What to expect at the tasting menu
Nine courses, three hours and one seating. A short guide before you book.
A day at the hearth
From lighting the fire at 2 pm to the last plate at 11.30.
The first cook arrives at 1.30 and lights the hearth at 2 pm. It takes about three hours for the bricks to heat through and for the coals to build to the depth we need for service.
While the fire grows, the kitchen preps. Brinjals and corn are checked, lamb is portioned, and the ribs go into the smoker, where they stay for five hours. Bread dough is shaped and left to rest near the warm bricks.
At 5.30 the team tastes every sauce, every butter and every pickle together. The chef adjusts salt and acid, and the menu for the night is fixed.
Service starts at 7. One cook manages the fire alone, moving coals between the three zones and adding wood in small amounts so the heat never drops. The others cook on it, call orders and plate at the pass.
The last order is at 10.45. As the fire dies down, the pears for tomorrow’s dessert go into the embers, and the hearth is raked and left to cool overnight.
