For the past 92 years, the grill restaurant at The Dorchester on London’s upmarket Park Lane has been known as just that, The Grill. However, earlier this spring the luxury Mayfair hotel introduced several exciting changes by switching that up to The Grill by Tom Booton, naming it after the restaurant’s executive chef for the very first time.
Essex-born Tom Booton, who is widely regarded as one of London’s most exciting young talents, has crafted a dynamic menu featuring only the best ingredients, sourced locally and cooked with flair by him and his outstanding team, unified in their passion for making diners feel at home. The fresh and innovative culinary and service style transcends the legendary setting, with an upbeat and informal atmosphere curated by Tom himself.
We sat down with Tom, who joined The Grill back in 2019, to find out a little more about the man himself as well as his plans for the The Grill by Tom Booton.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, including where you are today, professionally, and what got you here?
I grew up in Colchester in Essex, which is also where I started my career as a chef at Le Talbooth. I moved to London in 2013 where I worked for Michelin-starred chef, Alyn Williams at The Westbury then moved to L’Autre Pied under Andy Mcfadden. In 2015, I went travelling and worked in restaurants in New York, Copenhagen and Iceland. I moved back to the UK in 2016 and have been here ever since. In 2016, I worked for Ollie Dabbous as sous chef before I moved to be head chef at Alyn Williams.
What or who inspired you to become a chef?
I fell in love with the hustle of the kitchen the moment I stepped through the doors at Le Talbooth at 15. I thrive in the high pressure environment of a professional kitchen and find that it makes you work in a more cohesive and efficient way as a team – I love the camaraderie you find in the kitchen.
Who has been your biggest influence to get you to where you are today?
Ian Rhodes, my executive chef at Le Talbooth, has had a huge influence on me and my career. I spent five years learning the ropes from him and learnt so much. I’m also grateful to chef Alyn Williams for giving me a platform to showcase my ideas and for being a great source of inspiration for so many years.
What’s your signature dish?
We have launched a breakfast menu and our truffled eggs and soldiers are definitely a signature dish. I would also say my bacon, cheesy sauce and fried egg baked pastry.
What are the most important considerations when crafting your menu?
Seasonal, supplier-led food that people actually want to eat.
Do your personal preferences influence the menu at all?
For the new menu concept I took many British classic comfort dishes, mainly from my own childhood, and modernised and refined them whilst ensuring the charm of the dish wasn’t lost
How would you describe your cooking style?
For me, I focus on simplicity, I think to myself ‘how can the ingredients inspire the final dish?’ The dishes are all ingredient-led as I like to think of my cooking as shining a light on local producers and their exceptional produce. I believe that when you cook with respect the ingredients speak for themselves on the plate.
Do you have a favourite time of year or set of ingredients that you look forward to working with?
I particularly love the seasonal ingredients in spring; asparagus, peas, morels, wild garlic.
What is your favourite ingredient to create with?
Potatoes, just because of their incredible versatility. You can create something comforting and hearty or something incredibly refined with potatoes.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a chef?
Working with produce in some form or another.
What is your favourite dish to cook at home?
I rarely cook at home, I do love to order a curry from my local. My go to order is butter chicken.
When are you happiest?
When I’m in the kitchen with my team, having a good service and all the guests are happy.
What is your favourite piece of kitchen equipment?
Big Green Egg, it is central to some of our new dishes on the menu and the flavour you can get with it is just incredible.
When you’re not in the kitchen where can you be found?
At home, watching Gogglebox.
Where is your favourite place to dine?
I love to experience new dining concepts and travel to different cities where the culinary scene is thriving. I recently visited a Malaysian restaurant, Tukdin in Lancaster Gate where I had a delicious Rendang daging. The beef is slow cooked in coconut milk with some traditional Malaysian herbs and spices – it was so simple but so delicious and the flavours were incredible.
What do you think is the most over-hyped food trend?
I don’t think there is one, food trends are important. The most important thing you learn as a chef is everyone’s tastes are different, it’s what makes our jobs interesting and make people want to try different restaurants.
What differences do you find working with local produce as opposed to non-local produce in terms of what you can create and flavour?
I work with mainly British produce, sourced from local suppliers to keep food miles to a minimum and as seasonal as possible. The new British menu allows me to showcase the produce at its best without compromising on quality or the impact on the environment.
What’s your favourite flavour combination?
Bacon and cheese, maybe with a chorizo jam.
How would you describe the food you create at The Grill by Tom Booton to someone who’s never experienced your kind of food?
The new menu is centred on a sharing-led concept designed to highlight British produce and create a relaxed and informal atmosphere. The more relaxed approach of the menu is reflected in the fun atmosphere of the restaurant, with a playlist that I have personally created and will be on all music streaming services so guests can recreate and listen at home.
We are also introducing a new chefs counter with live cooking to really bring the guest experience to life. I hope these changes will elevate The Grill to become even more of a destination restaurant than it has been in the past. It is really exciting to have my name on a restaurant on at The Dorchester.
What is the USP of your restaurant?
I think the new menu concept has an element of nostalgia in that it takes British classic comfort dishes, many from my childhood, and modernises and refines them without losing the charm of the dish.
Factbox
The Grill by Tom Booton is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, alongside a Sunday lunch offering.
Located in: The Dorchester
Address: 53 Park Lane, London W1K 1QA
Phone: 020 7629 8888
Website: dorchestercollection.com/en/london/the-dorchester/
All imagery credit: Dorchester Collection
