The Restaurant at Home House is one of those rooms you just want to keep going back to. After a recent kitchen refurbishment, new Executive Head Chef Robert Panek has arrived and is showcasing a hearty new Autumn menu incorporating the very best of British produce.
Alongside this exciting development, there is also a new photography exhibition in The Restaurant by Franco Fontana, one of the most famous Italian photographers renowned for his intense and abstract colour landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes.
We caught up with Robert to find out more.
How did it all start?
It’s all started back in 1996 when I joined a school of Hospitality and Culinary Arts in my hometown. After school I did few years as apprentice Chef in local restaurant, before deciding to move to UK in 2003. At this point I was only 22 and idea of living in London and working among the Chefs you hear about in news was too exiting to ignore. Between then and now, it’s been mixture of Restaurants, Hotels, Members Clubs and even Airlines where I cooked for the first-class guests on board. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in some amazing new openings in London like Bob Bob Ricard, Grain Store, and 110 de Taillevent. With every place and position, I’ve learned something new and strive to do so in every role. Our industry seems to constantly evolving and very quickly adjusting to changing demands, and we as Chefs need to do the same if we want to stay in the game.
What is the best thing about working at Home House?
From a Chef’s point of view, it would be the freedom of working with best of British produce and suppliers. Some places I have worked at in the past have had a dedicated list of suppliers I had to keep to, whereas at Home House I have the opportunity to source the best suppliers at any given time of the year. The people here are also amazing, especially our Restaurant Manager Hamid who has been at Home House for over 20 years.
Robert’s signature bone marrow starter
Tell us about your Autumnal menu at Home House.
Our new menu at the Home House is warm and hearty, using the best quality British ingredients. It’s not over complicated, just simple honest cooking of some all-time favourite dishes. Our roast bone marrow with wild mushrooms and spinach is my personal favourite.
What refurbishments were made to the kitchen at Home House?
We have been very lucky with refurbishments in the last two years and we have managed to completely refurbish our main kitchen, build a brand-new kitchen for House 21 and just recently refurbished our restaurant kitchen as well. There are also lots of new “toys” for us Chefs that will help to speed up service and deliver consistency for the day-to-day dining experience for our guests.
What will be the future of in room dining at luxury hotels and members clubs?
I would expect this to be mixture of homely dishes mixed with bespoke menu items which will separate the luxury brands from the others. We are also working on several different items to include in our in-room dining menu.
What future signature dishes are you currently working on?
We are currently working on some new vegan and vegetarian dishes following the feedback from our members and guests in recent months.
What do you like to cook at home?
At home I’m trying to stay relatively healthy with my cooking with a variety of salads on the menu on a daily basis with lots of vegetables, pulses, seeds and nuts. Since I became a Father nearly 4 years ago, my eating habits basically changed overnight as I’m very aware our kids eat what we do.
Top 3 restaurants in London?
Barrafina on Dean street – one of my favourite places to eat in London.
L’Oscar in Covent Garden – A stunning location and great food.
Roka in Canary Wharf – delicious food and a relaxing atmosphere.
If you could award a Michelin star to someone right now, who would it be to and why?
The star would go to Allan Pickett at the L’Oscar. I had a chance to try Allan’s food on several occasions in a few different places that he’s worked and every single time the food was incredible. Just what you need – Delicious, full of flavour and truly honest cooking. If what you’re looking for is a really good meal you can’t go wrong with Allan Pickett.
What is happening next in the culinary world at Home House?
We have recently re-opened our restaurant, launched new autumn menus throughout House 21 and of course the festive season will be full of winter flavours. We have also started planning for our spring/summer 2022 season in the Garden.
To discover more, visit: homehouse.co.uk
All imagery courtesy of Home House.
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