A TALE - Dylan McGrath

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Dylan McGrath & Nick Munier
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The word on the street is that RTE has a major hit on its hands with the new cookery competition
the fiery Dylan
show, Master Chef Ireland. It features two of the country's leading restauranteurs
McGrath of Rustic Stone and the genial Nick Munier ofPichet who adjudicate on the efforts of
16 aspiring culinary stars. It's a series in which the sparks are guaranteed to fly and on occasion the
-
tears to
flow.
ixtici<\
~n-:w Olaflyaransen
photos
Ruth Medjber
Dylan
McCrath and Nick Munier, esteemed
RT£ version of hit cookery
MasurOief Ireland, were both
born on August 4. Although there's a ten-year
age gap betweeen the two Leos, the fiery Irish
chef and the suave English maitre d' have much
more than just a birthday in common.
judges of the new
competition show
They're both incredibly passionate about food and
service . They both run their own establishments ,
just around the corner from each other in Dublin
city centre. And both restaurateurs are also already
relatively famous through previous TV work McCrath
for his controversial appearances on RTE's Cumllo
Gourmet (where he famously served a meal in the dark)
and fly-on-the-wall doc Trie Pressure Cooker; Munier
for his show-stealing turns on Marco Pierre White's
ITV series Hell's Kitchen. While they come from very
different backgrounds, they've both been in the
business for practically all of their adult lives , building
impressive CVs mostly through working at very highend establishments .
Born in Dublin in 1977, the shaven-headed McCrath
grew up on the Falls Road in Belfast at the height of
the Troubles. Although not especially interested in
food as a youth, at 18 he became a chef in the local
Jury's. Such was his obvious natural talent that he
was promoted to head chef within three weeks.
Having built up some valuable kitchen experience
there , he took a serious paycut to go and work in
Roscoffs , Northen Ireland's only Michelin starred
-
restaurant.
He eventually moved to England, where he spent
three years at John Burton Race's two-star Michelin
restaurant, L'Oclolan, in Reading. Other prestigious
placements followed (including a stint with Tom
Aiken in Chelsea) before the young Irishman returned
rtrft
-
to Dublin to open his own place, Mint, in Ranelagh.
Too small to survive the economic downturn (it had
only 40 seats) , the acclaimed restaurant closed in
2009, but not before the young chef described by food
critic Domini Kemp as a "creative genius" had earned
his first Michelin star in its kitchen. More recently, he
opened Rustic Stone Restaurant by Dylan McCrath' on
Georges Street.
Nick Munier was born in Kent in 1967. Having
helped out his family in their guesthouse from a very
young age, he went to train at a Cerman catering
school at age 16. The young Munier landed on his
feet . His very first job after catering school was with
the famous Roux Brothers in London, and he's barely
looked back since. Many prestigious gigs later, he
went on to work in Ireland in places such as The X
Club, Peacock Alley and The Clarence Hotel, as well
as running a series of successful UK restaurants for
Marco Pierre White. Along with chef Stephen Cibson,
he now runs the hugely successful and highly rated
Pichet Restaurant in Trinity Street, across the lane
from the Hot Press offices .
This interview took place there at nam on a Friday
moming. There's a poster on the wall advertising an
exhibition ofMunier's abstract art in a Dublin gallery
(his fourth such show in the last decade) . but none
of his own originals are hanging. It's not down to
modesty. "They bloody well will be if they don't sell at
the exhibition!" he laughs . Like every great maitre d,
he immediately makes you feel comfortable .
Although
Hot Press refused his kind offer of food ,
good coffee and freshly-squeezed orange juice
was served with great aplomb. McCrath arrived
fashionably late, having just come over from prepping
Rustic Stone for the day.
-
-
OLAF TYARANSEN: Did you guys know each
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other before you were asked to do Masterchef?
