A class act

As the quality and range of pub food improves, customers are becoming more savvy and demanding when eating out. Consequently, it's up to chefs to focus on raising their game regularly to introduce innovative ideas that keep up with customers' willingness to experiment.

A gradual but solid trend is the revival of theatre cooking in its various forms. The common theme of theatre cooking involves customers' interaction in the cooking process, simply as spectators or through participation in the meal preparation.

The simplest form of theatre cooking takes place in an open kitchen, where customers suddenly become part of the kitchen's exciting and passionate atmosphere and enjoy the sights and sounds of the chef's flair. This is not a new concept: the Eagle in Farringdon, London, noted as the original gastropub, has run an open kitchen for years, but as head chef at Balham Kitchen Bar Adrian Watters explains, such a venue demands the capacity to adapt: "Most customers like an open kitchen where they can walk past and have a peer.

"From a chef's point of view, it's useful to know when you're going to get busy. Finally, you feel much more involved in the operation when you aren't shut away in the kitchen."

However, being on show also requires the ability to tone down behaviour; clearly, barking curses that would sear a sirloin at 50 paces and wearing last week's whites are definitely taboo.

Ugo Simonelli, head chef at the 15th-

century White Hart pub in Coggeshall, Essex, reinvigorated business by reviving flambé, another form of theatre cooking.

He says: "This is an old style of cooking that is coming back into fashion. Customers enjoy having chefs preparing food in front of them. They ask questions as we cook and we explain what we're doing. They respond well to that and it's becoming very popular here."

Having initially offered flambé on only one day a week, the White Hart has progressed to including it in its daily menu. Always keen to innovate, Ugo has incorporated traditional dishes such as veal marsala and fillet steak Diane, along with his own creations, including king prawn Sambuca. Dessert dishes include strawberries and Pernod and traditional crêpes Suzette.

The Black Rock Grill - a cooking device using volcanic rock - enables pubs to give customers a hands-on experience. Customers are served with a heated slab of volcanic rock on a heatproof platter, along with their choice of steak, fish or seafood, which they cook at their table. Side dishes and dipping sauces are served alongside.

Black Rock Grill managing director Peter Hatter says there are great benefits.

"The rocks are previously heated in a special kiln to 440°C and remain hot enough to cook for 45 minutes," he explains.

"No fat or oil is used and the meat can be prepared with a spice rub or customers simply sprinkle a little salt on the rock before grilling, to create a barrier and stop food sticking. The meat retains its natural juices and develops a good, grilled flavour from being seared quickly."

Peter has only been distributing the system since November 2005, but says that early results are impressive.

"Customers like the grill system because it makes them feel involved and also because they're served so quickly - typically, within six minutes of ordering.

"From the point of view of turnover, this means more sittings, so a higher spend per customer is often achieved, with many diners choosing higher-value dishes."

When Pat and Tony Millard took over the Wellsway Inn near Bristol, the competition were all serving pretty similar food. Pat says the fact that she and Tony were looking for something different to revitalise custom led them to introduce the special grill.

"We've been in the pub a year now and the take-up has been amazing - all our publicity is via word-of-mouth," she says.

"Our pub is very remote, so we are only open in the evening. The grill has been terrific for our trade and about 90% of our meals now go out on the rocks.

"We don't cook steaks any more, and as customers do it all for themselves, we don't have any complaints about our steaks being wrongly-cooked!"

Theatre cooking appeals to customers as it encourages sharing and turns the experience into a more social event, mirroring the recent popularity of tapas and other 'shared' meals.

British Pig Executive foodservice development manager Richard Fagan says the tendency of diners to become more adventurous has encouraged him to tune into the great potential of theatre cooking.

Richard has been investigating hog roasts and has identified three opportunities for this theatrical type of cooking, depending on frequency of use.

The first possibility is to set up a spit roast, costing about £1,800 and simple to build. Another idea is to hire a spit roast and buy a pig for about £100. Or you may prefer to hire a specialist company to carry out the whole process.

Richard says: "Customers love the smell and theatricality - they were amazed by the whole experience at one hog roast I attended recently. Watching a pig roast for an hour or so is part of a memorable meal."

If you decide on the DIY approach, Richard recommends a practice run.

"Naturally, the length of cooking time is key, not so much for pink meat, but for the parts of the pig that have more connective tissue and take longer to cook. The meat can become tough if not cooked properly."

Similarly, carving a pig correctly is vital. Richard says that with the pig lying

horizontally, most people tend to carve lengthwise across the grain of the meat, but this undermines presentation and tenderness. Learning to use the correct skills affects profitability and also the taste of the final product.

When these cooking styles are well-

executed, the extra performance dimension of their meal lingers in customers' minds.

When customers tell their family and friends about their highly memorable evening, their positive publicity increases the pub's repeat custom, improving its image and reputation.