The Interview: Katie O'Brien, General manager, Juniper, Altrincham |
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| Thursday, 25 January 2007 | |
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Katie grew up on the east coast of Scotland. Her father ran hotels in Elgin and Fochabers, near Inverness, and insisted she do anything but catering. So Katie failed her Highers and went to work at the Golf View hotel in Nairn, which she describes as ?one long drinking party?. She worked in the bar, and in the kitchen on her days off because she ?wanted to learn and learn quickly?. She moved to Nunsmere Hall, near Chester, where she met Paul Kitching, then left for Hambleton Hall in 1992, working there for three years and driving up to see Paul on her days off. She helped set up Juniper with Kitching in 1995, before leaving to work for Nico Central in Manchester, returning to head the front-of-house and manage Juniper in 2001.
The restaurantCovers: 32 Food: modern French Typical dish: Best end of lamb with saffron noodles, pineapple, a basil, tomato and pimento gteau, brazil nuts, white chocolate drops and blue cheese dressing Average spend: 56 Chef/proprietor: Paul Kitching Critical comments: Hidden inside this clattering menu, was a truly stunning meal fighting to get out,' Jay Rayner, Observer Rarely have I parted with so much money with so much pleasure,' Matthew Fort, The Guardian The wineBins: 130 Highlights: 2003 Dr Burklin-Wolf, Riesling Sptlese Trocken, Wachenheimer Rechbachel, 41; 1997 Matua Judd, Chardonnay, Gisborne, New Zealand, 42; 1985 Chteau Cheval Blanc, 310; 1997 La Tache, Romane-Conti, 420; What's selling? Port and dessert wine Suppliers: Adnams, OW Loeb, Gerrard Seel, Enotria, Amphora Wines You're one of the country's main destination restaurants. Is most of your business from outside Altrincham?Actually it's locals that keep us going, but we do have some diners who make a special effort. That always seems a bit weird to me. You just work away, and don't really imagine people riting, or thinking about the restaurant outside of Altrincham. I normally run a mile from interviews like this. Paul [Kitching, chef/proprietor] has the big following, certainly.He's a charismatic guy and makes you laugh all day. We have a professional respect for each other too. When you're both after the same thing it makes running this place easy. What same thing' is that?We're only interested in the good stuff. I worked in brasseries in Manchester for a while, including Simply Nico, but it wasn't for me. Mr Ladenis hated Manchester so I never even had the pleasure of meeting him. I moved to Hambleton Hall in Rutland, taking a salary cut of 12,000 to 6,000 a year - it was the early 1990s - but working there was brilliant. I had the best time ever. At the time people thought I was mad, but life isn't always about money. Does that apply to Juniper too?We could be more mainstream and be full every night, but who wants to do the same as everyone else? I'd rather have something different and amaze people than churn out the usual old stuff. Paul's food is known for its Blumenthal-style combinations. Does that make it hard to pair with?Wine takes a back seat here because you can't have two things fighting for your attention. Paul's dishes shout at you with so many flavours that it's impossible to find one bottle that will be a perfect match. We're a small restaurant, and we're not in London, so I can't afford a sommelier. For me organising the list is just one job of many. You're not someone who tastes hundreds of wine a week, then?God no, I don't have 20 Chablis in a line every morning. I did a lot of work on the list when we first opened and Patrick Whenham-Bossy, who I worked with at Hambleton and who now owns Amphora, helped me plenty. He was a nightmare, bossy sommelier but good to have for advice once you don't work with him. One problem is that he suggests pretty strange wines from the Amphora list. I know he could hand-sell them without any problem, but I don't have the knowledge to do so. Is that why you have so few wines-by-the-glass?Maybe; it just doesn't make economic sense to open a bottle for one glass and then have so much waste that you have to pour the rest down the drain. At the weekend it can work when more people are dining, but certainly I can't do it during the week. Did you always want to work in restaurants?I grew up in catering. My uncle owned a hotel and my dad was a bit of a jobber who moved from place to place, managing hotels like the Gordon Arms in Fochabers and Park House in Elgin. We changed house every two years, which was difficult for me, as it meant starting over at different schools. You know what kids are like - it wasn't any fun at all. But he was a natural, a real showman, and people loved him. He'd do the old-school filleting of fish and carving by the table. He was an amazing fellow and his name was good too: Brian O'Brien. |
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