NICK MUNIER; We did, yeah, we very nearly worked
together before, didn't we? So we were very much on
the same wavelength and had huge respect for each
other. I'd say we've known each other for the last four
or five years now?
DYLAN McCRATH: Yeah. In the first six months of
me being home in Ireland, we met and hit it off. We
were both born on August 4. We're both Leos. Nick
worked in London at a very high-end restaurant for a
long time, and then I supjpose I had done the same at a
very high gastronomic, Michelin level. So Nick doing
front-of-house and me doing what Idoin the kitchen,
it was a kind of a natural marriage that we would
quickly became friends, or at least understand each
other to that degree. We met for dinner a few times,
had a few drinks, talked about a few propositions.
Obviously once Ireland went bang, with it went our
dream , and everyone's life changed. Nick went off in
a different direction. He's worked everywhere decent
in Ireland, whereas I just did Mint in my years, and
obviously then I had to close that. Nick reinvented and
I reinvented
and here we are.
It's a very bitchy business generally, so I'm
wondering what's the worst rumour that you've
heard about each other?
DYLAN : Ah no (loughs). I wouldn't be very bitchy or
insecure about a lot of people. I've had everybody and
their sister have agoatme since I came home. 1 don't
really retaliate much. I don't really care what anyone
thinks. Nick's always been a friend. We've always
got on. It's just coincidence that threw us together,
that we worked very well on camera together as well.
1 think the key to that Masterchef show is that you
kind of have that little bit of respect for each other
and professionally you get along. We do very well in
Rustic Stone, Nick does very well here, and neither of
us are competitive, we're completely supportive of one
another. In any way that we could help each other, we
would, because of the professional respect, regardless
of the TV programme . But the last couple of months
we've had such a laugh making the show.
Is the shoot all done and dusted?
NICK: Three weeks ago was the last show. I don't
really think of it as a TV show, it's more of a cooking
competition being shown on TV. We didn't want to
contrive it, we wanted it to have a natural progression
of its own . Obviously we're in Ireland , we have to
showcase Irish produce, and the talent we saw was
very, very good. Dylan always said that it's all about
the influence, so it was very important for us to find
that influence , so that people can take a j ourney and
see what they can improve. Everyone can cook at some
stage, but it's about going to the next level. We had
to teach them that, so it was very important for us to
find the right restaurants in Ireland that could help
these amateurs succeed to a certain level. That was the
most important part of the process for vs .
DYLAN : At the end of the day, anybody that got
down to the final 16 could cook. Nick works the frontof-house but obviously still has a strong opinion about
food and what he likes, same as myself, so we kind
of, quite surprisingly, looked at food quite similarly.
When something's good, it's good, when it's not, it's
not. I mean, we had little bones here and there, we
had to ask, 'Do we have faith in this person that they
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can actually take it in, and adapt really quickly, and
get better?' That was really what you were looking
for. And you kind of really rooted for them, you really
wanted them to win, you wanted them to succeed, as
opposed to just being critical for the sake of criticism.
And you know that they're amateurs so you have to be
realistic about it. It's not looking at it like, "Oh, it's
not three Michelin stars standard!" It's about these
people who came through the door not even really
knowing if they were any good, and when you say,
"Do you know what, that's fuckihg really good!", you
see their confidence build. That was the real joy for
us seeing how good these people were getting so
quickly.
Was there a good cop/bad cop kind of element to
your approach?
NICK: No, not at all.
DYLAN; I'm pretty good. I thought he was a bit of a
-
cunt!
(Nick loughs uproariously).
NICK: It was reverse psychology. A couple of times I
was Mr. Nasty. But, you see, the pretext of the show
isn't about that.
DYLAN: At the end of the day, we were honest but
fair. Fuck it, if it's shit, it's shit. If it's good, it's good.
We weren't going to pander to anybody.
Did any of the contestants get upset?
NICK: There was a few, yeah. Because I think they
took it so seriously as well. If it's no good, it's no
good, and you have to tell them that. There was one
particular guy who thought his food was brilliant, and
there was no telling him.
