Former Michelin-starred chef Alyn Williams has recently joined Park Row in central London as executive chef. Park Row is London’s first DC-inspired restaurant experience, created by Wonderland Restaurants in partnership with Warner Bros.
Alyn won a star at his eponymous restaurant at The Westbury Hotel in Mayfair which he held for eight years and was also named National Chef of the Year in 2012. He has worked at some of the very best kitchens in Britain, training under Marcus Wareing and Gordon Ramsay.
We sat down with Alyn to find out a little more about his exciting next adventure.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, including your where you are today, professionally, and what got you here?
I’m a chef, working in London for most of my career. I’ve worked for Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing for a very long time including Royal Hospital Road and Petrus where I was a head chef. I then had my own restaurant at The Westbury Hotel for eight years, where we held a Michelin star, but unfortunately after Covid that went.
Today I am at Park Row. I was brought in by James Bulmer, who I’ve known for a very long time, to oversee the future of Park Row and Wonderland restaurants. We’ve got a lot of exciting things coming up and I’m super excited to get my teeth into something quite different and developing and also pushing the boundaries of concept dining in London and around the world.
What or who inspired you to become a chef?
Simple answer, my dad. He wasn’t a chef, but he was a fantastic gardener. Food was the centre of everything when I was growing up. I watched him cook, he loved to cook and it was something that I realised I really enjoyed from quite a young age. I wasn’t very academic, but I did get a job early on in a kitchen when I was 16. Right in the moment when I walked into the kitchen I knew that was home and I loved it. I’ve loved it ever since.
Who has been your biggest influence to get you to where you are today?
I would say Marcus Wareing, the man who got me to use my potential. He brought out the best in me through great practice and self discipline.
What’s your signature dish?
I haven’t really got a particular signature dish, but one that I use a lot which I love is a tempura prawn/ lobster that I tempura then roll in a wasabi mayo to make it moist but crispy and then underneath it add sweet and sour red peppers. With the leftover heads and shells I would then make a clarified Tom Yum broth, it’s a very intense distilled clarification with all the flavours of Tom Yum soup in it, really delicious and I would finish it off with coriander and lemon grass, lime leaf and ginger.
Do your personal preferences influence the menu at all?
I think they always do, they have to. You cook to your own palate to a large degree. You obviously have to think beyond that and more towards what is universally enjoyed but I do feel personal preference should always come into your cooking style.
How would you describe your cooking style?
I think simple, focused, tasty. Just well sourced ingredients simply matched together and cooked with precision and a delicate touch.
Do you have a favourite time of year or set of ingredients that you look forward to working with?
Absolutely, autumn is by far my favourite month. There’s so much available in the autumn and I love all the root vegetables, things like the swedes and parsnips. You’ve also got great shellfish, the scallops and lobsters are at their best.
What is your favourite ingredient to create with?
I don’t think that is possible to answer because there are ingredients that come all through the year that are exciting. I find new ingredients every year, so I can’t pick my favourite as there’s too many!
What would you be doing if you weren’t a chef?
As another dream career I would’ve loved to have been a pro snowboarder, snowboarding instructor or own a snowboard shop.
When are you happiest?
I am happiest when I’m in the kitchen. I’m really at home when I’m in the kitchen.
What is your favourite piece of kitchen equipment?
We’ve got a machine in the kitchen called a thermodyne which is something I’ve been using for 10-12 years now. I always ensure I have one with me in any kitchen I’m working in. It’s like a slow cooker crossed between a hot hold cabinet, but it does so much and it’s such a great piece of equipment to have.
Where is your favourite place to dine?
If it’s fine dining then I would say James Knappett Kitchen Table, I think he is a fantastic chef and does the most amazing food. Other than that I’m a big pie and mash fan, so pie and mash with stewed eels in East London would have to be my favourite.
What do you think is the most over-hyped food trend?
I’m not sure if there are any that I think are over-hyped. There’s loads of trends going on from your fried chicken to your tacos. When Mexican food started to become popular I was a little bit sceptical about it because I travelled around Mexico in my twenties for a couple of months and thought the food was pretty awful as I didn’t have a lot of money at the time, but when I tasted what was going on in London I think it’s being done really well.
What do your future plans entail?
Cracking on with Wonderland Restaurants and seeing what transpires from the amazing things we have lined up for the next year.
What differences do you find working with local produce as opposed to non-local produce in terms of what you can create and flavour?
Local produce all depends on what you call local produce. Here in London we don’t have a great deal that is particularly local, I forage a lot so I like to find certain things that are super local, but local as in the UK, we pretty much have everything we need. I think it’s all about the individual to create dishes with what’s around them.
How do you go about menu planning? What’s the process from picking the ingredients to getting them fresh into the kitchen and into dishes?
In Park Row, the menus have to be fairly far reaching so quite eclectic, from things like our maki rolls to a simple roast chicken and good steaks. The planning is about getting a balance between dishes that are simple and others that are a little more technical to what’s available at the time, what’s seasonal, but also the fact that we’re a concept restaurant so we’re trying to create an emotion around DC Comics and that theme – so we look at what is going to fit with the stories as well.
How would you describe the food you create at Park Row to someone who’s never experienced it?
Food that tickles your imagination.
What’s your favourite flavour combination?
Other than stewed eels and liquor I would say I love real simple Mediterranean flavours. Something as simple as really good tomatoes, burrata, crusty bread, olive oil and basil.
What is the USP of your restaurant?
We are not a restaurant, we are a gastronomical amusement park. We want to take our guests to a parallel universe, the DC world. We aim not to break the fourth wall, we play on the imagination of the food and beverage. We take people on a journey that they’re not expecting through the theme of DC Comics because what we do is subtle. The world is around you – if you know, you know, but if you don’t then you are still within a stunning restaurant and bar with an excellent offering.
Factbox
Address: 77 Brewer St, London W1F 9ZN
Website: parkrowlondon.co.uk
Phone: 020 3745 3431
