Kent chef Allan Pickett spent more than 12 years making his dream of opening a London restaurant a reality. But now he’s there, he wants to work even harder.

Years of slaving over a hot stove have finally paid off for Allan Pickett – but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to relax.

His plan to open a London restaurant was more than a decade in the mixing pot, but the former Thanet Technology College student has got there, opening French-inspired Piquet in the centre of London shortly before Christmas.

And he had a baptism of fire, with tough Observer food critic Jay Rayner visiting within weeks of Piquet’s doors opening.

His glowing review included: "It has food cooked by someone who knows what they’re doing but is more interested in serving you lunch than in winning a place in some gastronomic hall of fame. Obviously... I adore it."

"It was amazing to have that so soon after opening," said Allan, who developed a love for French cuisine when he trained with Albert Roux.

"I’d been thinking about doing this for 10 to 12 years. You get to a certain point and you think ‘I’d like to do something for myself.’ It’s really exciting. You feel tired but it is a different type of tired.

"You go through a lot of hard times. You have to work in a lot of hard kitchens and long hours. At some point I’ll be able to sit back and think we are open and we are doing well. But then I will be thinking how can we make it better?" Piquet has an ever-evolving menu that gives you three courses for £19.50. It’s been designed so Allan can see the customers from where he cooks.

"I have a great relationship with our front of house manager," said the 43-year-old.

"We all want the same thing. The customers are laughing, smiling, joking and they have had a great experience. I’m not looking to be a trendy restaurant. I can see the customers and acknowledge people. It matters."

Serving lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday, signature starters on the a la carte menu include beef tea, ox tongue and cep mushrooms and mains include steamed monkfish, seared ox tongue, Savoy cabbage and port butter sauce.

Upstairs at Piquet is the far more relaxed the Fir Room, where you can pop in for a leisurely lunch or post-work pitstop, there’s a daily-changing menu of small plates from cod cheeks to croquettes.

MUM'S THE WORD

Much of the menu at Piquet uses produce sourced from Kent and when Allan says that, he’s not exaggerating.

His mum Jan, who lives in Rainham, forages many ingredients and provides others from her allotment.

"She recently picked 20 kilos of blackberries from the hedgerows and four kilos of rosehips – they go in cocktails in the bar and with ice cream. She enjoys it. My mum taught me to cook."

Also on the menu when in season are snails from Littlebourne, near Canterbury.
Allan said: "They are such a tender snail. They’re beautiful. We serve them with mushrooms cooked with shallots."

Kentish Blue and Canterbury Cobble Cheese also appear regularly on the menu.

Father-of-four Allan was a pupil at the Howard School just like chefs Gary Rhodes and Richard Phillips.

DETAILS

Piquet is just off Oxford Street at 92-94 Newman Street. See www.piquet-restaurant.co.uk or call 020 3826 4500. It is open Monday to Saturday, noon to 3pm and 5.30pm to 11pm downstairs for formal dining and upstairs in the Fir Room, which has no reservations, Monday to Saturday 11am to 11pm.

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