DYLAN: Oh, we told him!
NICK: And we told him, and we told himl (loughs)
DYLAN: Yeah, we told him a few times. But no,
we actually just told him once, because he was
gone then. It's funny, it's the same with chefs and
with people in all professions, really, that people
who congratulate themselves too much and pat
themselves on the back and feel they have very little
to learn they don't develop. It's kind of insecure ,
but those who dare to judge themselves , who point
the finger and go, 'It's not fucking good enough',
whore kind of humble and always trying to better
themselves , they're the people that really develop in
any profession. It was the same for this show. There
were one or two who really congratulated themselves a
bit much , and there was only so far they could go . But
the kind of person who was never right, they're the
people that really got to the end.
Are you still like that yourself with your own
-
cooking?
DYLAN: Absolutely! Of course! Jesus, you never lose
that! Salvador Dali did say, 'Never fear perfection,
you'll never reach it' you know? Nick's the same, I'm
sure. Like, the work that I'm doing now personally,
it's kind of a commerical and accessible brand for
everyone . The perfection of the work when it's
very complex cooking and all that you're always
scrutinising and refining, and never really happy. I
remember with Mint, I'd love a dish for about three
weeks and then I'd want to throw it against a wall.
That's kind of in your nature or it's not.
Are you still as hot-headed in the kitchen as you
used to be?
DYLAN: No, everybody's cooking on stones now
-
.
so.. (loughs) There's 300 hot stones up there so it's
taking the stress off me. I've no need to be. Rustic
Stone is great and it's consistent, but it's a casual
dining experience, it's not the labour-intensive work
that Mint was. It's not as complex. Every sauce is
not made to order. It's all about healthy eating and
funky flavour and doing volume and people having
a fun time. That's the concept, and it's working
fantastically well. Thank god! Just like Nick's place is
working great here, too. It's great value at a great price
point, and that's what people are looking for right
now.
NICK: I think the beauty of it is being able to take
the standards that you learned at a high end and
implementing them at this sort of standard, so
people are still getting that experience. What we're
implementing now is of a very high standard, not
necessarily what myself and Dylan would like to
ordinarily do , but at least we can implement those
standards that we think are accessible to people in this
kind of market.
You both worked in high-end places In London.
How do Dublin diners compare as customers?
DYLAN: There's less money (shrugs).
NICK: Irish people are well-travelled now, let's not
forget that. They've always been into food so it's just a
question of . . the Irish want to be hugged and looked
after and that's very important and we recognise
that. So if you understand the traits of an Irish person
or an Irish customer, or anybody really. . . Everybody
wants to be recognised in restaurants. It's all about
having a fun time with food, ambience, comfortable
chairs, not being kicked out after half an hour. Just
to embrace them. That's what you have to do in
this current market we're in. Nothing has changed
ultimately, apart from the amount of money around.
People want to go to places that they're comfortable
in, where they know that their hard-earned cash will
be well-spent, where they'll be welcomed and looked
after. That's what it comes down to. That's why these
places are doing relatively well .
Were you always naturally sociable, Nick, or was
that a skill that you learned?
NICK: I grew up in a hotel background anyway, but
I've always been naturally outgoing until 1 get home
that is! I paint as well, which is a bit of a release. It
does take its toll, though, because you're continuously
-
on.
What do you do to switch off after work, Dylan?
DYLAN: Ummm... what do I do to switch off? Let
people cook on stone! (loughs) I would always have
been quite sociable , and always got on with people ,
but I mean, with Mint or whatever, I was always so
wrapped up in the work that I didn't really have a lot
of time for anyone or anything. It's only now that I'm
in my early 30s that I'm realising just how much more
balance I'm developing compared to what I had back
then . In my 20s , it was the work . Little or no time for
family, let alone friends , and now those things are
so much more important to me than they were. My
character has developed through all the sacrifice. I
think Nick always had that skill on the floor, and that
ability to mix. I've never had a problem mixing with
anyone, but I'm more interested now than I was.
