FT Weekend Magazine - 10.19.2019

‘The bouillabaisseis really

four dishes–the fish, the

soup,the tangy rouille and

the thin slicesofbread.

It scarcely fitsonthe table’

I

wenttoWildHoneyStJames,

whichhasexcellentacoustics,

forlunchanddinnerbecauseofa

commoncomplaintIheardfrom

membersoftheaudienceatthe

FTWeekendFestivalinSeptember.

Whyaremanyrestaurantsso

noisy, especiallythenewestones?

Infact,Iaddressedthis

issuein2006overlunchwith

acousticsexpertAlanSaunders,

andIremembertwofascinating

factsfromourconversation.

First,softfurnishings–such

astablecloths,curtainsandfelt

undertablesandchairs–only

reallyworkwhentheyare all

usedtogether.Second,hearing

isafacultythatwaneswith

age,likeeyesight.Yetwhilewe

seempreparedtosplashoutlots

ofmoneyoneyewear,feware

willingtospendanythinglike

asmuchonhearingaids.The

festivalcomplainthadcomefrom

peoplewhowere allover50.

Ihadlongadmiredthemenu

oftheoriginalWildHoney,which

usedtobeinMayfair,butIhave

admiredtheapproachofitschef

AnthonyDemetreevenmore.

“Theroomhasitschallenges:

threedifferententrancesand

asetoflavatoriesthatarethe

othersideofthehotellobby, but

thereare compensations,such

asthesizeandproximityofthe

kitchen,” Demetreexplained.

Therestaurant,whichhas

highceilings, canaccommodate

110dinersandithasenoughspace

toshowoffDemetre’scooking.

(Thoughevenwithallthisnew-

foundspace,hisMarseille-style

bouillabaisse–whichisreallyfour

differentdishes, thefish,thehighly

concentratedsoup,thetangy

rouilleandthethinslicesofbread

• scarcelyfitsononetable.)
  Demetre’sdishofrabbit–the
  saddleroastedandtheshoulder
  servedasacottagepieonthe
  side–isanotherbeneficiaryof
  therestaurant’smove tolarger
  premises. Sotooishisdelicious
  honeyicecream,toppedwith
  Bermondseyhoneyslicedbya
  waiterfromagianthoneycomb.
  Demetre’sloveofcookingwith
  ingredientsthathedescribesas
  “cheapbutdelicious”hasbeen
  temperedby hisyearsinMayfair
  butitstillplays apartinhisset
  lunchmenu.Thistendstoinclude
  arenditionofpig’s head;astunning
  ribollita(Tuscanbreadsoup);
  mackerel;andanunusualnorth
  African-influencedvegetarian
  maincourseofslow-baked
  auberginewithaslightlyoversalted
  freekehsaladandpomegranate.
  Themove alsoappearsto
  have madeDemetremore
  philosophical.“Irealisenowthat
  whatthekitchenproducesisno
  morethan40percentofwhatthe
  customerexperiences,”hesaid.
  “Therestisuptothewinelist,
  therestaurant’satmosphereand,
  mostimportantly, theattitudeof
  thewaitingstaff.Ikeepontelling
  themthatitdoesn’tmatterwhen
  youdropaplaterightinfrontof
  thecustomer.Thesethingshappen.
  Whatisimportantishowyoureact
  andhowyoumakeupforit.”
  Fromourcornertable,the
  restaurant’slocationwithina
  hotelwasobvious.Butsotoo
  wasthefactthatwe couldeasily
  hearourselvesspeakandthink.
  Demetre’sambition–thatthe
  presenceofWildHoneywillserve
  tosoftentheformalityofthe
  hotel–iswellunderway.

Demetre,52,hasbeencooking

forthepast30years,eversince

aninjuryforcedhimtoleave

hischosenprofessionasapilot

intheFleetAirArm.For15

yearshelearnthistradeinthe

kitchensofRaymondBlanc,

BrunoLoubet,GaryRhodes

andMarcoPierreWhite.

Bythetimeheandrestaurateur

WillSmithopenedArbutus

inLondon’s Sohoin2006and

thenWildHoney, Demetre

haddevelopedhisparticular

cross-Channelstyleofcooking.

Itisacombinationofclassic

Frenchculinarytechniquesandthe

bestBritishingredients,overlaid

withthehappymemoriesthat

hisfoodconjuresupforhim.

“Mybouillabaisseisbased

ontheweekIspent,aged39, in

thekitchensofChezMichelin

Marseille,”saidDemetrewith

areflective smile.“Icanstill

recallthetasteofUzèsinmy

soupeaupistou;myshortribs

ofbeefare basedonadelicious

versionofadishIonceateat

GramercyParkinNewYork.”

Butitwasthismove to

theSofitelStJameshotel,

aftermanyyearsasachefin

anindependentrestaurant,

thatpuzzledme.Were there

difficultieswiththenewspace?

Wild HoneyStJames

8Pall Mall

LondonSW1Y 5NG

02079682900

wildhoneystjames.co.uk

Starters £6-£16

Main courses£15-£35/£45

Wild Honey

St James, London

Morecolumnsatft.com/lander

THESPACIOUSINTERIOROF WILDHONEYSTJAMES.PHOTOGRAPHBY MING TANG EVANS

Restaurant Insider

Nicholas Lander

44 FT.COM/MAGAZINEOCTOBER19/202019