Flash-grilled: Kaneda Pen
What was your first industry job?
Part-time commis at The Exhibit, Balham. I made the jump from media and advertising to kitchens at the tender age of 37.
If you weren’t in kitchens, what would you do?
Oddjob/random task impersonator.
What industry figure do you most admire, and why?
I use to watch countless hours of Rick Stein and Raymond Blanc on TV before joining the industry. Now I have countless peers to look up to. Everyone giving their all to get by and tell their story.
What’s your pet hate in the kitchen?
If someone answers me with: “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
What’s the oddest thing a customer has said to you?
Someone once asked for their smoked brisket to be cooked medium rare.
Sum up your cooking style in a single sentence…
Unfussy, comforting and lacking subtlety.
What’s the worst review you’ve ever had?
A one-star review calling my meat 'cold, overcooked and tasteless'.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?
Repetition makes you powerful.
Which single item of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
Rice cooker.
What would you choose to eat for your last meal?
My mum’s chicken rice.
À la carte or tasting menu?
À la carte.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had in a restaurant?
A seafood restaurant called Angela’s in Margate. Firstly I’m not even big in to seafood, but every dish was incredible. I distinctly remember a warm squid salad that filled me with so much joy I didn’t want it to end.
What’s your favourite fast food joint?
McDonald's.
What’s the dish you wish you’d thought of?
Smoking Goat’s fish sauce chilli wings.
MasterChef or Great British Menu?
Great British Menu.
What’s the most overrated food?
Korean corndogs.
You’re restaurant dictator for a day – what would you ban?
Grown adults asking for their burgers to be cut in half.
Who would your dream dinner party guests be?
Jackie Chan, Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh.
What’s your earliest food memory?
Prawn cocktail crisp sandwiches when I was three or four.
Twitter or Instagram?
Instagram.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to death?
A back street clinic in Phnom Penh in 2004. I had a swollen appendix.
Where do you go when you want to let your hair down?
Solo cinema trip. Probably on a Monday.
What’s your tipple of choice?
Mezcal, over ice.
What’s your favourite food and drink pairing?
Chilli heatwave Doritos with mature cheddar, served with raspberry Dash water.
What do you consider to be your signature dish?
Sour pineapple curry. A perfect intro to the flavours of Cambodian cuisine.
