Words by Renate Ruge
Working under industry greats like Marco Pierre White at his legendary restaurant L’Escargot, Paul Tamburrini’s career has featured both big name restaurants and chefs. Now, at the cutting edge of Scotland’s culinary scene, at Cameron House’s Tamburrini and Wishart restaurant, with long-time friend and colleague Martin Wishart, his world-class cooking starts with the finest Scottish produce.
Both chef directors’ names have hung above the door of the smart dining room since the resort’s reopening in May 2021, following a major refurbishment.
Having an Italian father meant Tamburrini learned the art of perfect pasta-making from a young age and with foodie parents on both sides, he was never far from the kitchen table, his mother teaching him traditional Scottish dishes. Both parents shaped Paul’s professional approach and his passionate commitment to fresh flavours which, alongside working with a brilliant team, is at the centre of his creative cooking.
I sat down with the culinary heavyweight to find out a little more.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, professionally, and what got you here?
My first job as a chef was at a Glaswegian institution, the Rogano, and that’s where it all started professionally for me. After working for Marco Pierre White at L’Escargot, I moved to Restaurant Martin Wishart in Leith, the year it opened and that’s where I met Martin (Wishart).
Later I was fortunate enough to be his junior chef director at the Honours Brasserie in Edinburgh, which was super successful and super busy. I was later executive chef at One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow for its relaunch, from 2006 to 2011. So, when Martin approached me about joining him to work on a new restaurant here at Cameron House, (previously Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond), it was a no-brainer.
Who has been your biggest influence to get you to where you are today?
Martin and I go back many years, over 20, in fact. I was fortunate to meet him through working with him and we’ve been great friends ever since. Whether as a boss, former boss, mentor, or friend, he’s someone I greatly admire. He trusts me and our partnership just works.
What or who inspired you to become a chef?
It wasn’t so trendy to become a chef when I was young, but my mum and dad were big food lovers and it filtered down to me. My mum made everything fresh, no convenience foods, just good healthy cooking. I remember her tasty cock-a-leekie soups and roast dinners. My granddad and dad are both Italian, so I learned to cook classic Italian dishes early on – relaxed food like pasta with meatballs or meatloaf. I also remember the delicious simply cooked food we ate on family holidays, like to Capri.
What’s the USP of your restaurant?
Less is more I feel, and we are produce-led here. I’m also very committed to consistency and so I am here the whole time. It’s not a hit and miss restaurant. We’re trying to build something special and there’s a real focus on quality and attention to detail. We want to be regarded as one of the best restaurants in Scotland.
What’s your signature dish?
The scallop dish would be my signature dish. We pair hand-dived Orkney scallops with Tosazu butter and Oscietra caviar. It’s a great combination of succulent shellfish with a beurre blanc (butter sauce).
Tell us about the most important considerations when crafting your menu?
Firstly, it’s about quality and seasonality and attention to detail. Then, we mix things up all the time. Like infusing French cooking techniques with world tastes throughout the tasting menu, starting with the snacks like the mini meringues with dashi or the Scottish lobster with lemongrass and onion foam.
That’s what I learned from Martin – we were both taught French cooking with former mentors including Michel Roux and Marco Pierre White. Once you have classic cookery techniques nailed, you can evolve it and explore new ideas whether it’s Japanese or other Asian influences. I enjoy travelling too and have been to Singapore, Dubai and New York – all very inspiring
Do your personal preferences influence the menu at all?
Good food is good food, but to work at this level, you have to have had good training and development. In our kitchen, we work very much together, brainstorming as a team. I’m driven and detailed but so are my team. If something’s not 100 per cent, we don’t put it on the menu.
How would you describe your cooking style?
It’s contemporary and not too ‘out there’ – people can relate to it and there’s a real structure and balance to the menu. It’s always produce-driven and always hero-ing the product.
What is your favourite ingredient to create with?
Apart from Scottish shellfish, wild duck is wonderful to work with, there’s a whole process, they are hung dry for four days, then placed in a salt brine. Once dried, we blow torch it to render the skin down. Then we cook it in the oven, take it out and let it rest for about an hour and a half, then gently rock it in a pan to render all the fat down and rest for 30-40 minutes. I love it.
Tell us about your favourite suppliers?
