Fred Sirieix Restaurant Scotland Wagyu Beef

June 16, 2022 Post a Comment

Fred Sirieix is excited. Not being a seasoned observer of the French maître d', I'm not sure if this is his natural state. But if his new four-part series, which I've just binge-watched in preview, is anything to go by, then let's assume it is. Throughout our chat, he talks dix to the douzaine in his mellifluous 'Allo 'Allo! accent, offering opinions, anecdotes, insights — and always enthusiasm.

"As I was doing the school run today, one of the parents said they'd seen the trailer for Remarkable Places to Eat and it looked like great fun. 'What a job you have,' they said. I think the same! How lucky I am! I love it!"

The series is indeed fun. It is also, by turns, elucidating, funny, clichéd, touching and self-indulgent. What it does particularly well is sell the destinations. With swooping drone footage and lingering, hyper-saturated clips, all four come across as — to borrow Fred's default phrase — "little slices of 'eaven". If Remarkable Places doesn't have you double-screening, trying to book a last-minute trip, you're more restrained than I am. Or you can't multitask.

You cannot be Sirieix: Fred turns butcher in San Sebastian

MARK OGLE

The cities, like their exponents, are a mix of obvious and less so: Venice with Angela Hartnett; Tom Kerridge's Edinburgh; Paris with Michel Roux Jr; and Nisha Katona's San Sebastian. Shooting was done over four weeks, a week in each, with the chefs and restaurateurs' "little black books" being opened to reveal their two or three must-visit foodie spots.

Much rests on Fred's perfectly tailored shoulders. With his Russian-ultra haircut, Keanu beard and lovable twinkle, he must coax the best out of his assorted co-stars, following them from producer to kitchen to dining table, while also narrating and throwing himself about with abandon. He persuades a surly Scottish lobster-boat captain to let him drive, turns blood-spattered butcher in San Sebastian, massages a rare Wangus cow in rural Perthshire and goes a bit Village People in the Venetian lagoon, trying to net flavoursome tiddlers for a risotto while wearing little more than nipple-high green waders.

"I love to get stuck in," he tells me. "You can't connect with people if you're miles away. I'm all about the rapport."

And it's that easy rapport with the four (a few of the locals he meets seem less sure) that carries the show: Nisha, bubbly and with the head-spinning articulacy you'd expect of a former barrister; Angela, knowledgeable and a touch motherly; Tom, like a big friendly bear; and Michel, scalpel sharp and oozing charm. Three of them are old friends of Fred's (Nisha was the only one he hadn't met before) and the chemistry zings along nicely.

He has an amusing tiff with Michel, his former boss, about who is the more French. (Fred has lived in the UK for the past 26 years — longer, he tells me, than he did in France.) Angela gently teases him. And his Scotland mini tour with Tom is a full-on bromance, a bit like The Trip, but without the melancholy.

"We all like travelling, good food, good restaurants and having a good time. So this was as good as it gets for me. I had to pinch myself!" Fred says. Excitedly.

The Paris and Venice episodes, for contrasting reasons, prove the most intriguing. The now charred roof of Notre Dame is a haunting presence in the former, because one of Michel's choices is the ludicrously grand La Tour d'Argent. The banter is there, particularly when they're comparing outfits (Michel: "How have you not worn a tie?"; Fred: "You look like my grandad"). But the pre-blaze backdrop adds a rueful note.

That must have been heartbreaking to see? "Not really," Fred says. "At the end of the day, I feel much, much sadder about Grenfell Tower. Notre Dame is old, sure, but it will get rebuilt. But Grenfell... I get a lump in my throat every time I drive past."

In Venice, he and Angela do a good job of exploding a few stereotypes, such as that it's naff to go anywhere near St Mark's Square (the fastidiousness that goes into the pastries at Caffe Florian makes the cover charge look almost generous); and that every restaurant in Venice is only interested in flogging £1,000 lunches to bewildered Japanese tourists. "Venice is misunderstood," Fred says. "Like most places, it has tourist traps. You go to Piccadilly Circus and it's the same, yet 500ft away in any direction you're going to find a great place."

