Top chef Alex Dilling was born in London to cook. “My mum is a great cook, so was her father, and I grew up cooking with them in the kitchen. They were real foodies, every holiday had to involve food. I not only loved to cook but also loved to eat, still do, so I guess that’s what I always wanted to be - a chef,” Alex told the Bulletin this week.
This ahead of his first visit to Mallorca next month to host two very and unique special “Four Hands” gastronomic evenings at the Es Fum restaurant at the St Regis Mardavall Mallorca Resort with resident chef Miguel Navarro.
Alex’s signature dish Hunter’s Chicken, his take on his mother’s delicious chicken.
Testimony to Alex’s talent and the highly professional skill of his 28-strong team is that within just six months of opening Alex’s namesake in September 2022 in the five-star Hotel Café Royal in London’s Mayfair, his 34-cover restaurant broke records by achieving two Michelin stars. The Michelin inspectors hailed his cuisine as “harmonious and exhilarating”.
Alex was born in London but the family moved to South California when he was seven, hence his soft American accent. However, he eventually obtained his professional chef’s diploma at Westminster Kingsway College.
“I guess I did bits here and there for a while in London until I was 21 and then returned to the States to New York, where my first real experience with fine dining began under the legacy of Alain Ducasse at Adour in New York.” Mentored and guided by the esteemed Didier Elena and Tony Esnault, Alex and his team attained two Michelin stars in early 2012.
Progressing through to the crown jewel of caviar restaurants, Caviar Russe also in New York, Alex found his love for caviar, which remains to this day to be one of his most celebrated ingredients.
“I guess I spent some eight years in New York before I got a call from the Connaught in London and returned to the UK. I was the Executive Chef at Helene Darroze at The Connaught and then The Greenhouse, maintaining two Michelin stars for both. Then Covid hit, so we had to keep busy. We started doing events, pop-up gigs, anything to keep active and then the opportunity at Hotel Café Royal came along. I grabbed it. And with my amazing team, which is absolutely key to any successful restaurant, especially if you have a certain reputation, we not only obtained the two Michelin Star in record time but were also voted number 14 restaurant in the UK by The National Restaurant Awards, the number 11 restaurant in London by Square Meal and rated in the top 150 classic restaurants in Europe by OAD,” he said.
“But returning to reputation, that means we have extremely high standards to maintain and we only use the very best suppliers and produce. However, prices have shot through the roof, but we can’t simply pass these on to our guests, so it’s become a very delicate financial balancing act. But we’re very serious, extremely focused on what we do and our guests appreciate that and we never skimp on anything.
“The focus is very much on technique and showcasing the produce. We like to keep the dishes clean, we tend not to mess with the ingredients but rather get the very best out of the fresh produce. And that way our clients are able to have and enjoy a better understanding of what they are eating.
“Yes, it’s a modern take on classic French cooking. But that said, one of out signature dishes is my take on my mum’s chicken. Mine, Hunter’s Chicken, is different but I have to admit that my mum’s still tastes the best,” he said. Apart from the initial influence his mother and grandfather had on his cooking, Alex has worked with some of the best chefs around the world and is keen to stress that as a chef “you never stop learning”.
“Which is why I’m really excited about heading out to Mallorca.
“I’ve never been but I’ve heard great things about the food. It’s important to get out of your comfort zone, your own kitchen and experiment with new produce and styles.
“It’s 100 percent important to keep growing as a chef. If you stay in your own kitchen, you stagnate. You need to get out there, travel, take risks. That way you continue to produce exciting food, which as a chef you enjoy to cook and, as a guest, you enjoy to eat.
“Apart from the local, fresh and prime produce we’ll be using in the tasting menus, Miguel has recommended a number of prime local products such as the lamb and the John Dory fish. So we’re going to blend our styles if you like, but the menu will have a very Mediterranean influence. Obviously, as that’s where we’re cooking. It’s going to be a new experience for me and it’s certainly going to be an extraordinary opportunity for people to come and enjoy an evening of fine dining.
“It’s going to be a two-style cuisine and we’re going to be showcasing what we do to the very highest level.
“It’s not a heavy tasting menu, That’s not the idea, we don’t want people rolling out. It will feature eight extremely delicate main dishes,” Alex explained.
He will be spending a week on the island exploring Mallorca’s gastronomy, products and cooking techniques before retiring to London, which he stated is now very much the “gastronomic capital of the world”.
“Apart from the very best of British cooking and produce, you have the best Thai restaurants in the world, for example. London today is blessed with the very best of every style of food from all over the world and the restaurants are busy. People are spending, we’re always full, which is great, but so too are many of my colleagues and competitors and with the team I’ve got with me, I really can’t complain right now.”
Alex Dilling and Miguel Navarro Four Hands
Friday 13 and Saturday October 14 30 pax each dinner
Snacks and Canapes
Alex Dillng Potato / Smoked Cods Roe / Caviar Black Truffle / Comte / Iberic Ham
Miguel Navarro King Crab Llampuga, Ají Amarillo, and Roasted Avocado
Menu
AD: Aged Kaluga Caviar Red Prawn, Smoked Eel, Ginger
MN: Es Fum Focaccia 2023
AD : “Clam Chowder” Razor Clams, Cockles, Sarawak Pepper
MN: Wagyou A5 Shabu Shabu
AD :Hand Dived XL Scallop White alba Truffle, 36-month Parmesan, Vin Jaune du Jura
MN: John Dory Fish, Mushroom and Chard marmalade, Ravigote sauce
AD:Milk Fed Lamb saddle from Valladolid Slow roasted with olive, Anchovy, and Rosemary
MN: Vegan Apricot Melba
Petit Fours Trolley
The price is 240 EUR per person, VAT included (wine package is optional) and reservations can be made via www.thefork.es.
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