitchen?
There are times when I get upset, but
it's not as bad as it used to be! If you're
like that though and you do it all the
time, it has no impact at all. And what
works for one person might not work
for another and that's part of my job,
reading staff to make sure I get the
best out of them. I'm like a football
manager and that's the way I look at it;
when service happens, everyone has to
perform like a team. I can train them,
but it's how they perform.The Capital was
acquired by Warwick
Hotels in 2017.August 2019 | BOUTIQUE HOTELIER 31ADAM SIMMONDS TALK