David Tamlyn began his career as an apprentice to Marco Pierre White at Harveys at the tender age of 17.  His background also includes Michelin-starred establishments such as The Square and Pied-à-Terre in London. Prior to his arrival, David was executive chef for a group of Michelin rated London gastropubs, including The Salt House and The Bridge in Barnes.

In addition to looking after The Press Room and Classified he is the man behind the food at one of the city’s latest hip places to dine, The Pawn. I caught up with him for a chat to learn more. 

Have you always wanted to be a chef?



Yes. I had my first part-time job in a kitchen washing dishes at 13, and at 16 I went to a catering college in Bristol (UK). The course wasn’t very adventurous and I was bored, so after a year I left and moved to London.

My first position in London was a live-in position in a gentleman’s club and this was when I heard about Marco Pierre White, who was the biggest thing at that time. I began to work for him (for free) on my days off and we also became fishing buddies. This led to me working for him at Harveys doing 18 hour days, six days a week…it was not pretty.

How long did you work for White and how do you feel about the experience?
I worked for him for seven years altogether, four years at Harveys and three at The Criterion.

I was young and naive when I first started working for him and it was a tough experience. Fortunately I was part of a good team that worked and lived together and we all looked after each other.

I learnt so much and I gained so much.

At which restaurant will you be spending the most time?  
When I first arrived I focused mostly on The Press Room, working on the dishes for the new menu…I changed 50 per cent of the savoury dishes and 100 per cent of the desserts.

Currently I am focusing on The Pawn. The Pawn has a menu that changes daily, with eight starters, eight mains and five desserts. It has a real gastropub feel. Because the menu changes daily I can be quite adventurous with the dishes and I use as much local produce as possible because it is fresher than what is flown in from Europe.



I am a fan of constantly changing menus, which I think is lacking in many restaurants. It is necessary for success in Hong Kong, especially if you have a restaurant like The Press Room, which has a lot of regular diners…if you don’t then diners become bored and start eating elsewhere.

How did this role come about?
Well, it’s a funny story…several years ago I was approached by a headhunter in London who offered me a fantastic job, but I turned it down because I loved what I was doing. I was responsible for two Michelin rated (Michelin Pub Guide) gastropubs and in just a few years I had grown this to six gastropubs.

When the owners (my current bosses) were looking for a chef that could do modern British food they recruited a headhunter to help them find the right candidate. The headhunter had heard of our gastropubs and the cuisine was similar to what her Hong Kong clients were doing. She called on the pubs and asked to speak to the executive chef. It was the same headhunter who had offered me the job I had previously turned down, she was pleasantly surprised when she realised I was the executive chef.



I met with the directors, who I believe interviewed a lot of chefs. I have a background in the French and British cuisines they were looking for and I cooked them lunch. They brought me out to Hong Kong last November; I looked at the sites and returned to London feeling confused about my decision. It was a big move. I eventually decided yes, arrived back in Hong Kong on January 23rd, and have worked nearly every day since then.

How is the food at The Press Room different since you came onboard?
I have introduced a new menu with more French classics, such as Escargots Garlic Butter, and Pear Tarte Tatin. I have also reworked many of the dishes that I kept from the old menu to improve the flavour and quality, for example the Steak Tartare. Some dishes that we were ordering out for before, such as the pate, is now prepared inhouse. A few dishes, such as the Lobster Risotto, were already very good so I didn’t change those.



I am lucky, I have a good team…anything I teach them they can easily and accurately replicate it.

It took a little bit more effort to get the team prepared for The Pawn, because it serves Modern British cuisine, which the team had no experience with, why should they…I had to do a lot more teaching than at The Press Room because they already knew how to cook French food and just needed a polish. The Pawn team are doing well now.

What are some of your signature dishes?  
At The Pawn, signature dishes are very British… Fish n Chips, Steak and Kidney Pie for two, Steak with Game Chips and Watercress Sauce, and lots of beetroot. I also expect the puddings to be popular, from the classic Apple Crumble to Eton Mess – strawberries, meringue and cream all mixed together.
 
We will also be doing weekend Breakfast/Brunch dishes and a Sunday Roast at The Pawn. The Sunday Roast will be designed to be shared with a big group of family and friends. People can pre-order, for example a shoulder of lamb or a suckling pig which we would cook here on our rotisserie.



For The Press Room it would be the Pear Tarte Tatin, and the Roast Belly of Pork, which we serve only at night because it takes a long time in the oven. The biggest selling dish is the Prime Steak Frites. I think The Press Room is an upmarket French Brasserie and as such the quality is high. The steak used for the dish is dry-aged US prime sirloin.



Which restaurant that you haven’t been to is at the top of your list to try?
When I get the chance to eat out I like to eat at my favourite restaurants, one of which is The Square in Mayfair (London). It is a two-star Michelin restaurant and the owner/chef Philip Howard is still trying for a third star. I have a lot of respect for him because of this, instead of going down the celebrity-chef/TV chef/book author road he has concentrated on getting that third star, which means that the food is always getting better. Lots of successful places become complacent but there is real pressure when you have a Michelin rating…it is hard to get and if you lose it you lose your business.   

Have you heard about Michelin coming to Hong Kong?
Yes, I have heard the rumour. I believe they would definitely visit The Pawn because it is new and because it is different to what anyone else is doing in Hong Kong. We haven’t tailored the food to the Asian market and people will either love it or hate it. It seems from the response that people love it. At first I was surprised how much locals love the really out-there things we are doing, which are more adventurous than back home. I think that the locals have a really great attitude to food and trying new things.



Who do you consider the three best chefs in the world?
Heston Blumenthal because his food is a bit weird and you either love it or hate it. For me dishes like snail porridge are wrong, morally wrong, but it is interesting.

At his time Marco Pierre White. Very good food.

The other is The River Cafe generally, because of the freshness of ingredients and the diversity of menu choices. The menu changes very regularly. The produce and products are excellent and if they can’t get their hands on a particular ingredient nobody can. The food is creative and cooked simply; I always have a good meal when I go there.

What inspires your creative process?
Having fun and not knowing what I am cooking from one day to the next. Also sharing what I know and helping my team to push themselves even further.


David Tamlyn’s Recipe
Roast Turbot with Chilli, Garlic, Fennel & Bacon
Serves 2
1kg whole turbot (cleaned)
50g butter
50ml olive oil
10 peeled garlic cloves
8 small red chillies
250g fennel
100g chopped streaky bacon
Salt & pepper
Fresh thyme
Lightly butter baking tray and slash fish three times on each side to absorb the flavours. Thinly slice fennel, season and place fish on top. Season and rub with butter. Roughly smash chilli and garlic. Place on top of fish with bacon and thyme. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in 200-degree oven for 20 minutes. Then serve with cooking juices and a good crisp salad.