Nick, back when you were working with Marco
Pierre White, you once did a private Christmas
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dinner for Madonna and Guy Ritchie at their
London home. How was that?
NICK: I had actually left Marco, and he asked me to
come back and do it. It was great fun. I went to meet
them and they were very nice, very accommodating.
It was just all these A-listers at her Christmas party in
her house. I remember Cuy had this amazing sort of
James Bond office. We did an Italian buffet for them,
but before the people arrived, they had some fish and
was
PAs
painting, the one with the shotgun, it was a present
to
past
Are celebrity customers
lotof people.
I
was
a
celebrities come in here, my staff would be more
than
DYLAN: I suppose the question you're asking is; is
-it important for business? think Nick would feel the
same:
relying on rhat sort of thing to drive
come and they'll go, and a place can be cool and funky
and approachable, and it's great to have different
types of people, but it's really about the customers
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rely on
that
I
like the discretion of it
I
don't
ring the papers when such and such is in. You kind
of protect their discretion to some degree, and meet
some cool people along the way, but it's not part of the
Madonna. Doyoueverget
hired to go and cook in somebody's private kitchen,
DYLAN: You mean like celebrity type things? I had
some very, very wealthy customers at Mint, who
would ask me to go and cook privately in their homes.
Which was great (loughs) because when Mint closed I
literally had to put things together again and put my
life back together again.
Were you totally broke when Mint closed?
DYLAN: Yeah. But I mean, it wasn't massive,
massive. It was just a case of okay, you've got to put
your life back together, and look at what the next step
should be. My mother was very sick ar the time, so
the option of leaving Ireland, as much as I thought it
was my only option, was something [ had to decline.
I had to try and think of something that I'd be able to
operate that would allow me to spend time with her.
Which is where Rustic Stone came from .
Conrad Gallagher has just had his restaurant
closed by the taxman. Do you have any sympathy?
DYLAN: Look, nobody likes to kick anyone when
they're down. We are all accountable for the choices
we make . and we have to have integrity and work
through business and try our best to look after
our customers and look after our employees and
our businesses and what we do. Nobody likes to
see anybody go down. I've had to liquidate and
get on with it, and you have to re-adapt and be
smarter. Recessionary times can force us into being
more innovative and more creative and adapt and
understand our weaknesses and our strengths and
try and develop as human beings and make our life
better. The restaurant business is full of insecure
people who like to look and point their finger and
say, 'Oh look what happened to him', but who really
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cares? Real people, and real men with some character,
actually want to see people do well. They don't want
to point and say, 'Haha, you fucked up again!', or 'You
did shit!'. They've enough problems to deal with. I've
no interest in gloating at anyone less fortunate, to be
honest.
Did either of you watch the Rlt drama series Raw?
NICK: Yeah, I loved it.
Was it an accurate portrayal of the business ?
DYLAN: Well, you know... gay chefs kissing food
critics (loughs). Some fucker sent me a DVD back when
I was in Mint asking me the same question, 'Was
it accurate?' Some homosexual head chef who goes
around shouting at everyone and kissing food critics!
Quite funny. It's a good drama.
NICK: To do an accurate show on a restaurant is
to put a fly on the wall. Row is an entertainment TV
show, and is about what happens to the characters
as opposed to what happens in a restaurant. But
I thought it was a great drama for Irish TV. The
characters were very good, the storyline is also very
important as well. There's drama, there's sex...
Have either of you ever had sex in the kitchen? Not
with each other, mind. .
DYLAN: In the kitchen? At home? I've had it
everywhere! floughs) Fuck me, he's asking all the
questions this morning, isn't he? Co on, Nick, you
answer that.
