The rise in plant based dishes and the element of surprise

This month we spoke to chef Jacek Koprowski, the head chef at Osteria Fino, an Italian inspired fine dining restaurant in Poland. Osteria Fino's menu has taken a huge inspiration from Italy and each dish gives Jacek’s own extravagant interpretation.

With Veganuary approaching, where meat-eaters give up meat for the month of January, Jacek shares with us how he loves to combine unusual foods, and surprise meat eaters with his impressive watermelon tartar.

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What is it about Italian food that you love?

"I love the simplicity and terroir, the dishes are not over complicated and the ingredients are all around they have everything that chefs need. I love Italian passion for cooking and tradition."

Where do you get your inspiration from?

"I go to the market and I check what’s in season, then I ask what will be in the next two weeks lets say and with this information I start to change the menu. I also read and watch a lot of books from foreign chefs such as Massimo Bottura, David Kinch, Thomas Keller, Philip Howard."

What can people expect when they visit your restaurant?

"A casual atmosphere and fine dining on the plate, I love unusual combinations. Now I cook a lot of plant based dishes.

"It's fun when you give a meat eater a watermelon tartare both compressed and dried, prepared as well as beef and they do not feel the difference."

How did you end up becoming a chef?

"To make the long story short, it was a coincidence."

How is being a chef during this time?

"It's difficult, it's hard, as a chef it's a problem because you put the same things on a paper plate and the dishes go for 10-20 minutes by car and you don't know how it will finish when the customer opens it in his house. The other thing is that you can't take the full restaurant atmosphere home."

What’s been your best experience as a customer?

"My best experience so far was Rozbrat 20, fine dining restaurant in Warsaw and Sztuczka Fine dining restaurant in Gdynia, both with marvellous tasting menus."

Advice you can give to a chef who wants to work at your restaurant?

"Be patient, stop talking, start doing, work hard and THINK!!!"

If you could give any advice to your younger self what would it be?

"Everything has it's time I wouldn't change anything, I'm here and that is a fantastic feeling!"

If you had to pick one dish to serve what would it be and why?

"Beef tartare, fresh and pickled strawberries, oyster mayonnaise, crispy potatoes.

"It's all me on the plate, meat combined with seafood then fresh and pickled fruit, crispy potato and Franciacorta or local wheat beer in your glass."

What is your favourite ingredient to work with and why?

"I love polish 'kashubian' strawberries, sweet juicy and meaty, when I eat it I know that summer is here."

We will be sharing more chef stories as part of our project, so keep your eyes peeled! Join us on social media for updates.

WTLGI Vegetarian Fine Dining experience

Our team member Sophie Flint visited Where The Light Gets In which is based in Stockport just before the UK's second lockdown. As restaurants across the country close their doors for a second time we want to remind you of the beauty of fine dining through our insights.

Take a read of her experience of WTLGI,a restaurant who’s menu changes with the seasons, providing locally sourced ingredients and flavours to guests, below is her write up about the experience...

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"My recent visit to Stockport's Where The Light Gets left me wanting more, as each course came and went I was holding on to it hoping that the night could last longer so that I could savour this special time.

Unlike other dining experiences Fine Dining is not just about the food, everything matters and this was clear from the moment I made my reservation with WTLGI. After I hung up I was excited, and to be honest not really sure what to expect.

When we arrived we walked up the stairs to and from the outside we were the none the wiser about what to expect, however the front door to the restaurant was like walking through the wardrobe in Narnia, from being in the centre of Stockport we were transported to a magical setting, with a warm and calm ambience.

Inside it’s a spacious, open plan apartment, high ceilings and a few tables, no menus but this added to the surprise and anticipation.

I felt like I had an invitation to an exclusive show, the tables were set with chairs facing the open plan kitchen where I could see the chefs hard at work, the ingredients part of the decoration, with drying corn delicately hanging from the ceiling and jars stacked neatly filled with herbs and spices.

As a vegetarian options in restaurants can sometimes be limited, but here each dish was filled with flavour, texture and something different.

The first dish was halloumi beetroot and honey, it came delicately wrapped in perilla which is an edible leaf. Not only did it look special but it tasted it too. I was impressed, the halloumi which was made in house with locally sourced sheep's milk, had no unpleasant squeak to it and the simple flavours combined were soft yet delicious.

As I don’t drink alcohol we were given the option of a juice menu, which I was really glad about. With not drinking alcohol you can sometimes feel as though you’re missing out on an experience, especially when wine tasting is involved, however the juice pairing was a nice touch and I felt completely included in getting to experience how different drinks accompanied the dishes we were served.

