We're helping you get to know some of
the biggest disruptors in London food and drink, from the rogue chefs and the tastemakers to the
trendsetters and the hospitality history redefiners. Next up is
talented pastry chef Rose Gabbertas, who has worked for huge names
like St John's and is now known for pastry at Lyle's.
Photo: Rose Gabbertas.
Could you tell us who you are and what you do?
I’m Rose, and I’m a pastry chef working in London. Having started my kitchen career at St. JOHN, I’m now working in the pastry section at Lyle’s alongside Clodagh Manning.
Tell us more about Lyle's and why people should visit.
The primary focus at Lyle’s is the produce – the menu is hyper-seasonal and showcases a lot of lesser-used ingredients sourced from a range of outstanding British suppliers. A visit to Lyle’s will often give the diner an opportunity to try something they’ve never seen, heard of or tasted before, which is really special.
If anyone is ordering just one dish at Lyle's, which one and why?
This is a difficult question to answer, as part of the beauty of Lyle’s is that the menu changes every day. However, one recurring favourite that comes back to the pastry menu time and time again is the espresso meringue dessert. Bittersweet caramel ice cream, espresso, coffee meringue and salted chocolate crumb, this is James’ play on an affogato, and I think it’s a pretty perfect way to end a meal! The warm brown butter cakes that we serve as petit fours are also really delicious.
Lyle's is known for modern British food in a pared back dining room.
If you're heading anywhere after a shift, where are you going and why?
More often than not, it’s Smoking Goat, and not just because it’s conveniently also located in the Tea Building! Their cocktails are so good, and I’m weak for their lardo or offal rice, or deep-fried rice noodles with egg.
What does London’s restaurant scene have above other cities in the world and how does Lyle's fit in?
Living in London, I think it’s easy to forget how spoilt we are for amazing places to eat. Not only does London attract so many brilliant chefs to come and cook, but Londoners also have a huge appetite for trying different things and supporting new openings. There’s a special legacy of nurturing hospitality as a career in its own right in London, which I think breeds really brilliant chefs, who aren’t bogged down by ideals of traditional ‘British’ cuisine – there’s a creative freedom that comes with the London being a relatively new food scene.
Finally, if you could only use one ingredient in all your pastries for the rest of time, what would you choose and why?
This is an impossible question, as part of what I love about cooking is following the seasons – I get excited about ingredients anew each time they come back into season. Having said that, I’m really loving cooking with buckwheat at the moment, whether that’s infusing the toasted groats into dairy for custards or ice creams, using buckwheat flour in cakes and biscuits, or garnishing dishes with puffed, frosted buckwheat or buckwheat praline.
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