{"id":2253,"date":"2025-03-21T11:25:15","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T11:25:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/03\/21\/chef-sat-bains-interview-inside-michelin-starred-nottingham-restaurant\/"},"modified":"2025-03-21T11:25:15","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T11:25:15","slug":"chef-sat-bains-interview-inside-michelin-starred-nottingham-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/03\/21\/chef-sat-bains-interview-inside-michelin-starred-nottingham-restaurant\/","title":{"rendered":"Chef Sat Bains Interview: Inside Michelin-Starred Nottingham Restaurant"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chef Sat Bains at his restaurant in Nottingham. Courtesy Jodi Hinds<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Midway through the 10-course tasting menu at Restaurant Sat Bains<\/a> in early March, a server appears and mysteriously invites our table out to one of the adjacent greenhouses. It\u2019s a surprise course, he explains, ushering the two of us inside, where a small table is holding pizza dough, a blend of cheeses and a vibrant green pesto made with the herbs grown inside these very walls. It\u2019s a casual approach to the experience and unusual for a two Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant\u2014but it works. It breaks up the monotony of sitting for a three-plus-hour dinner and it offers an insider glimpse of what chef Sat Bains<\/a> is growing in his kitchen garden.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI never worked for any formal three-star chefs,\u201d Bains, who opened Restaurant Sat Bains outside Nottingham, England, in 2005, tells Observer. \u201cI\u2019ve always been self-taught. I\u2019ve always felt like I have to make things accessible to the customers and also fun. It\u2019s not about holding court. It\u2019s not about being in a cathedral of gastronomy. It is about kicking back.\u201d<\/p>\n

He incorporated the unexpected course, which involves the small pizza being cooked in front of the guests in a blazing outdoor oven, a few years ago. Diners are offered a glass of beer to accompany their pizza, which is perfectly charred on the outside.<\/p>\n

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The pizza set-up outside. Courtesy Emily Zemler<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got the lovely greenhouse, so the idea was, \u2018Let\u2019s take people out into the garden and make them something delicious,\u2019\u201d Bains says. \u201cIt makes it a bit more informal. It breaks all that snobbery. Especially [in] this modern era, people don\u2019t want to sit there, stiff. They want to relax. And people are paying good money, so they should be able to chill.\u201d<\/p>\n

