"Our job is just to give pleasure": A Conversation with Founder Yannick Alléno and Executive Chef Benjamin Ferra y Castell, Pavyllon
At Pavyllon London, the kitchen is part of the conversation. Set within Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, the Michelin starred Mayfair restaurant brings Yannick Alléno’s modern French cooking to an open counter where guests can watch, ask questions and get to know the people preparing their meal. Following his recent Counter Culture collaboration with Jason Atherton, Yannick sat down with The Knife to talk about the pleasure of cooking with friends, the purpose of a restaurant and taking the croissant beyond breakfast.
Partway through, executive chef Benjamin Ferra y Castell pulled up a seat, turning our conversation into an impromptu double interview. From guests celebrating birthdays alone to a regular who visited more than 170 times, he shares the stories behind the counter, and explains why seeing someone enjoy a dish remains the best reward in the kitchen.
Yannick, how did last night’s dinner with Jason Atherton go?
Jason is very close to me, and he’s a fantastic chef. He’s very generous.
What do you enjoy about bringing other chefs into the kitchen for Counter Culture?
I would like to thank all the chefs because they came with great pleasure, and they are very generous. That’s really appreciated.
We try to encourage people to talk together. It’s nice to have the opportunity to share time with friends and have some fun.
Even with all your experience, do you still learn things when you cook alongside another chef?
Of course, we learn a lot. We taste the dishes and talk to them about the techniques they have.
With the kitchen so visible, there’s a chance for guests to talk to you about the food. Is that interaction simply part of the pleasure or more of an immersive education?
I don’t know if it’s education; it’s more about pleasure in the restaurant. The people we had yesterday [Counter Culture with Jason Atherton] were very interested in food. They know food. They’re not coming for education.
We have to spend time with them and give them good energy. We’re lucky to do this job because our job is just to give pleasure. That’s it.
Benjamin, how did you find working in full view of the guests? Did it take some getting used to?
The first week was a bit weird because you’re used to being back in the kitchen. But I have to say I like it because you can see the guests’ feelings, their immediate reactions.
For us, as chefs and cooks, our vitamin is the satisfaction of our guests. When a guest says, "I love this dish," that’s it. You can see it, it doesn’t lie.
You get to know your guests even more. You talk to them about what they like, and when they come back, you learn even more about them.
Does that ever lead to something spontaneous coming out of the kitchen?
Last time, I had a guest talking about a nice pasta they’d had. It wasn’t on the menu, but we had pasta and we could make something. So we made it happen as an extra gesture, and you could see the satisfaction. The guest was very happy. That’s the fun of the counter.
There are things we hadn’t thought of as well; you have a guest next to another guest, and they share their experiences.
When you’re on that side as a guest, you see the kitchen as a theatre. It’s more than just food. You’re part of the experience. You see how we make the dish, there’s no secret. We’re not hiding something, we’re showcasing something.
I’m dining alone tonight, and the counter feels like a particularly good place for that. Are you seeing more people coming in on their own?
We’re seeing people celebrating their birthday alone at the counter! Maybe 10 years ago, people would have thought that was weird.
There’s social media as well, so they’re not really alone. They celebrate at a distance, I would say. But there’s also their interaction with the chefs. Some of our guests become friends.
We had one guest who moved to New York, but she came more than 170 times. She was on her own 99% of the time. She used to come into the kitchen sometimes to see what we were doing. It’s fun. I always say to guests that if they want to see inside the kitchen, there’s no problem.
Yannick, La Croissanterie takes the croissant beyond breakfast. What did you want to do with it?
The idea is to create a new sandwich, with attractive colours and creativity, using the croissant.
Benjamin, which filling would you recommend to someone trying it for the first time?
What’s very popular is the one with Wagyu; we slice the Wagyu very thin. You have the fresh croissant, the hot meat, the little condiments and the pickles inside. You have everything.