NICK: An honest answer right (grins). .. catering is
one of those... .If you're a single man, opportunities
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arise, and temptations arise, and why not? As for sex
in the kitchen, it'd be more so on a round table, in the
dark, when everyone has left, for me. Or one of the
chefs (loughs). I worked in a lot of hotels, and went to
a lot of parties and there's a lot of mixing going on, so
hey, why not?
DYLAN : I say don't screw the crew. Not if you want
the job done properly.
NICK: I learned that lesson! (loughs) I learned that
lesson! It's a learning curve.
Anthony Bourdain has some fairly full-on
hedonistic stories in his autobiography, Kitchen
Confidential. So what about after-hours drinking
and drugging?
NICK: Well, I had a very good friend, who was
a head waiter, who was fond of the bottle and
unfortunately didn't get the correct help and was
found at the bottom of the Thames. So I know it
happens.
DYLAN : The catering industry is very, very
demanding. But to be creative and do the work, you
have to be clear-headed to some degree. We all like
to go out and let our hair down, we all like to go
out and have a few drinks and get drunk, just like
anybody else, but at the end of the day. (pouses) Me
personally, when I was in the depths of being creative
and working really hard, you're focused. I didn't even
drink Red Bull, because it was a cop-out. I drank huge
amounts of coffee. You need to be very focused and
on the ball. Ido hear stories of people in London who
..
.
.._
nrn
& NICK MUNIER
INTERVIEW *X DYLAN
can supposedly keep up doing this, that and the other,
and I don't really believe in all of that. I don't believe
in the Anthony Bourdain Kitchen Conf.den.io! stuff. If
you're gonna mix those two worlds, in your work. . .
(looks outraged) Like, you can't even toste, how's that
going to work? How the flick are you going to be able
to season everything, and think about everything,
and get everything to perfection every fucking day if
you're gonna be off your face every night? It doesn't
add up. However, when you're young, it's a very
relentless pace and there is a party hard/work hard
kind of attitude.
NICK: But then there's burnout stage so you can't
sustain it . It all depends on who you work for, as
well. If you work at the top end, you need to have and
maintain that uos. discipline and focus every day.
And if you're on some substance, or drinking, there's
no way that you can do it. Obviously if it comes
to a Friday night and you're off the next day, then
everyone goes beserk. It's a release of pent-up energy.
So yeah , maybe one day a week you can partake , but
I've only seen that when I was much younger. But
if you do come to work drunk, you're sent home and
you've lost a day's wages.
DYLAN : There's a lot of people in the catering
industry who get into that kind of thing, and they get
older and they're relying on it. It's the same in the
pub seene . A lot of guys who are nightclub operators
and such. But when it comes to staff, you don't really
want guys like that around.
NICK: Anyway, I'm sure it's worse in journalism
(loughs).
What do you think of celebrity chefs like Jamie
Oliver?
DYLAN: Cooking today is like fucking religion. Every
TV programme, we sit at home and flick 1 don't
watch them, to be honest but they're really for the
domestic person who has an interest in making food
with the money in their pockets. Like, the economy
has improved in the last 50 years to some degree and
there's more stuff available. Even Ireland, 150 years
ago this country was chopped in half by starvation,
that's not that long ago. It's a person-and-a-half 's
lifetime. We looked like Ethiopia. We went from nine
million people to fucking four. Like, what does that
do to a culture? Anyway, when you look at people like
Jamie Oliver. . he kind of let everybody think they
could be a chef. He wasn't as regimental. When I was
learning to be a chef, the more disciplined, the more
Michelin stars, the more brilliant you were at your
craft, the better, the further you came along. Marco
(PierTe White) would have changed that because he
was so brilliant. But then something else happened.
The domestic cook wanted to cook something that he
could achieve at home and that changed everything
because all of a sudden quiche and mushroom fucking
tart was achievable at home. So when simpler stuff
became more achievable, that's what people bought
into, and these people who weren't really chefs
became commercially broader market . And there are
many people who aren't very talented chefs but they
have a broad commercial appeal. It's not just about
thefood. It's kind of about how you carry yourseir
and you're telling everyone that they can do it too.