The script is undercooked at times — you could play a drinking game based around "off the beaten track" and "hidden gem". But, in essence, Remarkable Places shows just what it's possible to do when you combine two of the most telegenic of entities: food and beautiful destinations. Three, if you include Fred.

A follow-up series, surely? I'd be more than happy to guide him round my top Lewisham kebab joints if he's interested.

He chuckles. "There are a lot of people I would want to work with on this. If it was up to me, I'd be on the road again already!"

Nisha's San Sebastian
Nisha Katona is a chef, food writer, restaurateur and the founder of the Mowgli Street Food group

Rural gathering: Nisha joins a foraging trip

MARK OGLE

The starry side of San Sebastian cuisine is all very well, but my passion is how the locals eat day to day — the way food has developed. To visit somewhere like Bar Nestor (11 Arrandegi Kalea), which we do in the series, and see how rudimentary it is — with these single slices of tortilla made from an old recipe, and potatoes cut as if by someone who hates you — is far more magical than anything Michelin.

Through food, you start to conjure up the feel of a place. San Sebastian is so open-hearted and accepting. There's the charm of La Concha, but everything really happens on the backstreets, where the bars are open until late and bursting with passionate foodies. It's the sort of place where you can go for dinner alone and end up with an army of friends. Food is a great opening gambit.

Basque in sunshine: La Concha beach, San Sebastian

GETTY IMAGES

You see entire families dining late into the night. There's noise, conviviality. That's what makes these spots homes away from home, and it's how these pintxos bars survive. It's something Brits don't do as well. As a restaurateur, I think the most important thing we can do is get our children out dining with us.

Fred and I went foraging with the team from Mugaritz in the countryside around the city, something every visitor should do (mugaritz.com). It's so verdant, with the woods and the streams — almost English, yet also so exotic.

The joy of San Sebastian is that the tourism is not so developed, so you still feel as if you're finding secret corners. Tourism only spoils somewhere when the locals start to compromise their offerings. In San Sebastian, they're so passionate, so vehement, about their food that it wouldn't matter how many tourists they had.

Michel's Paris
The chef, television presenter and author Michel Roux Jr has three London restaurants: the two-Michelin-starred Le Gavroche, Roux at Parliament Square and Roux at the Landau at the Langham Hotel

Le Jambon Beurre serves the best baguettes, according to Michel

MARK OGLE

Paris is beautiful and has that romantic cachet. I've had some amazing meals and experiences at La Tour d'Argent, on Quai de la Tournelle, where Fred and I had lunch (tourdargent.com). It has a beautiful view of Notre Dame, though the spire has sadly gone now. It's something special and has such a history. The Queen has eaten there. I remember going as a young teenager and I've kept going back. The most recent chef, Philippe Labbé, is an extraordinary guy. He respects the dishes — such as canard à la presse, which has been on the menu since 1890 — and the old style. In that way, it's similar to Le Gavroche.

Having a baguette at Le Jambon Beurre, on Rue St-Honoré, reminded me of when I was training in Paris in the late 1970s. I ate one every night. A proper jambon beurre with a cornichon in a good baguette is the best sandwich ever. Fred and I had ours with a view of the Sacre-Coeur (lejambonbeurre.net).

We didn't feature Les Halles, the old market area in central Paris. It's lovely to walk around and there are loads of little bistros. Get yourself a seafood platter, sit on the terrace and watch people go by — that's what's great about Paris. You should also go to the suburbs and find an authentic Moroccan restaurant where North Africans are eating.

When I'm in town, I must go to Alain Ducasse (lechocolat-alainducasse.com) and Patrick Roger (patrickroger.com) for chocolates — my God, they are good! — and Jacques Genin (jacquesgenin.fr) makes the best caramels on earth. I would walk over hot coals for Guy Savoy's artichoke soup at his restaurant (guysavoy.com). Paris gets rough reviews sometimes, because Parisians can be a bit snooty — even the French don't like them. But be just as obnoxious as them and they'll respect you for it.

