The All In One Ultimate Restaurant List Interview: Theo Randall

Theo Randall worked at the River Café for 17 years before opening Theo Randall at the InterContinental, his first restaurant.

Randall’s passion has always been Italian food, ever since as a child his family holidays entailed road trips through rural parts of the country, during which his parents would fill their car with as much food as possible. Unsurprisingly he cooks a lot of pasta, both at the restaurant and at home, “I have a cupboard full of all shapes and sizes, so it’s always fun buying a few ingredients and choosing the most suitable pasta for the sauce.” In fact his first cookbook was simply entitled ‘Pasta’.

He’s always been very creative, and not just with food. “I loved making things with metal as a kid and became skilled working with a forge, so if I hadn’t become a chef I probably would have been a sculptor.”

His pet hates include hot milk served with tea and overcooked pasta. For his last meal, he would have a feast of Italian dishes. “Poached langoustine, taglierini with butter and white truffles, roasted grouse on bruschetta with fresh porcini mushrooms, gorgonzola naturale with a ripe pear, and a bowl of ice cold cherries.”

Theo Randall at the InterContinental has risen 13 places to number 49 on this year’s list.