Nuno Mendes – London
He’s Portuguese and he’s revolutionising London cuisine with original ideas. His food mixes tradition and the avant-garde and involves art, poetry and reflection. New projects include a private gourmet club and a new restaurant.
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“I’ve always had a passion for cooking. At the age of five I used to read cookbooks and spend hours gazing at the photographs. I was born in Lisbon, grew up between Cascais and Estoril and spent my childhood on the family farm. Because my father was a gourmand who always liked cooking, he taught me how to appreciate fine produce and well prepared dishes. We would travel for two hours just to eat suckling pig from Bairrada or from Negrais, and we’d plan our holidays around a series of restaurants, both in Portugal and abroad.
I left Portugal when I was 19, but at the time I wasn’t thinking of becoming a chef. Portugal had a lot good restaurants, but they were all very traditional. Because I loved the sea and wanted to travel, I decided to study Marine Biology in Miami. One day, my girlfriend gave me a book on cooking techniques from the California Culinary Academy and after reading it, I realised that this was what I wanted to do. I contacted the school, dropped out of university in my second year and signed up for a gastronomy course.
The academy was in San Francisco, which is a great city for cultural diversity and a wealth a good produce. The California Culinary Academy completely changed my life. I realised I wanted to be a chef and I felt at peace with the idea. After finishing my course, I went to learn from the masters: Wolfgang Puck, Rocco DiSpirito (Union Pacific), which was one of the best restaurants in New York at the time, Jean Georges Vongerichten (Jean-Georges in New York), and Mark Miller (Coyote café, in Santa Fé). I then decided it was time to return to Europe. When I was 30, I was working in El Bulli, with Ferran Adrià, in Roses.
Although they were all very important experiences, I knew that I needed to discover my own culinary identity. I was technically ready to follow my own path and have my own cuisine. I travelled a lot in Europe and Asia and ended up in London, where I opened the Bacchus restaurant, which was a great adventure, although not financially viable.
I decided to embark on a new project. I had this idea for a supper club in my house, called The Loft. I’ve always loved sitting around the table and eating with friends and family and I thought – why not do this professionally?
This was at the beginning of the recession and as I couldn’t invest in a new restaurant, I found a cheap and original alternative! At The Loft, 14 strangers can sit round a large table, make new friends, see the food being prepared and experience a long menu of culinary surprises. It’s a unique experience, completely different to that of a restaurant. The surprise menu means that people communicate with each other and interact with us and the other guests.
The Loft became so successful that we decided to turn it into a workshop for chefs. We kept the same style, but we invite well-known chefs from different countries to present their cuisine. This means that we bring famous restaurants to The Loft, which becomes a forum for the chefs to present their dishes and ideas. For me, and those who work with me, it’s an opportunity to learn without even having to leave the house.
My new adventure, the recently opened Viajante restaurant, takes the same basic idea but is open to the public. The menu is only presented at the end of the meal. On a day-to-day level, people are used to knowing everything in advance, planning and controlling experience, which leads to high expectations. I wanted to change that. I wanted to offer the element of surprise, so people could discover new flavours, textures and aromas.
I chose the name Viajante (Traveller) because it’s my nickname, the name I adopted years ago… it’s what I am! What I offer in my restaurant is a journey, not lunch or dinner, so I divide the various dishes according to my own experiences and emotions. I’m Portuguese and at the same time, a citizen of the world, and my food is the reflection of a traveller’s story.
Viajante
Patriot Square, Londres, E2 9N
+44 (0) 20 7871 0461
www.viajante.co.uk
The Loft Project Chef’s Gallery
Unit 2A Quebec Wharf, 315 Kingsland Road, Londres E8 4DJ
+44 (0) 7956 205 005
www.theloftproject.co.uk
by Luciana Bianchi
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