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Evolution not Revolution
by Simon Carter, Co-Editor

Michel Roux began his career as a chef at
the British Embassy in Paris before taking
the position of private chef to Mlle Cecile
de Rothschild. It was in this role that
Michel developed his palette as well as
his cooking talents and started to look
ahead to England and a joint venture with
his brother.

Le Gavroche opened its doors for
business in 1967, the young Michel and
Albert Roux were about to revolutionise
the UK perception of fine dining with the
first true gastronomic restaurant. They
found themselves packed night after
night, Michel and Albert would alternate
weekly between front of house and
kitchen. Albert became more known for
meats and sauces while Michel’s
reputation grew in patisserie.

The brothers gradually expanded in
London before, in 1972, purchasing The
Waterside Inn, where they handed the
head chef reins to the up and coming
Pierre Koffman. When it came time,
several years later, for Pierre to set up on
his own, The Waterside had become an
established gastronomic restaurant.
Michel decided to take on the fresh
challenge and moved to Bray
permanently, while his brother remained
at Le Gavroche.

The reputations of these two restaurants
continued to grow throughout the 1980s,
both receiving the coveted Three Michelin
Stars. Only their protégé Pierre Koffman
at La Tante Claire, Nico Ladenis and
Raymond Blanc were to rival their
supremacy.

It was during this time that Silvano
Giraldin – “The Godfather of Service” –
was nurturing a group of front of house
talents that, to this day, remain world
leaders in their field. Michel Lange – now
restaurant manager at Louis XV in Monte
Carlo, Denis Courtiade – now the same at
Plaza Athenee, Benoit Radenne – now the
same at The Waterside Inn and, in my
opinion, the greatest of them all, Diego
Masciaga – recently promoted to Director
at The Waterside. These men worked
together and developed their craft under
Silvano at Le Gavroche.

This is a significant point because the
front of house philosophy is fundamental
to the dining experience, in fact you do not
eat at The Waterside, you have a
relationship with The Waterside.

Today, (as seemingly for ever) Diego
orchestrates his well drilled and
professional team and always smiling,
he entertains his guests with natural
warmth and charm (right from stepping
inside to the point of opening the door for
you to leave.) There is a clear sense of
passion about all that is The Waterside –
passion for the food, passion for service,
passion to please.

Over the last 32 years the menu has
developed and progressed significantly.
This fact might be contrary to the typical
perception; there have been no knee jerk
reactions to changing fashions, no sea
changes; development has instead been
steady, purposeful and well thought out –
always holding true to guiding Roux
principles. The dishes of today bear little
resemblance to those presented in 1972;
cleaner flavours, lighter sauces and more
focus on allowing the ingredients to
speak for themselves. The menus are
still very much gastronomic, in fact the
pinnacle of gastronomy in the 21st
century, just as those of 1972 were the
pinnacle of their time.

The lounge, the summer houses and the
terrace continue to be key parts of the
‘experience’ – the latter two particularly in
summer. The dining room is light and
airy with a view across the River Thames.
Table 11, a table for two, looking in on the
restaurant from the window is reserved for
visiting local celebrities (such as Terry
Wogan and Michael Parkinson) and
considered the height of achievement for
more mortal regulars.

The canapés arrive and, in spite of usually
including a foie gras concoction, remain
light. The three course set lunch is
always consistent and for a Three Star
restaurant £40 is affordable. Upon being
seated, still mineral water is offered and if
accepted is complementary, sparkling is
charged. The wine list is not a mine field
– there is considerable diversity thanks to
the expert knowledge and channelled
enthusiasm of Benoit Radenne; the
customer has a good choice at
reasonable prices as well as the range of
expected heavyweights. The house policy
is to buy en primeur and as a result the
Sommelier is invaluable in helping take
advantage of the restaurant’s educated
gambles.

Plates arrive with silver domes,
simultaneously lifted. The Challandais
duck is brought to the table and carved,
with the blade always moving toward the
carver. Cheeses are expertly explained
and presented in clockwise order of
increasing strength. Ingenious desert
wine recommendations complement the
variety of puddings.

Michel Roux has now handed the baton to
his son Alain, even this has been gradual
and smooth; the institution continues to
press forward without a blink. The Roux
scholarship still develops talent for the
future and Michel remains a Vice
President of Relais & Chateaux – The
Waterside is one of the handful of Relais
Gourmands in the country. To him, life
truly is, a menu.

