Two-time Michelin star chef Michel Roux Jr. calls for an end to the term ‘fine dining’
Two-time Michelin star chef Michel Roux Jr. calls for an end to the term ‘fine dining’ as it suggests a ‘soulless’ experience
- Michel Roux Jr spoke out against the “splendor and seriousness” of fine dining
HIS restaurant with two Michelin stars is considered the epitome of haute cuisine.
But Michel Roux Jr. has called for an end to the term “fine dining” because he believes it suggests a “soulless” experience.
The TV chef, who was an expert judge on Masterchef and made an appearance on his friend Gordon Ramsay’s show Hell’s Kitchen, has spoken out against the “splendor and seriousness” of fine dining.
Roux Jr, 63, owns the exclusive Le Gavroche French restaurant in Mayfair, where a dish can cost up to £90 and a set menu can set you back more than £400.
One child’s father said, “To be honest, I’m not too fond of the fine-dining moniker. It evokes images of soulless dining rooms where everyone speaks in hushed voices and you have to look at food with reverence.’
Michel Roux Jr (pictured) has called for an end to the term ‘fine dining’ because he believes it suggests a ‘soulless’ experience
The TV chef, who was an expert judge on Masterchef, has spoken out against the ‘splendor and seriousness’ of fine dining
La Gavroche’s interior is described as having “a few family portraits and prints, but not a great design theme” and “the antithesis of chic modernity.”
Roux Jr added: ‘Gourmet restaurants are not a pleasure to eat so it’s definitely moved and it’s more democratised.
“You can enjoy five-star luxury dining without all the pomp.”
La Gavroche is one of London’s most famous fine dining restaurants, with the seventh most expensive tasting menu in the city. The ‘Menu Exceptionnel’ costs £190 per person and includes souffles, terrines and tartar with dishes such as roast pigeon. Opened in 1967 by Roux Jr’s father, Albert, and uncle, Michel, Le Gavroche has been the launch pad for the careers of the likes of Ramsay and Marco Pierre White.
Speaking to the Radio Times about his upcoming TV show Five Star Chef – a luxury cooking competition set at London’s Langham Hotel – Roux Jr revealed the wealth behind ‘fine dining’.
He said: ‘We get gamblers from all over the world who won’t bat an eyelid booking a room for £25,000 a night. If they want a kilo of caviar delivered at midnight on the dot, with a double magnum Cristal, we’ll arrange that.’