The next dish was deep-fried fermented potato and smoked pear, the crunch of the lightly deep-fried potato was enjoyable and the flavour of the smoked pear really brought this dish to life.

Other plates we were served included new sweetcorn fabulous, a corn soup with a cheesy flavour which was made with fresh corn, Holbrook and celeriac, and Crown Prince squash tart which was made with local mushrooms.

My favourite dish was the Crown Prince squash tart which served with mushrooms, it was both sweet and savoury and the lightness of the pastry was extremely pleasant to taste. However, I also really enjoyed the sourdough bread and mushroom pate - it was addictive! We had to have a second order of bread, I have never tasted bread like it. The mushroom pate was incredible, I could have eaten it over and over!

When each dish arrived a different member of the team brought it over, they spent time explaining the components of the serving and how it was made. The herbs in each course were taken from the rooftop of the restaurant where they grow their own.

Having a member of the team explain each dish thoroughly not only added to the experience but it educated me on what I was eating and the components of it. It made me hungry for more experiences like this, as it was interesting to hear about and made me connect more with the food I was consuming.

The final dish was a sheep's milk pudding with plums and malt, a pudding which dates back to medieval times! It was an interesting texture, but the plums brought it a rich and fruitier flavour.

The whole night had a steady calmness to it, made pleasant by the attentiveness of the staff, the warmness of the interior and the tasty dishes. I felt cared for and more interested in the process of cooking than I ever had before, it was magical to watch the chefs working away as I anticipated whatever dish would be coming next.

When the final dish was served I have to say I was sad to know I had to leave, but I was also excited to book my next fine dining adventure!"

By Sophie Flint, The Food Obsessions PR executive

You can find out more about Where The Light Gets in on their Instagram or website.

‘Restaurants will recover with grit, passion and determination’

This month we spoke to chef, cookbook author, restaurateur Jason Atherton, who amongst all of this has appeared on several TV programs.

He shared with us how to create the balance to make a fine dining experience seamless and how restaurants will recover from the current situation with grit, passion and determination.

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Jason is the brains behind ‘The Social Company’ which is a globally renowned restaurant group, including, the Michelin-starred Social Eating House and City Social, as well as 5 Social, The Betterment and Berners Tavern – named ‘the defining restaurant of the decade’. He has also opened critically-acclaimed restaurants in Shanghai, Dubai, St Moritz and the Michelin-starred restaurant, The Clocktower, in New York.

We found out more about him in our latest post...

When did your passion for culinary begin?

“My mum ran a guest house so I helped out with breakfast as a kid, that was really my first step into the kitchen.”

What are your main values when it comes to a fine dining experience?

“A fine dining experience starts from the moment the guest makes a reservation - the whole process from booking, to dining and finally leaving, needs to be seamless.

"The guest needs to feel like they are being looked after and that they can’t experience what they’re experiencing anywhere else. Their meal should be memorable; with every taste, smell and interaction being flawless, providing a sense of luxury and overall finesse.”

If someone was visiting one of your restaurants for the first time what can they expect?

“Beautiful food and wine, impeccable service and a relaxed, comfortable and social environment.”

What does fine dining mean to you?

“A dining experience that is elegant, memorable and faultless, offering unbelievably delicious food and flawless service, whilst remaining relaxed and comfortable.”

How do you think fine dining restaurants can recover from the current situation?

“Fine dining restaurants will recover the same as any restaurant at the moment, with grit, passion and determination. This situation isn’t forever, so as an industry we need to join forces and support each other to turn things around. Ultimately restaurants now need to make their guests feel safe and restore their confidence in dining out again.”

What’s been your best experience as a customer?

“It was at the Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, New York. It’s more than the dishes: both here and at Frantzén, they capture the restaurant experience perfectly and the creativity on show is unbelievable.”

Advice you can give to a chef who wants to work at one of your restaurants?

“Passion is everything; if you have a can-do attitude and show respect, motivation and a desire to achieve and grow, you will succeed within one of my restaurants.”

If you could give any advice to your younger self what would it be?

“Have patience, listen and learn every day. Oh and maybe take a day off every now and then to relax!”

If you had to pick one dish to serve what would it be and why?

“At home I’d make classic chargrilled rib-eye steaks with chimichurri sauce. In the restaurant it has to be a pistachio soufflé which has become a real signature dessert at Pollen Street Social.”

What is your favourite ingredient to work with and why ?

“Sea salt – I love it. I even sprinkle it on ice cream; it really brings the flavour out.”

We will be sharing more chef stories as part of our project, so keep your eyes peeled! Join us on social media for updates.