Simply the Best
by Daniel Darwood, Co-Editor

What makes the perfect restaurant: a
regularly changing menu, with inventive,
fashion conscious dishes: an army of
waiters ready to do one’s bidding at the
click of the fingers; luxurious seating, with
chairs in the Louis XV style; a glamorous
cocktail bar; and a host of celebrities
eating regularly at their favourite tables?

The Waterside Inn has none of these. Its
menu has evolved at snail-like speed,
with classics such as Aiguillettes de
Caneton Challandais featuring on the
carte. The waiting staff, although
extensive, attends to one’s every need
without prompting. Apart from the
banquettes, the seating remains
remarkably unsophisticated, indeed
slightly uncomfortable with armless
chairs. The bar doubles as the reception
and cash desk, with seating for a dozen
and not a pre-prandial drinks menu in
sight.

Nevertheless, the Waterside, set
idyllically on the bank of the Thames, has
been able to retain its three Michelin
rosettes – the pinnacle of gastronomic
achievement - for much longer than any
establishment in the UK. Michel and Alain
Roux, co director Diego Masciaga and
restaurant manager Benoit Radenne
understand admirably the essential
prerequisites for success at this elevated
level: a consistently high standard of
cooking using well sourced, impeccably
fresh and seasonal ingredients; a wine
list that caters for the connoisseur and
those of more modest means in equal
measure; and a front of house team
which maintains professionalism without
being intimidating.

Visits to the Waterside are occasions, not
just meals out. None of the times I have
been there since 1976 has failed to
satisfy and each has been utterly
memorable.

The curtain to this culinary theatre opens
with a tray of canapés – rich but not over
complicated or heavy. The bread rolls,
unfortunately, are not in the same league,
with rubbery crusts and elastic texture.
This is the only gripe I have.

Diners can choose the menu
Gastronomique (three course, set) at
lunch, the seven course Exceptionnel at
lunch or dinner, or choose from the Carte.
The lunch menu often involves for
starters a soup – consommé or veloute –
and a terrine containing game and foie
gras, all amazingly light and perfectly
balanced. They do not steal the thunder
of what is to follow. More ambitious
dishes such as sautéed foie gras with
cherries can be sought from the carte.

Main courses from the set menu offer fish
or meat or game or poultry. Consider, for
instance, a perfectly timed grilled fillet of
salmon, cooked rare with a melting
texture, accompanied by a light jus,
waffled potatoes and tiny seasonal
vegetables. This was a perfect summer
dish. For crustacean lovers, the lobster
in ginger and white port, garnished in
spectacular fashion with the head, is not
to be missed, if choosing from the carte.

All of the restaurant’s shellfish are
cooked to order from the tank, so
benefiting from quick, intense cooking
that avoids the resulting dish having the
texture of cotton wool. Meat and game
dishes are equally well executed. Ducks
are poached before being roasted rare
and carved – with masterly technique -
into paper thin slices at the table.

Cheeses should not be seen merely as
an alternative to pudding, given the
relative lightness of the two previous
courses. The trolley groans under an
embarrassment of riches, predominantly
French: strong and mild, soft and hard,
cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses,
all in perfect condition.

Puddings, a Roux metier, show more
evidence of development than the
savoury courses. Intensely flavoured ice
creams or sorbets often decorate these
composite and imaginative creations. For
those who have difficulty in choosing, the
assiettes, whether fruit or chocolate
based, are ample for two and give an
excellent indication of the skills in
preparing patisserie, mousses, crèmes,
and sables.

The petits fours that accompany the
coffee initially appear too much, but prove
to be irresistible and delectable morsels
of chocolate, fruit, pastries, jellies and
macaroons.

Diego Masciaga oversees the front of
house, welcoming regulars and
newcomers alike with his engaging
charm. Benoit Radenne, well known in
the industry as an excellent all-rounder,
manages the restaurant cheerfully and
enthusiastically.

The staff’s attention to detail and a
general awareness of what is happening
in the various parts of the building - the
restaurant, riverside terrace, the pagodas
and the lounge – ensure that the
operation runs like a well oiled machine,
but one which retains individuality and the
personal touch.

The Waterside, now in the transition
phase from Michel Roux Senior to his
son, Alain Roux, goes from strength to
strength, comfortable but not complacent
in its disregard for culinary fashions and
fads.