This month’s Featured Chef…
Steve Drake
Drakes Restaurant at the Clock House Ripley
This month the chefs favourite website, The Staff Canteen brings you Steven Drake from Drakes at Clock House Ripley In Surrey.Steven, a Roux Scholarship winner in 2001, began his career under Keith Stanley at the Ritz Hotel London, his career progressed under, Tom Aikens , Nico Ladenis, Marco Pierre White and William Drabble.
Steven was awarded his first Michelin Star in 2003 at Drakes on the Pond Surrey. After four years Steven and his wife, Serina, fulfilled their lifelong ambition and opened their own restaurant, Drakes in Ripley, which in 2004 gaining both a Star, and 3-AA rosettes in the first year and was voted Newcomer of the year in the good food guide.
Enjoy!
Steve, first and foremost thank you very much for seeing us today.
Pleasure.
Let’s start with talking about Drakes – your own restaurant; you’ve been here since 2004? A big gamble on your part?
Yes, it was a huge gamble. I came from just down the road, about 10 miles away. It all happened quite quickly. We spent a lot of money actually purchasing the place, so we didn’t have a lot of money to do anything to the place at the time. We (my wife and I) just opened up really quickly. In the first year we were so nervous about spending any money. We worked really hard; took a lot of criticisms for our interior and our carpets. We got through all that and then started a period of building and improving and I like to think we are doing quite well now.
Obviously, you had success at Drakes on the Pond in Abinger Hammer and you had a star there. Yes. So I guess you had proof that you could deliver at a very high level, but it’s still a big deal to go knocking on the door of the bank and saying I want a large sum of cash please?
Yes, the overheads here are horrendous; it’s a big building and the maintenance costs are high and you have to be constantly fixing things. People want to come in and see the place clean, tidy and well kept.
In the four years that you have been here, Steve, how do you think your food style has evolved?
I think it has evolved a lot. I have worked for a lot of high profile chefs in the 90’s and in a way you almost end up copying those that you have worked for.
Which is natural?
Yes, but I think in the last two years I have actually started to develop my own style now, which is quite different. I concentrate a lot on technique and flavour and I try and balance things well on the plate; I try not to complicate the food too much but then I do want to show-off a little bit. I like to offer something different. I don’t want to put fillet steak on the menu – every restaurant in the country has that. We have slow poached blade of beef on our menu, which traditionally is quite a tough piece of meat but we poach at quite a low temperate for a long time and it works.
