Flash-grilled: Halil Şimşek
What was your first industry job?
Well really it was a kebab stall in Mersin, in the south of Turkey. I learnt my skills from a traditional kebab master, and I never looked back.
If you weren’t in kitchens, what would you do?
A scientist.
What industry figure do you most admire, and why?
Massimo Bottura, he is so creative and comes with amazing concepts and business ideas.
What’s your pet hate in the kitchen?
Messy chefs.
What’s the oddest thing a customer has said to you?
A customer requested to see me to complain about a chicken dish when we never had any chicken on the menu, only fish.
Sum up your cooking style in a single sentence…
I put my soul into my cooking, and always try to reconnect to the flavours from my childhood.
What’s the worst review you’ve ever had?
I once put together a tasting menu concept as a chef consultant. I made a ‘lasagne balloon’, which consisted of a puffed-up dough with the sauce inside. However, I didn’t realise they were after comfort-style food and they said it was ‘the worst lasagne they have ever had!’
What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry:
Try not to let your passion for the job mean you work crazy hours. Rest is important to ensure you stay creative and sharp.
Which single item of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
Well, it might sound weird, but I can’t live without my kitchen cloth. After every single dish I reclean the surface.
What would you choose to eat for your last meal?
If I was in London it would be the salt beef bagel from Beigel Bake, but if I was in my hometown Adana it would be a proper kebab spread.
À la carte or tasting menu?
À la carte.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had in a restaurant?
I was Florence, Italy and we went to a meat restaurant where we ate meats inspired by different regions across Italy. I tried a veal kidney wrapped in caul fat cooked on a charcoal grill. That was the first time I really loved kidney.
What’s your favourite fast-food joint?
KFC.
What’s the dish you wish you’d thought of?
Istanbul’s famous wet burger.
MasterChef or Great British Menu?
Great British Menu.
What’s the most overrated food?
A few of London’s pasta chains...
You’re restaurant dictator for a day – what would you ban?
Stop people saying sorry unnecessarily.
Who would your dream dinner party guests be?
Snoop Dogg and Yildiz Tilbe!
What’s your earliest food memory?
My parents would be at work, and I would go spend the day with my grandmother. She would cook me endless chicken, rice and dolma dishes.
Twitter or Instagram?
Instagram.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to death?
Somebody once tried to stab me with a kebab skewer - I have the scar to prove it.
Where do you go when you want to let your hair down?
Tayer & Elementary on Old Street.
What’s your tipple of choice?
Always a gin and tonic for me.
What’s your favourite food and drink pairing?
Raki, turnip juice, Turkish tea and a kebab!
What do you consider to be your signature dish?
Turkish black cod with a clear tomato sauce and an Urfa pepper crumble.
