Andy Lambert: ‘the perfect local restaurant’

Can you tell us a little bit about your career leading up to becoming head chef at the Bistro Union? I’ve been cooking professionally since I was 21, but if you’d asked me what I wanted to be when I was a young boy, I’d have said a chef. I went to university in Glasgow and studied History, but by the time I’d graduated, I was already working in hospitality. My first job in the industry was as a bouncer and over the years after that I moved from the door to the bar, to the restaurant, and finally, to the kitchen. An opportunity came up to help cover for a kitchen porter and I jumped at it, asking the chefs all the questions you can imagine and delighting at helping them with the most menial tasks. I loved it. Cooking has always been a passion and I was extremely lucky to work with some equally passionate chefs since becoming one. I spent a long time working for a well-known chef called Derek Marshall at a restaurant called Urban Bar and Brasserie in the centre of town. That was where I learned the love of simple bistro cooking; the simplicity of a few simple things on a plate but the accuracy of making those few things delicious. Before moving to London in 2015, I also ran a short-lived but much-loved place called Central Market in the Merchant City for two and a half years. At Central Market, my good friend Neil Palmer and I had the opportunity to craft our own menus and flex our culinary muscles a little and we became a favourite amongst locals and industry peers alike. My wife and I moved to London in 2015 for professional reasons and I absolutely fell on my feet at the Canton Arms in Stockwell. Working with Trish Hilferty, the gastropub empress in my opinion, for as long as I did was an absolute gift and an experience I’ll never forget. I was asked to be head chef in 2017 and it was one of the proudest moments of my career to have the trust of Trish and co-owner Charlie Bousfield to cook at the Canton. I hate to use clichés, but after seven years there I needed a new challenge and I was introduced to Adam Byatt who was looking for somebody to take over the kitchen at Bistro Union. I’d lived in the area since we moved to London, so it had always been on my radar and we’d eaten there a lot over the years. For me it was a perfect fit; a great place with so much character and so well-infused with the neighbourhood. What sort of venue is the Bistro Union and how would you describe its offerings? Bistro Union is my idea of the perfect local restaurant. Abbeville Road is one of the best little neighbourhood streets and has always had a brilliant and eclectic clientele. The calibre of businesses on the street have always steadied the feel of the street, which hasn’t changed too much over the years. Bistro Union is a small, welcoming restaurant with 40 covers, the right amount of refinement. Being a sister restaurant to Trinity in Clapham isn’t always the first thing that strikes our guests, but the vein of good food, wine and service runs through the place all the way from the Old Town. Seasonal menus are at the core; courses can change regularly but we have some staples such as comté gougeres and our sirloin for two. On Sundays, however, it’s all about the roast for me! It was one thing that I wanted to get absolutely spot-on when I started and judging by our regulars’ reactions, I’d say we’ve done it. We’ve worked hard to get every element perfect from the aged sirloin from a rare breed in Essex to our Yorkshire puddings, and I would say with 100% bias that we’re serving one of the best roasts in the area. Having recently launched two new autumn menus, can you tell us what inspired them and about a few of the dishes? The overwhelming thing about autumn for me is that people are coming inside again. They’ve stopped sun chasing, they’re getting the layers out and their minds are thinking about cooler temperatures and all the ways to comfort themselves over the next few months. Food, for me, is the best comfort just like a heavier coat or bed socks at night. I want to bring that comfort with the dishes on the menu. The roast cod on our main courses is the epitome of one of these autumnal comfort dishes; robust, flaky cod with a warming cuttlefish risotto and a punchy aioli. We also have a traditionally made pâté de campagne and one of my absolute favourite desserts, warm chocolate pudding made with Wimbledon stout and served with butterscotch sauce and cream. Have you got any partnerships with the local businesses around the venue, and if so, how have they helped? In a post-pandemic world, making sure we eat and buy local food has never been more important, and using local and smaller suppliers has always been high on my list of priorities. I’ve been delighted to use Ben’s Fish on Mersea Island recently who has been able to source some amazing game produce. Ben Woodcraft has been selling fish and game to some of London’s finest for the best part of 30 years and is one of the industry’s good guys. The pandemic hit his business hard, like so many others, but he persevered as an exceedingly small operation, running the business with his wife Amanda. I’ve used him for fish and game for a long time now and it’s a pleasure to do so. I even had the opportunity to meet him in person for the first time recently! He visited the restaurant about a month ago for dinner and after only speaking on the phone for 7 years, it was a delight to finally meet him! We also work very closely with our wine suppliers to host special evenings that compliment the best of what they have to offer with great food from us. So far, since last month, we hosted Ester Wines’ Italian selection and coming at the end of November, James Price of Liberty Wines and I will be hosting a French and Game themed evening which I’m really looking forward to. Five courses of seasonal game and fish, complemented by some absolutely banging wines. It also gives me a chance to speak to the guests as it’s a more casual evening which is really important to me. Being a neighbourhood restaurant and getting to know your guests and regulars is part of why people come back; the simple, personal exchanges can make a good dining experience great and memorable. In your opinion, what makes restaurant food AA Rosette-worthy? For me, it’s the whole experience, not just the food. I love eating out; it’s literally what makes me tick. We’ve all had great food somewhere and the service or the surrounding experience hasn’t quite clicked and vice versa. It’s all about finding the right balance between the dining environment and the food itself. When it comes to the food, it has to be seasonal without a doubt, but also a reflection of what the restaurant is trying to achieve for its guests. I’ve always worked in places where people come to socialise with each other or to treat themselves nicely and the food has to match that by not being too complicated. If there are three things on a plate, then make every one of them fabulous! AA Rosettes are about recognising that fabulousness; its recognition that a restaurant is achieving what it wants to achieve. Can you tell us about any of the restaurant’s future plans? To keep evolving. In the time before I took over the kitchen at Bistro Union, it began as one thing so many years ago and it evolved into another. The nature of being a neighbourhood restaurant is to move along with your guests; changing as you go but remaining a reliable place to eat for your regulars. I’d say after my first year at Bistro my aim is to do more of what’s worked so far and to explore some new ideas with the guests. More hosted dinners? If it works, let’s do it. One thing I’ve not yet got off the ground here is making our own charcuterie, which is an enormously rewarding experience to get into. There are few things more satisfying than employing ’Nose to Tail’ butchery techniques and making something as beautiful as a house-made salami or bresaola. It’ll also be an opportunity for me to teach my team to make the salamis and bresaola themselves and take that skill with them as it was gifted to me. Just keep moving forward!