Harveys (restaurant)

For the unrelated Canadian fast food chain, see Harvey's.
Harveys
Former location of Harveys, in Wandsworth
Restaurant information
Established 1987
Closed August 1993
Head chef Marco Pierre White
Food type French cuisine
Rating 2 Michelin stars Michelin stars
Street address 2 Bellevue Road
City London
Postal code/ZIP SW17 7EG
Country United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°26′44″N 0°09′58″W / 51.445616°N 0.166041°W / 51.445616; -0.166041

Harveys was a restaurant in Wandsworth, London run by chef Marco Pierre White between 1987 and 1993. Its French cuisine was warmly received by food critics, and it was named Restaurant of the Year by The Times in 1987. It was where White became the youngest chef ever to win two Michelin stars.

History

The restaurant opened in January 1987.[1] It was a joint venture between chef Marco Pierre White and restaurateur Nigel Platts-Martin. The two had met while White was head chef at Lampwick's restaurant, and Platts-Martin subsequently purchased Harveys and placed White in charge of the kitchen.[2] Platts-Martin later said that "it was in a terrible state but I bought it out of youthful optimism and invited Marco to become head chef. I knew Marco was an extremely talented chef who cooked sensational food but I was very unsure how things would turn out."[1] A year after opening, the restaurant was closed in order to be renovated. David Collins was the architect, who had previously worked on Pierre Koffman's La Tante Claire.[3]

Several chefs worked at Harveys who went on to be successful elsewhere, including Philip Howard who won two Michelin stars at The Square,[4] and Gordon Ramsay who worked at Harveys between 1988 and 1991 and went on to become White's protégé at the restaurant and subsequently own a restaurant empire.[5][6][7] White once described the team working at Harveys as "the SAS of kitchens".[8] The restaurant was frequently by celebrities such as Oliver Reed and Koo Stark.[9]

In 1993, White chose to leave Harveys and Platts-Martin purchased White's share of the restaurant.[1] The restaurant closed in August 1993, and was subsequently reopened as "The Bistro", meant to be a sister restaurant to "The Canteen" which White co-owned with actor Michael Caine.[10] It was subsequently relaunched under chef Bruce Poole as Chez Bruce in 1995.[11] White had left because he felt restricted by the size of Harveys and felt that he needed to move to larger premises in order to win a third Michelin star.[12]

Menu

White served a menu consisting of French cuisine which included a warmly received dish of tagliatelle and oysters.[13][14] Other dishes on the menu also included a dish similar to that served at Pierre Koffman's La Tante Claire, a pig's trotter served with morels.[15] Desserts included a lemon tart,[16] and dishes such as "Crackling Pyramide" and soufflés of chocolate served with chocolate sauce.[9] A nougat ice cream dish called "Biscuit Glacé" appeared on the dessert menu at Harveys and also appeared in White's cookbook White Heat.[17]

Reception

Drew Smith, the editor of the Good Food Guide described Harveys as "This is a meteor hurtling through the restaurant firmament powered by the extraordinary passion of one young man".[8] Jonathan Meades visited the restaurant during 1987 for The Times, describing his meal as "breathtaking".[18] He ate the tagliatelle and oysters main course, and the restaurant was subsequently named the "Newcomer of the Year" in the Times restaurant awards for that year.[18] It was subsequently named the Times Restaurant of the Year in 1988.[3]

White's work at Harveys has subsequently been held in high regard among fellow chefs,[19] and the restaurant is where White became known as a celebrity chef.[20] Within a year of opening, the restaurant won a Michelin star.[21] It subsequently won a second in the 1990 Michelin Guide, making White the youngest chef ever to have held two Michelin stars.[9]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "Nigel Platts-Martin: The quiet man?". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 29 June 2006. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  2. ↑ Ross, Rory (7 July 2001). "The man who found Marco". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  3. 1 2 Meades, Jonathan (31 December 1988). "The 1988 awards for good taste". The Times. p. 36. Retrieved 4 October 2012. (subscription required)
  4. ↑ "Philip Howard". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 12 May 2005. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  5. ↑ Jones, Lesley-Anne (13 September 2007). "Marco Pierre White vs Gordon Ramsay - which is the secret pussy cat?". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  6. ↑ Alleyne, Richard (29 July 2006). "How I reduced Ramsay to a blubbering wreck". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  7. ↑ "So you think you can swear". The Australian. 17 May 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  8. 1 2 Crookston, Peter (12 January 1991). "A Childhood: Marco Pierre White". The Times. p. 46. Retrieved 4 October 2012. (subscription required)
  9. 1 2 3 White, Marco Pierre (30 July 2006). "Marco: my story". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  10. ↑ "White turns into Brown in northern switch". The Times. 5 June 1993. p. 4. Retrieved 4 October 2012. (subscription required)
  11. ↑ "Nigel Platts-Martin". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 12 May 2005. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  12. ↑ "Exclusive video interview with Marco Pierre White at the 2008 Chef Conference". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 21 May 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  13. ↑ Fort, Matthew (13 October 2000). "Is Marco Pierre White really the chef of the decade?". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  14. ↑ Rayner, Jay (3 September 2006). "Garnished with bile". The Observer. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  15. ↑ "One man's restaurant guide". The Times. 23 December 1989. p. 29. Retrieved 4 October 2012. (subscription required)
  16. ↑ White, Marco Pierre (6 October 2007). "Harvey’s Lemon Tart, by Marco Pierre White". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  17. ↑ Richards, Morfudd (18 June 2009). "Nougat ice-cream with oranges". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  18. 1 2 Meades, Jonathan (19 December 1987). "Best restaurants of the year". The Times. p. 16. Retrieved 4 October 2012. (subscription required)
  19. ↑ Prince, Rose (2 April 2010). "Sell-out chefs should get back in the kitchen". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  20. ↑ Frewin, Angela (7 May 2008). "Marco Pierre White". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  21. ↑ "Exclusive: Marco Pierre White on why he's back behind the stove for TV's Hell's Kitchen". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 25 April 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2012.

References

  • White, Marco Pierre (2007). The Devil in the Kitchen: The Autobiography. London: Orion. ISBN 978-0752881614. 
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