A year of living dangerously

John Torode enters the bar of his new £2.4m eating and drinking empire, Smiths of Smithfield, opposite London's famous Smithfield meat market, and the conversation among early morning diners falls silent. They watch as the lean, newly shorn (his trademark floppy fringe has finally given way to a trendy crop) former Terence Conran senior chef strides confidently towards the bar. It is evident from the smile playing around his mouth that he is basking in the attention.

Torode says the past eight weeks have been fantastic. "The response has been brilliant. It's really been great. We are on target in certain areas and we were surprised at the volume of people coming through the door." Close up, though, as his tired eyes and slightly drained expression become evident, it is clear that he has paid a professional price for his dream of a four-storey bar-restaurant with food ranging from local café fare to fine-dining cuisine.

From the release of the first press statement last July announcing the coming of Smiths, his first business foray, Torode's life has been something of a rollercoaster. During the past 12 months, he and his partners, Stuart and Angus Hopson Jones, proprietors of the Polygon Bar and Grill in Clapham, south London, put millions of pounds into Smiths only to become embroiled in disputes with the building's landlord, change builders, and watch as opening dates came and went in December and March. And, on top of all that, Torode's marriage collapsed.

As a result, the Torode who stands in Smiths today is a transformed man. Problems and change of appearance aside, however, one thing that has stayed constant is his belief in Smiths, which finally opened on 18 May. To the 34-year-old Australian, Smiths is his chance to build on the food style he had perfected during his six years (1992-98) with the Conran restaurant empire. "It's honest and simple," explains Torode. "I'm basically adding my own twist to what I was doing with Conran."

This twist is played out over Smiths' four storeys which represent an evolution in culinary styles. The Ground Floor bar is the "greasy spoon", as Torode jokingly refers to the 50-seat, 300-capacity space, because its menu is slanted towards all-day breakfasts, pies and pasties. Next step up, on the first floor, is a 70-seat Champagne bar with a 25-seat private dining room, with snacks served from the kitchen of the second-floor restaurant, the 110-seat Dining Room.

The brasserie-style Dining Room is looked after by former Bluebird sous chef Mark Bradbury, who heads the 14-strong kitchen brigade. Food here is egalitarian and simple, with an average price of £10 for a main course. "It is somewhere people come and have a great steak and chips, or bowl of salad," says Torode. "Recipes are true to their origins [such as rabbit, mushroom, broad beans and garlic, £9.50, or salt and pepper fried squid with sweet chilli, £8]."

Customers vary from businessmen to locals and they love the no-nonsense food. An oxtail ravioli with ginger duck broth (£6) is a favourite. "This encompasses what we are talking about," says Torode. "It's taking a cheap piece of meat - a duck carcass - and just continuing to create with it. It's like taking an Oriental dumpling and naming it something different. The dish also shows a lot of skill and it's not necessarily something people will make at home."

Another popular seller, which illustrates Torode's determination to make products on site at Smiths, is a wild mushroom and goat's cheese cannelloni (£10) - the goat's cheese is made at the restaurant complex. Using milk supplied from Gloucestershire farms, the cheese is made from a 1950s recipe featured in an out-of-print cookery book called All You Need To Know About Goat's Cheese.

However, the satisfaction of achieving what Torode set out to do is marred by the yet-to-be-opened third floor. Continuing problems with builders have delayed until next month the opening of what will be a 70-seat fine-dining restaurant, and it is clear that Torode is impatient about the situation. Sitting swamped in the red banquette in the first-floor Champagne Bar, he talks in exasperated tones about what will happen on the Top Floor, rather than what is happening.

Another ex-Conran chef, Tony Moyce, will take charge, but Torode, who is still looking for more staff, will himself also cook, signalling a return to the kitchen after an 18-month absence since parting company with Conran. It will carry a mainly meat-based, seasonally changing menu, a little more refined than that served in the Dining Room. There will also be a distinction between the second- and third-floor eateries. Torode explains: "The main difference will be the cooking methods used - woks and clay ovens which are already in use in the Dining Room, traditional cooking in the Top Floor. Base cost in the Dining Room is reduced by using ingredients that are slightly cheaper. For instance, a whole side of beef [possibly from Islay or mainland Scotland] is bought in - the shin is used in the Dining Room and the prime meat goes to the Top Floor."

The Top Floor is also set to offer dishes such as pork with figs, and lobster omelette, or dishes with an Asian touch such as sea bass with ginger and spring onion (£19). "The fish is steamed in a traditional Chinese way," says Torode, "while the combination of ginger and spring onion is accepted throughout Britain and is something that works." He adds that the Top Floor's menu will change every day, depending on what suppliers offer: "I want them to dictate to me. They are named on the menus and so they take responsibility for their food."

Silver cutlery, white linen and superb views over London's landmarks are to provide the finishing touches to the dining space, and average customer spend is estimated to run at around £60 with wine.

Torode has put a lot of effort into procuring the best produce he can, not only for the Top Floor, but for all of Smiths. In the time running up to the restaurant's opening (when contractual difficulties resulted in the three partners taking over renovations, changing contractors), he travelled Britain sourcing prime ingredients from top-quality suppliers. He found lime leaves for Thai curries at Heligan Gardens in Pentewan,St Austell, Cornwall; poultry at South Torfrey Farm, near Fowey, also in Cornwall; while Chesterton Farm, near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, offered strongly flavoured Tamworth bacon ("the best tasting bacon") and pork from Gloucestershire Old Spots.

Playing down what was obviously a difficult year, Torode says: "It's been tough but a great learning curve." He freely admits that the move from chef to proprietor hasn't been easy, and concedes that every so often he yearns to return to the safety of the kitchen. "I can't just walk away and detach myself, but I am enjoying it," he says. One good thing to come from the nightmare of the delayed openings was retaining as many staff as he did. "We have had a few casualties, but we haven't done too badly. Most people have stayed with us," he says. Philosophically, he adds: "You have to cope with delay. Everybody who opens a restaurant knows it will not be easy."

At the moment, post-Smiths opening and pre-Top Floor opening, Torode is coping with day-to-day management problems, mostly from front-of-house. "It's horrible things, like computer systems not working, and sorting change for the bars," he says. "You wouldn't believe how much change this place needs."

Whatever its teething problems, Smiths already has one thing going for it - the blessing of Torode's former employer, Sir Terence Conran. Torode confirms that Conran has paid a visit. With obvious satisfaction, he says: "Terence said it was fantastic, and his steak was the best piece of meat he has eaten in five years."

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 13-19 July 2000