I suppose more than anything, chefs have gotten better, which is great news, which makes my life a lot easier. I can be a lot more creative in terms of the menu.
Having worked my a - off over here for the last 10 years really hard, really f - ing hard, to see that unfolding every Tuesday and then watching the interviews, and the Megyn Kelly ... It's just extraordinary. It's quite a horrible situation because something needs to happen to stop this thing [Donald Trump] from becoming one of the most embarrassing scenarios ever in the history of politics.
Growing up in Britain, we didn't have much, worked for everything. To leave food on the plate, Mom classed it as being rude and so we ate because we were hungry, not ate because we had a choice in the fridge.
Everything has to be done for a reason, and everything has to be done to make sense in terms of running a proper business today, and it's not just about the food.
If everyone could just cook properly I wouldn't have a problem.
The amount of customers who take pictures before they eat is insane.
One thing I can't afford to get sucked up in is the trend formation of restaurants here. I've invested heavily. We have a ten-year lease. More importantly, the style, the feel and the décor of the dining room is vibrant.
It goes back to the early days in the kitchen where you would be tasting dishes all night long, so the last thing I want to do in the morning is eat. Chefs generally tend to be grazers.
I'm actually not really a breakfast person.
Here, in L.A., trust me, there will be fireworks from the canapés right through to the desserts.
I have to say, opening up in New York taught me a lot about that level of attention to detail. London's a tough market, Paris is a tough market, but New York, well, that's extraordinary.
Chefs don't do ponytails and we shouldn't do them because I guarantee that whenever there's a discovery of hair in the food, it's guaranteed it's from the chef's ponytail.
It's learning your craft and understanding what it takes to survive in this industry. On the back of exposure from TV to books to Rachel Ray to Martha Stewart, the customer's integrity is far greater than every before. As a nation, just like the U.K., we don't complain enough. The more we complain in this country the better our restaurants will be.
We outsmarted ourselves and raised the bar even higher, I think.
Stay with what's happening locally. It's really important.
I can't say, maybe it's something in the ingredients, but again, we have a couple of contestants from Long Island and a phenomenal array of chefs.
If a chef says to you that he sits down and eats dinner before service, then it's bulls***. And if they do, then I'd tell them that they are a fat f***! You shouldn't indulge, because you need to keep your palate on edge, and keeping it on edge is all about small attention to detail and tweaking along the way.
I hate it when people just downright copy. I hate it.
A lot of people think that I am only in town when I'm doing the publicity circuit, but I actually come [Bread Street] regularly. I just don't publicise it.
Another person tattooed my face on their calf. When they tense, the face moves! That is messed up.
[My kids] don't need to cook to keep me happy. It's my job as dad to create opportunities so that they can find their passion. Forget about money, find what you really want to do with your life.
Someone sent me a picture of my name that was tattooed on their a***! The first thing I said was, the least you could have done was spell it properly!
I am happy for them all: Angela Hartnett, Jason Atherton, Marcus Wareing, Mark Sargeant.
The thing is, I can teach. I can teach bloody well. So few chefs have that level of generosity. I demand a lot, a f***ing hell of a lot, but I give a lot back.
Very few restaurants do five services a day - breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, cocktail, theatre and dinner - and because of that we can offer something for everyone.
