2 Michelin Star Chefs: Adam Tooby-Desmond, Dinner by Heston, London

The Staff Canteen

Adam Tooby-Desmond is the head chef of two Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston at The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London

Adam took over from previous head chef Jon Bowring in May 2023.

Dinner By Heston, London

 

Located in Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA

Opening hours:

Lunch: Monday to Thursday 12pm to 2.00pm (Friday to Sunday 12pm to 2:30pm);

Dinner: Monday to Thursday  6pm to 9:00pm (Friday to Sunday 6pm to 9:30pm)

Telephone: 020 7201 3833

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @dinnerbyheston

Instagram: @dinnerbyhb

Adam Tooby-Desmond's Career Path 

Tooby-Desmond has been working at Dinner  by Heston since 2017, having joined as a demi chef de partie.

Originally from Cambridge, he trained at Westminster Kingsway College in London before joining the University of Cambridge's St John's College in 2011 as an apprentice.

'Meat Fruit'

Dinner by Heston

After developing dishes inspired by Britain’s past, Heston Blumenthal opened Dinner by Heston in 2011 in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park.

The idea behind the restaurant was to find a common ground between Heston’s two other restaurants, The Hinds Head in Bray and The Fat Duck, drawing on Britain’s history as the backbone for the food and the concept behind the restaurant. 

Dinner received a Michelin star within its first year of opening, followed by a second in 2014. 

Food Style

Inspired by historical recipes from 300, 400 and even 500 years ago, Jon and the team’s goal with Dinner is to emulate these recipes with a modern twist.

The kitchen team are in contact with food historians and researchers to garner an accurate representation for the food, drawing further inspiration  from Heston’s Channel 4 TV show, Feasts, which saw the chef recreate famous period dishes and feasts for 21st century diners.

What the guides say...

Michelin Guide

 

AA Restaurant Guide

Good Food Guide

 

Harden’s

 

The food at Dinner has gradually evolved since it first opened, and now offers more ‘refined’ dishes that are bolder and cleaner.

Advances in technical abilities have also driven the way the dishes are now prepared and presented, reflecting the restaurant’s growth from when it first opened its doors over a decade ago.

Popular dishes on the menu include Meat Fruit (c.1500) which is Mandarin, chicken liver parfait & grilled bread and Tipsy Cake (c.1810).

Early Grey Smoked Salmon

Despite the name, Dinner is open for both lunch and dinner seven days a week. Working alongside Jon in the kitchen are just over three dozen chefs chefs who work four days a week, and 65 front of house staff including the wine team.

Other ventures

Since the opening of Dinner in London, Heston and former executive chef, Ashley Palmer-Watts, launched a second Dinner, this time in Melbourne, Australia. 

Along with this, Heston has also opened a third Dinner which is in The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences in Dubai.

It opened in 2019, four years after the Melbourne restaurant.

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The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 13th January 2022

2 Michelin Star Chefs: Adam Tooby-Desmond, Dinner by Heston, London