Flash-grilled: Dan Lee
What was your first industry job?
My first job in a kitchen was working at an all you can eat £2.99 carvery in King's Heath, Birmingham, when I was 17.
If you weren’t in kitchens, what would you do?
I always wanted to be an archaeologist when I was younger, so id like to do that. Failing that I’d happily be a bit of a hermit and just travel from place to place.
What industry figure do you most admire and why?
Always a difficult question. I lean towards Andrew Wong, as he is a British-born Chinese who has elevated Chinese cuisine to a whole new level. Yet he does so by researching and learning from the traditional techniques, constantly learning the history and developing his cuisine.
What's your pet hate in the kitchen?
People who say ’this isn’t my job’… its a team effort, just get on with it!
What’s the oddest thing a customer has said to you?
I’ve had someone ask me to marry their daughter, that was strange. Food wise I’ve had a customer ask for their meat to be at a 45 degree angle 4cm away from the rim of the plate... never found out why.
Sum up your cooking style in a single sentence…
Reimagining street food.
What's the worst review you’ve ever had?
A customer walked into the kitchen with his pot of béarnaise sauce complaining it wasn’t piping hot. I proceeded to tell him why béarnaise sauce isn’t piping hot, to which he responded that he owns multiple restaurants and all his restaurants served piping hot béarnaise. Few choice words were exchanged, we had to be separated.
Which single item of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
My cleaver…. Or a Thermomix
What would you choose to eat for your last meal?
Sam siu fan (triple roast meat on rice) from Look In in Birmingham.
À la carte or tasting menu?
À la carte!
What's the best meal you’ve ever had in a restaurant?
Ikoyi in London was incredible, or possibly Nahm in Bangkok. The best individual dish I have eaten is possibly ox tongue curry at Nahm.
What's your favourite fast food joint?
KFC. Hands down. Almost made it as my last meal.
What’s the dish you wish you’d thought of?
The KFC seasoning.
MasterChef or Great British Menu?
I don’t actually watch cooking programmes, I won MasterChef so my hearts with them, but GBM is on a different level!
What’s the most overrated food?
‘Fusion’ food. Or loaded fries.
You’re restaurant dictator for a day - what would you ban?
The use of the word ‘fusion’ on a menu. Or sourdough bread (why does everywhere only do sourdough bread now?!).
Who would your dream dinner part guests be?
Bob Marley and Anthony Bourdain.
What's your earliest food memory?
Sitting down at my aunty's takeaway on a Sunday when it was closed, and her forcing me to eat the fish eyeballs because apparently its good for me.
Twitter or Instagram?
Instagram.
What’s the closest you've ever come to death?
Trying to swim to a secret lagoon in the Philippines, sea was really rough and ended up getting bashed against a coral reef. Clung on until a boat came and got me, few cuts, bruises and nearly drowned but made it to the lagoon!
Where do you go when you want to let your hair down?
Thailand.
What's your tipple of choice?
Negroni.
What's your favourite food and drink pairing?
KFC and a grand cru Chablis.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?
Ask as many questions as possible, learn the reasons behind each job you’re doing even if they seem simple. Constantly ask and question, remember just because a chef is in a higher position than you doesn’t mean they are right. Take everything on board and work out what works best, you can learn something from every kitchen you go into, whether its good techniques or how not to do something. Don’t get caught in the ‘Michelin trap’, its great to work in fine dining, but if you just rotate the Michelin Star restaurants in the UK, you’ll end up doing very similar things with slight variations. They follow very similar trends albeit the few who are really leading the way with forward thinking. Experience other cuisines, other cultures, other styles within the industry.
