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"I used to describe my cooking as refined peasant food," says Paul Pavani, head chef at London's Soho House. "But I like what Richard Littlejohn said in the Evening Standard review, that it is simple food, cooked imaginatively."
Soho House is a new private club on Greek Street, which opened in January and caters for a membership drawn from the media - music, arts, film and theatre - with a sprinkling of food professionals, mostly chefs and restaurateurs.
As a private club, it has extended hours. Food is served from 8am to 3am every day from two kitchens. A staff of 13 alternate between the two, with five chefs at work at any time in the à la carte kitchen and one overlapping. A staff of seven are responsible for the dining room: four chefs de rang; two commis waiters and a maitre d'.
Pavani's menu is eclectic and reflects his varied background - Irish and Italian parents - and his work experience in England, Ireland and the USA. It is thanks to his eclectic background that he sees the value of keeping his cooking simple and uncluttered. "I never have more than three or four predominating flavours or ingredients in a dish."
He is insistent about not over-extending the abilities of his team or of himself, preferring consistency. "Everything has to be fresh, good value and above all I only cook honestly from the heart."
The menu is written in a straightforward way. There are no recipes embedded in the description of dishes, no list of ingredients. "The worst thing is to overdescribe dishes and have disappointed customers. I believe in just listing the main ingredients and then what is served exceeds expectations."
Witness salad of pork with apple, sesame and deep-fried parsnips. Imagine the pleasant surprise when belly pork, marinated in soy, ginger and five-spice, cooked like confit and thinly sliced, arrives on the table with deep-fried parsnip chips. Add apple and you have a classic marriage of flavours.
Intermediate courses are a sensible innovation; larger than starters and lighter than mains, for people who want a quick lunch. Smoked haddock on a spinach and potato cake with poached egg is a dish Pavani thinks will stay on forever. Smoked haddock sits on top of the cake and they cook together, with the haddock juices enriching the spinach and potato. The poached yolk also gets absorbed.
Knuckle of veal with garlic and bone marrow "says much about my style of cooking". It is a refined variation of osso bucco, using braising juices and stock, finished with garlic confit (cooked in duck fat) and slices of marrow at the end of cooking.
Breads are made in house and the wine list comprises about 100 wines from all over the world at an average price of £12-£16.
Pavani says the kitchen and front of house have an excellent rapport. "I value their professionalism and they understand the menu and take time to ask questions and generally be aware of things."
The Soho House, 40 Greek Street, London W1. 0171-734 5188
