We catch up with Adam Byatt of the fabulous Trinity Restaurant

The man is nearing culinary royalty status as Trinity and his related ventures continue their ascendancy
We catch up with Adam Byatt of the fabulous Trinity Restaurant picture

"As close to an absolutely perfect experience of eating out as it is possible to have", is how food critic Giles Coren describes Trinity. Head chef and owner Adam Byatt says the menu at the fine dining, Anglo-Gallic restaurant is incredibly refined and exacting, and to complement it, earlier this year he turned the floor above into the more casual Upstairs, with a daily changing menu. He also runs Bistro Union, a neighbourhood restaurant offering "the everyday food I love to eat."

Adam always knew he wanted to be a chef - his grandfather was a cook in the army and his mother is a professional chef. Here he tells us about opening juice cafes way before they became trendy and the reasons for the UK's current chef shortage. And given that he calls himself a boiled egg expert, he gives us his recipe for boiled eggs with asparagus soldiers.

You set up a mini-chain of juice cafes a few years back, now a very trendy concept. Why did you close them?
The 'Jus' concept was a brilliant one, the brainchild of the incredible Philip Howard. I was the guy on the ground making it happen. That period of time taught me invaluable lessons about business, people and sandwiches! But if anything it was ahead of its time, running a low spend and tight margin. Very high volume business is not for everyone. I think as chefs from very high calibre backgrounds it was difficult to make compromises. However, it was the only time in my life where I did not have to work evenings and therefore it allowed me to get married!

Why do you think the UK is suffering from a chef shortage?
Many reasons, and every chef will give you a different answer. But for me, the industry is paying the price of providing poor working conditions for so long. Incoming young chefs have different attitudes and are less willing to sacrifice for gain than they were when I was coming up in the industry. Having said all of that, I think that this is exactly the kick up the arse that the industry needed and we will see a move towards creating a really great professional environment for years to come. And for the record, we have never had an issue with recruitment at any of my sites. We invest heavily in the team, taking care to nurture them and ensure that we are creating a great working environment. We have over 100 collective years of service in the business right now!

Between writing, TV appearances, teaching masterclasses and working in the kitchen, which is your ideal role?
There are many parts to being a successful restaurateur and in these times we must wear many hats. Media is important to keep us in people's minds, teaching is paramount within this industry, and personal guest interaction is a must for any business person. I loved writing the book [How To Eat In, Bantam Press, 2010] but it's a lot harder and more time-consuming work than people realise. I have a wonderful PA in place to ensure that I get as much time cooking as possible. In the kitchen and cooking is where I am most effective in the business and ultimately it’s what keeps me centered!

Which are the most popular dishes at Trinity?
The crab ravioli, and the light and fresh tuna with avocado, sesame and lime are both very popular starters. Both the duck and the sea bass main courses have always had a steady following, while the salt caramel custard tart is slowly becoming a Trinity classic.

Can you share one of the recipes for readers to recreate at home?
I consider myself a boiled egg expert. After all, boiled eggs and soldiers as breakfast in bed for mum and dad was the first meal I attempted, aged eight. Not a great success as I recall, but there is something so comforting and homely about simple boiled eggs and soldiers, that I thought this recipe for ‘Boiled Goose Egg with Asparagus Soldiers’ would be a great one to share. This recipe is straightforward, with a bit of a twist on the traditional.

Boiled Goose Egg with Asparagus Soldiers recipe (makes 1)
Ingredients
a few generous spears of new season’s English asparagus
1 goose egg
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Peel each asparagus spear all the way down from under the tip, then bend and break the spear where it naturally cracks under resistance, about 4 cm up from the base. Discard the ends or freeze for making soup at a later date.

Take a saucepan big enough to hold the egg at least four times over (to allow enough water to circulate) and line the bottom with a J-cloth. This will prevent the shell of the egg from cracking when it touches the bottom of the pan.

Fill the pan with water and bring to the boil. Lower the egg into the boiling water and boil for 10 minutes exactly. This will give you a completely set white and a hot yolk, which is how I like my eggs, but it’s personal, I guess.

While the egg is boiling, cook the asparagus in a separate pan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then remove and drain.

Egg cups are simply not big enough for goose eggs, so you will need to improvise – I use a small bowl of sea salt as it provides a good solid base to stand the egg in. I have my seasoning to hand, and I place the asparagus spears next to the egg as an alternative to bread soldiers. The only question is which end to dip in first!

Tips
If you are cooking more than 1 egg, the timing will be the same – as long as the pan is big enough for the water to circulate and the water is always boiling.

Cooking times for other eggs:
Bantam – 2 minutes 50 seconds
Duck – 7 minutes
Gull – 2 minutes 10 seconds
Hen – 4 minutes
Quail – 1 minute 22 seconds

This article is connected to Trinity Restaurant
Published Mar 7, 2016