It's not very complex. Somebody like Jamie had such
a broad appeal to everyone. It wasn't just about the
food anymore. He was a brand but it was like your
brother really, so many people that he was palatable
for. But the smaller niche market, you can't really
achieve that at home. It's not going to be in every
newspaper or magazine because it has such a small
niche place.
NICK: 1 think he was very clever because he has
appealed to the masses, he gets endorsed by the
celebrity world, and he's constantly in your face. 1
think the way they packaged him was that sort of for
the young kids at home, partying, and having a good
time, and it evolved. 1 have huge respect for him,
-
-
-
though.
DYLAN: He's simply very good in a simple way. It's
very tasty, but in a simple way. If he had have gone
deeper and deeper into food, he would be different,
AMI
but because he stayed simple, that's what made it so
simple for everyone else.
How about Nigella Uwson?
DYLAN: Again, a very broad appeal. You're selling
a person here, you're not selling the food. They can
cook, but it's the personality and the commerciality of
it. It's about appealing to a larger spectrum of people.
It's a bit like commercial music , no? Exactly the same .
There's pop music and there's great fucking music.
What do you think of the standard of food
criticism in this country?
DYLAN: Food critics? Some of them know what
they're saying, some of them don't. 1 don't think any
one of them have the ability to dictate business in
Ireland, not one of them. I don't think they should
be feared or revered in the way that some of them
feel they should be. I've been very fortunate in my
career, when I did Mint, never to receive a bad review
everybody hailed it and that was fantastic and
then you do something else and you get these people.
that 'ye never run a restaurant , coming in and telling
you how to run yours! It's quite funny, really. And
even if they give you a horrible review and they slag
it to the ground it's like, 'Well, who are you? Tell me
what restaurants you've ran successfully'. What is
it that Oscar Wilde says? 'Why does the artist worry
about what the critic thinks, and why do those that
cannot create take it upon themselves to estimate the
value of creative work?' True , isn't it? Why do they take
it upon themselves to say what's not creative when
they can't create?
NICK: People do listen to critics.
DYLAN: You think so?
NICK; Yeah they do. They do. It's important to get
a good review, regardless of who is writing the piece,
because people will read it. A critic will always critique
your place or your food. We're obviously saying it's
great, but they might be saying a completely different
story because it might not be to their liking. They'll
use big words to confuse you, but people will read
these critics and make up their own mind whether
to go or not. I only say that because we had a review
in the Times by Tom Dorley. We went from 600 people
in one week, and as soon as his review came out, we
went to 1,200 because people read it.
DYLAN : Okay, some of them are good. It's very
important , though , that they judge things on
different things. In Dublin you have cost of staff, rent,
produce, rates, taxes, and so on and it's higher here
than a lot of countries. You have to make a business
profitable, because, fuck it, what are you in it for if
not to make a better life for yourself? Nobody does it
just for the love. We love what we do, but we all want
to make a better life for ourselves. But there are all of
these measurements. I could put 20 staff on the floor
and have the best service in Dublin. But would it coy?
Look at how things are in this country. We're not in a
position to do that. Are we gonna go to London, Spain
and Germany, look at how they have restaurants,
and come back here and copy that? Critics say things
like , "This isn't as good as what I had in London'.
Yeah, well look at the spend in London. Look at the
rates, look at the cost. It all adds up. A lot of critics
are critical of the food, but not the overall package
that dictates that. A lot of them don't get it. Taxes are
going through the roof, the country is screaming out.
Everybody is breathing down everybody's neck. It's
tough for everyone.
NICK: You have to buy a license for everything. I had
to buy a license to have a drain outside the restaurant.
A license for a drain? Come on!
