Beef Dripping and Other Stories

Later this month, young British chef Tom Sellers will be making the long journey from London Bridge to Wan Chai to cook two six-course dinners at The Principal, as part of the award-winning restaurant’s Guest Chef Programme. We caught up with him to find out more about his signature dishes, how nostalgia informs his cooking, plus the weird and wonderful dining_stories he has come across in his career.  

Hong Kong Tatler Dining: How did you arrive at the storytelling metaphor for your restaurant?

Tom Sellers:I think that so much about great food revolves around dining_stories. Sometimes the story is about the people who cook the dish, like your great Aunt Betty’s fish pie, or it’ll be about the dedicated fisherman whose catch is what is being cooked. But, most of all, I like the dining_stories behind foods that people love when it is a story from their past. It’s well known that smell and memory are closely linked senses, and that’s probably why people can get very passionate about food. I am just the same, and what I love best are the dishes I have created that are inspired by my own childhood memories.

HKTD: What’s your own “story” when it comes to how you came to work in food?

TS: I was finished at school, which really wasn’t for me. I hated the discipline and structure of it. But thanks to my Dad, I at least had a good work ethic so I got a job working in a local pub washing pots. I became very curious about what was going on around me, especially with the cooking, so I started helping out there too.  It wasn’t long before I was doing mostly cooking and my boss said he saw some potential in me.  He advised me to leave and get to London where I could learn more. So I went to London at 16 and somehow I landed a job at Tom Aikens’ restaurant, not fully realising what an amazing start I had chosen. It was Tom who set me on my career path.

HKTD: What narrative genre would you put Story in, if the dishes translated to chapters and you the author?

First and foremost in my mind, Story is a romance, a love story. But as with any restaurant, there have been some very dark moments. Maybe it’s an adventure story? We’ve had floods, a huge fire nearby so we had to evacuate, and one day the entire street was closed except us due to the threat of riots… But hey, that’s life in London.

HKTD: What’s your favourite story – both in book form and your favourite dish at the restaurant that is based on one?

TS: A book I really enjoyed was Lord of the Flies. As for a dish based on a story, I suppose The Three Bears Porridge [a trio featuring one sweet, one salty, and one “just right”] is my favourite. I love to hear feedback on this dish as everyone has their own interpretation of which porridge is best for them. It makes you realise that, as a chef, no dish is ever perfect because there is not one porridge that is the clear favourite. The guests we serve at the restaurant are all individuals and the porridge dish makes me realise that the best we can do is only make them as happy as we can.

HKTD: What’s the story behind that magnificent beef dripping candle?

TS: My dad loves beef drippings and, as a kid, I just didn’t get this.  But it represents something very honest and British. It’s also a bit nostalgic – it’s got the childhood memories for me. So I suppose in a way this dish is a homage to him. It’s also about discovery as it took me about six months to perfect it!

HKTD: Right now, there is a massive movement in the UK for using homegrown produce. What is your feeling on how British cuisine will move forward once this has reached a saturation point?

TS: It’s been a great thing to be a part of, this rediscovery of great British produce and as a country the UK has a lot to be proud of.  I am still discovering new foods grown here in England as I work closely with a forager. This is my favourite part of being a chef – the endless discovery.  And I don’t think it will reach a saturation point either. A good product is a good product, and people are enjoying eating the best food this country can produce so the hunger and drive for great British produce is not even close to being over. Most of the chefs I know are still discovering, cooking and championing British produce. It's a journey that is still at the beginning, I feel.

HKTD: What are your favourite ingredients to work with right now? What are you itching to try out next?

TS: I love anything wild and foraged. It’s amazing to find a new food and I recently tried Alexander – a wild plant with a floral and herbaceous flavour that grows in the UK. In the olden days, it was used for medicinal purposes. it’s now on the menu.  But I am also very passionate about more humble ingredients like potatoes or onions, because they present endless ways to be creative. I'll know the next ingredient I want to work with the next time I go foraging!

HKTD: With such a distinct metaphor for your restaurant, do you ever think it might get tired? If not, why? And if so, how do you envision your restaurant evolving in the future?

TS: I hope Story won’t ever be “tired” as a concept!  I just don’t see that happening because there will always be dining_stories around food for me to discover and share with our guests.  As a chef, I am young and still evolving, and Story will evolve with me.  I am in a very progressive and creative time of my career so for now and the near future, I don’t see it getting tired. As for the future, I simply want Story to be better every day.  That’s what drives us all – to do things even better the next day and the day after that, and so on...

HKTD: You tell each diner to bring and leave behind a book at your restaurant – what have been the strangest ones, and which ones have surprised you?

TS: The strangest book I’ve ever received was a John Travolta picture book. It also surprised me!  I have also received some very kind gifts – books that are very special, or seriously heavy to transport! The generosity of those gestures also surprise me, in a nice way.

Tom Sellers will be a guest chef at The Principal on March 12 and 13. The six-course degustation menu is priced at HK$1,850 per person. For reservations, please call +852 2563-3444