We’re surrounded with great suppliers for fish, truffles and for caviar and as a chef, that gives you real peace of mind. We have so many great suppliers, who are all very consistent and just as passionate as we are, but Johnny from Burnside Farm Foods is amazing – he supplies us with excellent game like those wild ducks, deer, pheasant and partridge. And our menu starts with stunning bread, better than I could make, from an artisan bakery called Wild Heart Bakery in Crieff.
How do you find working with local produce and non-local produce?
I am just as passionate about both. Of course, we work with many local producers for local hare and game and fish from all around the coasts of Scotland from Kilbrannan through Scrabster to Petershead. Equally we work with suppliers from further afield like London Fine Foods – who we import wagyu beef and caviar from, a company called N25 Caviar and Wiltshire Truffles as we source black winter truffles from Catalonia in Spain.
What’s the process of picking ingredients and getting them fresh into the kitchen and into dishes?
We are in daily communication with our suppliers to see what the best produce is on a particular day and that drives our menu. There’s a lot of thoughtfulness followed by process that goes into the menu at this restaurant.
Are you a fan of food trends?
We always keep an eye on food trends, there are so many creative chefs we admire and French chefs like Frédéric Anton putting one, two or three things on a plate and cooking it really well. I like to see what’s going on, but ultimately, I wouldn’t do anything I wasn’t comfortable with or take any gambles. I have stacks of cookery books – quite the collection and enjoy referring to them, reading about interesting chefs, like Michel Bras for instance.
How would you describe the food you create at Cameron House to someone who’s never experienced your kind of food?
It’s considered, contemporary, clean cooking and our style is modern French with international touches.
What’s your favourite flavour combination?
Classic French flavours, using top Scottish produce but adding surprising twists from around the world like Scottish lobster with lemongrass or grilled langoustine bomba paella with saffron.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a chef?
I’ve always had a passion for music and if I wasn’t a chef, I would love to be a DJ. I love house music. Music is a big part of my family and I have family who are DJ’s. Music and food go hand in hand, I think.
What is your favourite dish to cook at home?
Pasta spaghetti and meatballs, but I like the meatballs cold. Pasta vongole, simple stuff with good flavours, and if it’s beef ragu pasta then topped with mountains of aged Parmesan.
When are you happiest?
Cooking. Listening to house music which we play in the kitchen to keep us going.
What is your favourite piece of kitchen equipment?
Pacojet. It is an amazing piece of kit for ice creams, sorbets and mousses making them perfectly smooth.
When you’re not in the kitchen where can you be found?
I play tennis on a Tuesday but otherwise mostly at home with my family. I have two teenage girls.
What’s your favourite takeaway or comfort food?
I love a good Chinese or a Thai takeaway, I can’t go past a good Thai red curry. My comfort food has to be pasta.
Where are your favourite places to dine?
I’m a big fan of Martin’s and often dine at Martin Wishart in Leith in Edinburgh, which goes without saying. I love Da Terra in London and Decimo at The Standard, also in London. I helped out with the launch of this restaurant where Michelin-starred chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias’ Spanish dishes also have a Mexican influence, thanks to his love of Mexico, like gambas rojas, Mangalitza pork and tacos. It blew me away actually. I love Spanish food and produce.
I also ate recently at Heston Blumenthal’s, which was amazing. And for something for lunch I really enjoyed an authentic bowl of pasta at Pasta Evangelists at the food hall in Harrods. It was classic pappardelle with beef ragù and a nice glass of chianti. Brilliant.
What do your future plans entail?
I take each day as it comes. We want to get better and be one of the best restaurants in the country. I want this restaurant to be the best it can be, by being progressive, creative and considerate. We are happy doing what we do best, and I think it shows.
Factbox
Cameron House on Loch Lomond is a luxury Scottish five-star resort in the heart of Loch Lomond, where Scottish chefs Paul Tamburrini and Martin Wishart partner in leading its excellent fine dining restaurant, Tamburrini and Wishart. Inspired by the rich and varied ingredients found in and around Loch Lomond, Scotland’s East coast, and the low and highlands, their menu is a celebration of the Scottish land and sea.
The resort offers luxury rooms and suites, an award-winning spa and championship golf, surrounded by epic Scottish landscapes.
Address: Cameron House, Loch Lomond, West Dunbartonshire, G83 8QZ, Scotland, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 1389 312 269
Website: cameronhouse.co.uk
Instagram: @cameronhouselochlomond
All imagery supplied by Cameron House.