DYLAN: Even doing Rustic, I love it but it's not
perfect. It's not supposed to be perfect. People aren't
paying for perfect. When they're paying for perfect,
they get perfect. At a certain price point, it's gotta be
looser. I did perfect for a long time and people paid for
that. It was 150 quid for your dinner and everything
was hung the right way and as it was supposed to be.
People come in and spend dramatically less now, and
expect the same result. It's not the reality of the times
we're living in.
As serious foodies, what are your guilty pleasures?
-
-
-
NICK: I love McDonalds myself,
DYLAN: Do you love McDonalds? So do I I've gone
real healthy these days , I really haye . Just doing the
Rustic thing, I got into my 30s and 1 went, 'Right, I
don't want to become a fat chef, and quite a lot of
them are, so you have to be careful about that. So
I thought, 'Right, I want to eat nutritionally'. And
Rustic has really taken off because people can come
in and eat healthy but it's full of flavour as well and
it's really clean food. I love clean food, I love food that
isn't really heavy with cream sauces and butter. In
the second half of my life now -I cooked like that for
a long time, it was all about flavour and now I want
to eat stuff that feels clean and fresh and doesn't make
me feel sickly or is full of calories. The difficult thing
as a chef is that a lot of the flavour is in the fat , so
right now I'm on this buzz where I want to create stuff
that feels good. But yeah, I love a burger when I'm
drunk (loughs).
What's the ambition now for both of you?
DYLAN : Five years time , to be eating completely
different food, with more restaurants at different
-
levels,
NICK: To retire at 50.
DYLAN : 50?!! love you . Not long to go now then , only
a few months (loughs).
NICK: From a young age, I always said I'm gonna
retire at 50. 1 always had this dream that I was gonna
buy a farmhouse in France and just do some painting
and get fat and drink myself to death. That was my
ambition. Maybe one day I will. Meantime, I think
it's very important to keep this place ticking over. I'm
sure Dylan feels the same about his business. The plan
is to find new concepts, and I love the challenge and
the excitement of that. I love to get involved in the
whole process of what a restaurant is, and if you're in
that you have a love affair with it. It's very hard for
you to give up what you're actually doing. So, for me,
the ambition is to keep going and to still have that
stamina and ability to get motivated, and that people
will still get what you're doing. It is a hard time that
we're in. Everyone is suffering, and it's important to
have a place where people can escape from that. That's
all we can achieve in that current climate that we're
in. As long as people enjoy what we give them, then
that's the enjoyment you get from it.
DYLAN : I think today in Dublin , you have to work
your business. You've got to be there. And I always
find that restaurants of any level that are really good
are a teom of people, they're not one person. When you
rely on one person to make a restaurant, it doesn't
really work. You need the people around you. I'm
sitting here today and I'm talking to you, and all my
guys are back there working, they're trying really
hard, they're on the ball, and you can't beat that.
When you learn how to put really great, amazing
people around you, and you learn how to motivate
them, be it a two, three Michelin star restaurant
or casual dining brasserie or a cafS or a bistro or
whatever, it really is about the team and the people
and how they gel together and how they get along
and make the place work. And when customers come
toyourdoor, it's about how you make them feel,
regardless of just the food. It's about them, it's about
the service. It's those little things. Did you core? People
know when you care, they feel when you care, and
they'll be back if you care. You make the wheel go
round , but it's all the spokes that matter,
NICK: Yeah, you're only as good as your team,
Actually, I've just realised that we were supposed to be
plugging MosterChef Ireland, and all we've done is plug
our own restaurants.
DYLAN: Yeah, we both kind of sang our own song,
Ah well!
NICK: He was only looking for the dirt anyway,
Dylan!
DYLAN:
He
was.
We
didn't give him much (loughs).
MosterChef Ireland airs Tuesdays and Thursdays on RTE
Two at 9.30pm
with extensive extra coverage the
following mornings between 9am and 10am on The
JohnMurrayShow, RT£ Radio 1