Alex Dilling on his enduring love of French food

How disarming is this? The chef of a two-Michelin-star restaurant who happily insists that roast chicken cooked by his mum, and, even better, sneakily picking the leftover succulent flesh off the carcass (we bond over this) is the most heavenly and comforting way to eat.

It’s no wonder then that Dilling’s haute cuisine ‘hunter chicken’ (below) cut from supreme Landes chicken has been a signature dish since his The Greenhouse days and customers won’t let him take it off the menu at his new restaurant Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal in London. Yet, he confides: “Much as we love cooking this dish and continually refining and, subtly, changing it up, what my chefs and I enjoy the most is the creativity and challenge of creating fresh combinations of flavours and techniques in new dishes to keep marking the evolving seasons.”

Clearly not one to rest on his laurels, Dilling boasts a stellar CV having spent time with Alain Ducasse in New York, and Hélène Darroze at The Connaught. Now, he has his own restaurant at the Café Royal with his name above the door and, the icing on the gateau, the restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars within six months of opening.

Alex Dilling has one of those very likeable soft American accents, more intonation than drawl, that’s difficult to place.

Do you consider yourself more American or British?

My mother is American and my dad British and, apart from living in LA and San Francisco between the ages of 7 to 13, I’ve spent most of my life living in the UK. I did my culinary training at Westminster Catering College in London, so I consider myself British yet with American and French accents too.

Why do you mention French accents as well as American?

I’ve always loved French food and particularly enjoy quite uncomplicated brasserie food that is based on good products and simple treatments. I relish a good, homemade terrine and cornichons and order blanquette de veau whenever I see it on a menu. It is so comforting and good for the soul.

How influential has French cuisine been on your training?

Hugely. My training has mostly been in French haute cuisine. After a short time working in London at restaurants including Le Vacherin in Chiswick, I decided I wanted to explore working in New York and literally walked my CV into the fine-dining kitchens I had my eye on, then did four or five trials. I got lucky with the offer of a lifetime to work at Alain Ducasse’s New York restaurant. His ‘Grand Livre’ remains my Bible. I got to know the group head chef of Hélène Darroze from working with Alain Ducasse. He called me to ask if I wanted to move back to London to be the chef of The Connaught.

Ducasse is renowned for his rigour. How was it to be working for him so young?

I won’t pretend it wasn’t hard, and I was only 28 when I went to New York, but I have such a thirst for acquiring knowledge and technique and I was utterly immersed. The discipline was tough yet fair. I like to think I am more gentle if equally exacting in the kitchen. Ducasse instills in his chef teams a reverence for produce and how to enhance its essence. That’s a lifelong culinary journey.

Did your family influence your wish to become a chef?

I was fortunate to be brought up in a very foodie family who adore eating well and spending hours talking about food around the table and I was taken out to eat often. From the age of 14, I knew I wanted to be a chef. My parents weren’t convinced I needed to make it my career and insisted I try university first. I only lasted three classes in my psychology course. Then I went to do my chef training.

What did you find most valuable about your time working as Head Chef of Hélène Darroze at The Connaught?

Hélène Darroze showed me how important it was to be generous to the customers. At the start of each meal, guests are offered some Noir de Bigorre ham from Southwest France. This ham has an incredible nutty taste and it is wheeled to the customer on a trolley and sliced on a beautiful vintage Bercale slicer. It is a great curtain raiser to the treats to follow. I loved getting to travel with Hélène when she was doing demos internationally. We went to Kyoto and cooked in a temple and ate at so many Michelin restaurants. The Japanese pursuit of culinary excellence is awesome.

I hear you are rather generous with caviar…

Yes, I adore caviar, it has far more complexity than many believe and is not just a lazy way to add a frivolous garnish and enhance the price of a dish. Caviar should be there for a reason and I always use generous amounts so that guests can truly appreciate its texture and taste. When I create a dish such as the caviar and Dorset crab with raw cream and ginger I served at a recent Ascot lunch, the rich, buttery, gentle earthy flavour of the caviar and its mouthfeel enhances and complements the other ingredients. My favourite caviar is Kaluga, often known as river Beluga and native to the Amur River Basin in China. It has large, well-formed firm eggs and is the most sought-after.

Alex Dilling at the Hotel Café Royal is most definitely fine dining. Some chefs have been predicting the end of fine dining. Presumably, you think their prophecies are gloomy and wrong?

Yes, I think fine dining now is more about elegance and getting to taste the most sublime produce that would be really difficult to source at home such as wild turbot, cooked with a level of knowledge and technique that requires several pairs of chef hands and many years of training. Fine dining should also be about having fun, laughing a lot, maybe drinking a bit too much.

What ingredient are you especially looking forward to this summer?

Provence tomatoes from Hubert Lacoste – they are my favourite ingredient of the season. They are organically grown in the sunshine, it’s a small production and one of the few things the seller grows. The tomato taste is something you just can’t always achieve in English tomatoes due to the climate here (I do try and buy British whenever possible). When it comes to incredible produce we try and keep the dishes simple and are usually inspired once they arrive.

What simple tip would you pass on that can transform a dish at home?

Give food an interesting glaze and baste or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before serving: there’s nothing worse than dry-looking food.

What is your pet hate when eating out?

I find it so disappointing when dishes are not properly seasoned. Recently I had a rather expensive, yet casual steak out, which was so tough, overcooked and had no discernible seasoning at all.

What’s your favourite place for a food-centric break in Europe?

San Sebastián. I love the pintxos bars in the Old Town, especially Ganbara. Juan Mari and Elena Arzak introduced me to it. We feasted in Ganbara’s kitchen on their signature crab spider tarts and wild mushrooms with raw egg. I enjoyed getting to know txakoli, a light sparkling wine poured from a great height – though it only tastes good when in San Sebastián. I have to visit Elkano for their hake kokotxas with pil pil and, of course, Arzak for their fine dining which is always full of surprises. I share their ethos that to keep creativity at its peak we should always be exploring new dishes and new ideas.

Where will you be guest cheffing this year?

I’ll be at Alain Roux Mandarin Oriental Bangkok in early June, followed by Four Seasons in Athens. In July I’ll be at the Andronis resort in Santorini and in October, One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius. I cannot wait!