Ten minutes with chef Robin Gill

South London was crying out for cutting edge, says Robin Gill of his first restaurant
Paradise Garage's 'Rabbit' dish feat. confit leg and belly scratchings
paradise254 / Instagram
Sophie Dening22 October 2015

Robin Gill has emerged as something of a superstar serial chef/ restaurateur, seeming to appear from nowhere to open The Dairy in 2013, then The Manor bistro at the end of last year, both in Clapham.

Hardly from nowhere, Robin had been cooking for top chefs including Marco Pierre White at the Oak Room and Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, for years.

Now, as he opens Paradise Garage in Bethnal Green, it’s his turn to foster emerging talent. “It’s quite hard to get on the head-chef ladder,” he says. “Dean Parker was my sous at The Dairy and is now in charge at The Manor, and Simon Woodrow, who helped Dean open, is head chef at Paradise Garage.”

Robin Gill: In his Manor

Robin says he had always wanted to launch a restaurant in East London: “It’s a creative quarter of the city, and people are open-minded about trying new things. Though during the early days of The Dairy, where I thought cassoulet and mac ’n’ cheese would be our bread and butter dishes, I realised quickly that South London was crying out for something a bit more cutting edge.”

He says Paradise Garage has been his smoothest and most confident launch so far, and loved creating a restaurant in a “blank canvas” space. “The way it’s been done allows lots of interaction, not just between us and the guests, but in terms of breaking down barriers between front of house and kitchen.”

The cooking is more classical than what you’ll expect if you’ve dined chez Gill in Clapham, thanks to Woodrow’s training under Anthony Demetre at Arbutus. It’s also good value, interesting and fun. Bethnal Green will be glad they made it.

Highlights from the London Restaurant Festival

1/10

Paradise Garage, Bethnal Green 254 Paradise Row, E2; paradise254.com

This restaurant is taking part in the London Restaurant Festival. For more information visit: londonrestaurantfestival.com

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