Angela's Venice
Angela Hartnett is the chef-proprietor of the Michelin-starred Murano, in London (muranolondon.com)

First course: Angela and Fred in Venice

MARK OGLE

I always look for good food when I travel, and I always want to eat in restaurants full of locals. That's the key. I've got a lot of affection for Venice and I was keen to dispel the myth that you will only find terrible food there.

I first visited Venice as a kid, because I have relatives who live outside the city in an area called Lignano Sabbiadoro, near Udine. We'd go on holiday to see them and do day trips — I've got a picture of me at the top of the duomo on St Mark's Square when I was about 14.

I love the colourful houses on the islands, and it's great to go out to the beach on the lido, which tourists don't always know about. When you do discover a good place to eat, the dishes taste incredible, because you're in the middle of Venice. Food isn't just what's on the plate, it's the company, the time of year and what's around you.

I first went to Alle Testiere 15 years ago, when I did a cookery competition in Venice (osterialletestiere.it). It's tiny, about 20 seats, and is run by Bruno and Luca, who go to the Rialto market every day, choose the fish, then write the menu. Luca's wife does pasta dishes and Bruno has a few desserts. My husband still talks about an artichoke pasta we had there.

My friend the chef Mitch Tonks recommended Al Gatto Nero, on Burano (gattonero.com). It's another family business, with mum and dad in the kitchen, and their son, Massimiliano, front of house. He's got the most amazing voice, as though he learnt English with a Scottish accent and a pinch of Italian. They cook risotto to order in a subtle but beautifully flavoured fish broth, and they do a great fritto misto.

Tom's Edinburgh
The chef, television presenter and author Tom Kerridge owns the two-Michelin-starred Hand and Flowers pub, in Marlow, Buckinghamshire

Tom dines at the Kitchin, in Leith

MARK OGLE

I'm proud of being British, so I wanted to choose somewhere close to home. Edinburgh ticks all the boxes — there's amazing art and culture, and an eclectic mix of great produce, great chefs and great restaurants. The seasons in Scotland are very defined, which allows chefs to produce four definitive types of cooking throughout the year. You think of rich, hearty dishes for cold Scottish weather, but they produce amazing summer berries, too. They taste exceptionally good because they take longer to ripen.

In Scotland, there is so much warmth — people are friendly. They want everyone to enjoy themselves. The incredible hospitality is one of the great things about Tom Kitchin's restaurant, the Kitchin — which we feature in the show (thekitchin.com).

A dish at the Kitchin, in Leith

MARC MILLAR PHOTOGRAPHY

I love wandering the streets of Edinburgh, walking up and down, and seeing the mix of people. All the buildings are so beautiful. Of course, you have to go to the castle. I also love Restaurant Martin Wishart, at 54 The Shore — he's a phenomenal chef (restaurantmartinwishart.co.uk).

The other great thing about Edinburgh is that, not far from the centre, you can be in the countryside. If you venture out, after about an hour's driveyou have the beautiful Gleneagles hotel, where you're greeted in such a down-to-earth way. Sometimes you go to nice places and you feel you shouldn't be there, but here everyone is made to feel welcome. It's not high fashion — you can wear wellies (gleneagles.com).

Also an hour's drive north of Edinburgh is Highland Wagyu, which we visited to try the Wagyu beef reared by Mohsin Altajir and Martine Chapman. They massage the cows wearing special gloves, which Fred enjoyed trying (wagyu.co.uk).

We should be proud of what Edinburgh stands for in terms of food and produce. It's the equal of London.

Remarkable Places to Eat starts on Wednesday on BBC2

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Source: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/remarkable-places-to-eat-europes-top-foodie-cities-with-celebrity-maitre-d-fred-sirieix-0kj0zlgfw