Michel Roux, former Masterchef judge and three-star Michelin chef, is returning to Epsom Downs Racecourse in June. Charles Dean digs into his history and his food
I confess I am no foodie. Meeting Michel Roux at his restaurant Roux on Parliament was a daunting prospect but ever the consummate professional he put me at ease – and the canapés he offered were quite exceptional.
I’ve never eaten steak tartare before and what a treat I’ve been missing as his, presented on a piece of toasted white bread with a blob of egg yolk was simply amazing. I was left wanting more…
And that opportunity is presenting itself as Michel and his father Albert are returning to the Epsom Races this year, creating the menu for Chez Roux @ Blue Riband at the Derby in June.
English food was a very different affair before Michel’s father Albert arrived in London in 1967. In a decidedly anti-establishment era Albert chose to go against the grain and open a restaurant very much aimed at the finest of French dining.
“It was a huge success from the very beginning,” Michel tells me of his father’s challenge of the British culinary establishment.
“In 1967 when we opened Le Gavroche, the style of food that my father and uncle were serving was elitist and it was very much for a certain clientele who could afford it and understood that food.”
In 1982 it earned the highest of culinary accolades, three Michelin stars.
How times have changed since then.
“Now everybody can afford to go out – albeit not to the most costly restaurants – but they can afford to save up to go to a posh restaurant and be able to recognise the ingredients and understand the cooking. So much has changed in the last thirty or forty years, and all for the better.”
TV shows such as Masterchef, which Michel was a judge for until 2014 have also helped to broaden our horizons.
“Media has been a huge help. It makes people curious and it makes them knowledgeable and one can learn a lot of things from these programs.”
In 1972 Albert Roux opened another restaurant which is still going strong today, The Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire. Michel ran the restaurant for sixteen years until 2002 when he passed the responsibility on to his son, Alain.
The restaurant has also been awarded three Michelin stars, but reflects its location next to the River Thames.
“Its a bit more relaxed and less formal as the Gavroche is. The food style is very French and very classic.”
When I suggested that it was the first gastropub, I was given the kind of look reserved for idiotic comments. Clearly not, then!
Those who travel extensively will know that exclusive European brands sell very well globally, especially China. Michel is very aware of the value of the Roux brand and very careful regarding its spread.
With Chez Roux @ Blue Riband, the brand association, he tells me, “has to be at the right level and it has to be something that we’re proud to put the name by.”
The clientele at their restaurants are significantly multinational, which speaks volumes for the cachet of the Roux brand.
“Over the last couple of years, a bit more than that, there have been far more Asian clientele. When I say Asian I mean everything from Indian all the way through to Korean, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China obviously, Singapore and South America too.”
And of any plans to expand overseas in emerging markets? Michel is surprisingly modest in his ambitions or a very canny operator, or probably both.
“I’ve had lots and lots of offers, but no, I’m happy with what I’ve got.”
You can book places at the Chez Roux @ Blue Riband at Epsom Racecourse for the Investec Derby Festival on June 5-6
