Chefs reveal their hates and guilty pleasures

Ever wondered which ingredients chefs hate using? Or what foods they love to indulge in? We interviewed London’s top chefs for our Ultimate Restaurant Guide, and this is what they had to say on the matter.

L’Anima’s Francesco Mazzei is not a fan of crabsticks, as they contain only 40% crab meat, while John Williams of The Ritz Restaurant tells us he adores truffles, but hates imitations. “The use of truffle oil in cooking is one of my pet hates. Though it is an inexpensive substitute for the real thing, most truffle oils are actually synthetically flavoured olive oil that use a compound called 2,4-dithiapentane. Their one-dimensional flavour is lacklustre and in my opinion there is no substitute for the heady scent of the real thing.”

Liquorice and okra are the two most unpopular ingredients. “In fact that would be my idea of hell, a dish made of both” says Michel Roux Jr. of Le Gavroche.

It’s reassuring to know chefs love their junk food. Masaki Sugisaki of Dinings loves to eat KFC’s hot wings, Roganic’s Simon Rogan says his guilty pleasure is a burger, and Clare Smyth of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay has a weakness for salt and vinegar crisps. Tom Oldroyd, group chef for Polpo, and Spuntino, is into “anything deep fried or dripping with grease”, however he adds that he does not condone using ingredients that are “endangered, unnecessary or illegal. Like puppy dog's noses.”

Ice cream seems to be the overall favourite among London’s chefs, with chocolate coming a close second. Nahm’s David Thompson says he’d happily sell his soul in exchange for something chocolatey, and for Roux Jr. only the Italian luxury brand Amedei will do.

It’s an acquired taste for many, but Moro’s Sam Clark likes fish roe. “We have been salting and smoking fresh grey mullet roe and transforming it into a delicious homemade bottarga” she says.

Barshu’s Zhang Xiaozhong has an original preference: “late-night spicy rabbit-heads from a street stall in my hometown, Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan Province! They are delicious, but not necessarily very hygienic.”

Lastly, there is an unsurprising correlation between French chefs and cheese. The Greenhouse's Arnaud Bignon likes Stilton and a young Brillat Savarin. “I can do a meal just with some cheese, very crunchy bread and a good bottle of wine.” Bruno Loubet confesses “it's something I can't resist, even if it's not good for my cholesterol!”

The indispensable All In One: Ultimate Restaurant List will be distributed around Central London on the 10th and 11th of July.