The Green Room has added a new culinary icon to its ever-growing repertoire of superstar chefs…
A leading light in British modern cuisine for the last decade or so, we’re delighted to welcome Ollie Dabbous to The Green Room at Twickenham for the upcoming England 6 Nations matches against Wales & Ireland.
Bounding onto the London culinary scene in January 2012 with the opening of Restaurant Dabbous, Ollie’s first restaurant became one of the hardest to get a table at in the city. After promptly being rewarded its first Michelin star within six months of opening and receiving extraordinary reviews by the some of the most hard-nosed restaurant critics, he opened a second restaurant, Barnyard, that catered for a more relaxed audience, serving homespun comfort food, with equal success.
Ollie is definitely one chef who everyone is talking about at the moment, having opened up the most exciting and eagerly awaited restaurant in London in 2018. HIDE with its two restaurants, a stunning bar, the most elegant staircase in town, a light and airy Private Dining Room has become one of the best loved spots in the London gastronomic scene. The reviews, since it opened in April 2018, have not disappointed, and it was no surprise when it was awarded a Michelin star within 6 months of opening – just as had happened with his previous restaurant, Dabbous. In 2019, HIDE received the coveted GQ Food & Drink “Best Restaurant” award.
Ollie has worked in a wealth of prestigious kitchens and alongside many inspiring and talented chefs, such as Rowley Leigh at Kensington Place, Guy Savoy in Paris, Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, and brief stages at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck, L’Astrance in Paris and Noma, Copenhagen. There were also longer stints with Claude Bosi at Hibiscus in Ludlow and at Mugaritz in Spain, to name but a few. This wealth of experience has helped Ollie hone his culinary skills and open his mind to a wide range of different cultures and styles that sets him apart from the rest.
He has received some memorable reviews for his cooking, including Raymond Blanc, who said of his protege “The menu is intelligent, it does not follow fashions, and uses excellent ingredients. There is a real talent in the kitchen and eating here will not break the bank.” Whilst the restaurant critic of The Evening Standard, notoriously acerbic in some of her critiques of restaurants, wrote one of her most glowing reports ever, finishing off that “this restaurant is a game-changer. 5/5”.
Dabbous’ latest venture HIDE is too young to have gained a plethora of awards, but when at “Dabbous”, Ollie and his restaurant received the following awards:
- Food & Travel Best Newcomer
- Tatler Best Kitchen
- Squaremeal / BMW Best Newcomer
- Squaremeal / BMW Best Restaurant
- Cateys Best Newcomer
- Dabbous: The Cookbook won “Best Lifestyle Non-fiction Book Design” at the Book Design Awards.
Ollie has also been named in London’s Evening Standard’s “Influential 1000 Londoners” for the past 3 years and we can’t wait for you to see what he has in store at Twickenham.
