Flash-grilled: Alex Owens
What was your first industry job?
My actual first industry job was making the cakes for a bakery in Oxford called Barefoot. And then my first time in a restaurant was staging at The Ledbury, which was definitely more intense!
If you weren’t in kitchens, what would you do?
Lord knows!
What industry figure do you most admire, and why?
Ruthie Rogers. No explanation needed.
What’s your pet hate in the kitchen?
Ego and shouting.
What’s the oddest thing a customer has said to you?
We once had a cheque with the request for a Dover sole, half on the bone, half off...
Sum up your cooking style in a single sentence...
I don’t want it to be fancy, I just want it to be tasty.
What’s the worst review you’ve ever had?
Okay, so I have been trying to stay away from reviews and honestly I don’t want to relive a bad one. A guy did recently say that he didn’t like the samphire we put on top of the sole as he ‘didn’t like to have to try and find his fish under all the green stuff.’ It wasn’t very bad, but I did find it very funny.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?
Just go for it! If you have a trial somewhere and it’s too busy to ask how you can help then always make sure everything is clean and in order.
Which single item of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
A spoon!
What would you choose to eat for your last meal?
Fresh loaf of bread and good salted butter.
À la carte or tasting menu?
À la carte.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had in a restaurant?
I have a favourite restaurant in Italy that we used to go to every year since I was born until a few years ago. The woman who ran it used to go to the market each morning and then would just cook a set menu and everything would be served on a big dish and you would share it around the table. I have had many favourite meals there.
What’s your favourite fast food joint?
None, sorry! But give me a bag of crisps.
What’s the dish you wish you’d thought of?
So, I don’t really want a dish that’s mine because I created it. But, I would love to have a dish named after me, or made just for me, in the Pavlovian sense. Would be interesting to see what kind of dish I would be.
MasterChef or Great British Menu?
Neither! Junior Bake Off.
What’s the most overrated food?
You know what, I could probably take or leave lobster. Langoustine, a very different story. But lobster just doesn’t seem worth the price to me.
You’re restaurant dictator for a day – what would you ban?
Tweezers.
Who would your dream dinner party guests be?
I am so torn. I always feel like this is a question to show off that you can pick out interesting people throughout history. But that doesn’t mean I would have an amazing time, I would probably feel very out of place! Really I would love to have all of my family together, especially grandparents who have passed away. Have a proper catch up about all the things I didn’t think to ask as I was too young.
What’s your earliest food memory?
I know I was definitely a greedy child, and I can remember a lot of my favourite foods very vividly. When it comes to actually remembering my earliest food memory it’s a bit harder to get everything in chronological order. I definitely remember that my sister and I managed to persuade our grandmother to peel grapes for us, which was so wonderful and decadent. A peeled grape is a wonderful thing. I now find it even better if you peel your own, as the element of time and dedication makes it even more of a treat.
Twitter or Instagram?
Instagram.
Where do you go when you want to let your hair down?
Anywhere I can dance. I have recently found myself in Trisha’s Soho quite a lot. But I can’t lie, I prefer a night in to a night out!
What’s your tipple of choice?
I’m not a big drinker, and I definitely think you have to choose a drink to match the place. I can never really say no to a nice cold glass of white on a warm evening though. Sometimes with ice in it, sue me.
What’s your favourite food and drink pairing?
A cup of tea and those Fox’s Viennese biscuits It’s not fancy, but it is good.
What do you consider to be your signature dish?
Potato pasta! Sometimes I add some romanesco in there as a gesture, but it’s not necessary.