These moments of unexpected whimsy make their way through Bains\u2019 menu, including a finale of cotton candy that\u2019s served instead of traditional petit fours. As you bite into the sticky treat, there\u2019s a cooling burst of ice cream\u2014the perfect way to end the meal. It suits Bains, who has never been interested in doing things traditionally. He owns and runs the restaurant and its adjoining seven bedrooms (the destination eatery is billed as a \u201crestaurant with rooms\u201d) <\/span>with his wife, Amanda, and describes himself as having \u201ccomplete freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have any shackles in terms of what can be done and what can\u2019t be done,\u201d the chef explains. \u201cI think that\u2019s part of the nature of my cuisine and the location [of the restaurant] and all of the things that make up Restaurant Sat Bains. It comes from being curious. I want to know why something is done that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds of his approach, \u201cYou\u2019re constantly trying to get the best version of an ingredient, and because I\u2019ve not had that formal training there are a lot of questions I don\u2019t know. But because I\u2019m in a position where I am, I can ask the question and try it and practice it and play with it and enjoy it and not have this horrible feeling of, \u2018Shit, I should know this.\u2019 I\u2019m not the best craftsman by any means, but I\u2019ve got a really vivid imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Inside Restaurant Sat Bains. Courtesy Restaurant Sat Bains<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Part of Bains\u2019 freedom comes from restaurant\u2019s location, outside Nottingham. Guests drive, or take the train and then a taxi to get to the stylish, peaceful restaurant and hotel, which is rather unexpectedly found just off the highway. At first glance, it doesn\u2019t seem like a locale where you would find an established fine dining spot with two Michelin stars and a Michelin green star, but Bains has been there since it was the Hotel des Clos, which he joined as head chef in 1999. He took over the site a few years later and made it his own, establishing the gardens and reducing the number of bedrooms to make them bigger.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very obscure, but I like the idea of something that\u2019s off the beaten [path] because there\u2019s an element of surprise, but also it makes you try harder,\u201d Bains says. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to work harder to get people down the lane. Over time, around 15 years, we\u2019ve slowly incorporated the greenhouses, the gardens, the bees, all the things that you see now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bains, who is originally from Derby, England, didn\u2019t know much about gardening when he opened Restaurant Sat Bains. But he has developed a newfound appreciation for the seasons and how changing weather patterns can impact what ingredients are available. Last summer, for example, was very damp, so Bains\u2019 bees didn\u2019t produce any honey. \u201cWe\u2019re 30 kilos down,\u201d he notes. \u201cSo it goes to show [how] a wet summer can really affect nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Wagyu beef. Courtesy Jodi Hinds<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most of the dishes that appear on the menu at Restaurant Sat Bains incorporate at least one ingredient from the gardens. It can be anything from herbs to vegetables to flowers like jasmine, elderflower and chamomile, which Bains likes to infuse into an ice cream or as a garnish on a savory dish. He\u2019s constantly evolving the menu based on the seasons, although development for a particular dish often has to be done before that ingredient is at its peak. When we spoke in early March, Bains was perfecting an asparagus dish in preparation for asparagus season, which lasts only six weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I find fascinating with spring is that the season is quite rapid, so a lot of things are coming in,\u201d he says. \u201cAll of a sudden it falls into a very quick sequence of dishes. The sea leek tart was only around for four weeks. Not every guest will taste everything. And we never change the whole menu in its entirety\u2014we add and take dishes away to keep it like a rolling menu. That way you\u2019re celebrating it through the taste and the flavors of that specific season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Bains is a well-established chef with plenty of accolades and TV appearances, he doesn\u2019t want to rest on his laurels. He likes keeping a few classic dishes around, but he prefers to continually develop. He sees complacency as \u201ca sign of death in any business\u201d and affirms that he believes \u201cyou have to keep pushing.\u201d Each dish begins with flavor.<\/p>\n

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A strawberry cream dessert. Courtesy Jodi Hinds<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt could be like, \u2018I really want to work on elderflower,\u2019\u201d he explains. \u201cThat elderflower could be a dessert, it could be savory, it could be a little piece of jelly that goes along with something, it could be a little dusting of the dried flowers that goes on a beautiful wild salmon dish. It\u2019s endless. It\u2019s about where to put that flavor in the menu in sequence that fits in just right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although the dishes I ate at Restaurant Sat Bains were visually striking, particularly the sea leek tart and the squab, which was served with pear, the chef doesn\u2019t overemphasize visuals. It has to taste amazing first and foremost, he confirms, which means not being too obsessed with how it will appear on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always believe food should look good, but taste better,\u201d Bains shrugs. \u201cI\u2019m a visual learner and a practical learner, so I know visuals are important to me. But I would rather something looked a little bit scruffy, but tasted incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

To underscore his point, he opens his notebook, revealing sketches and drawings of potential dishes. He \u201cdoodles\u201d dishes out before he ever cooks them, a practice that stems from being passionate about art before he was ever passionate about food.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve probably just changed my medium to food so I still have the desire for artistic expression,\u201d Bains says. \u201cOne of the dishes we\u2019ve done before is this beautiful, almost burgundy rose colored gel that goes over beetroot or beef tartar. It\u2019s inspired by one of Anish Kapoor<\/a>\u2019s abstract paintings. I always send a little picture of Anish Kapoor\u2019s painting to the table with it. He\u2019s never come to eat it, but one of his managers did.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds, joking, \u201cI don\u2019t know if he knows about it, because he\u2019d probably start charging me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sweetcorn. Courtesy Jodi Hinds<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite Bains being physically removed from the London restaurant scene, the chef keeps up a lively camaraderie with many of his fellow British chefs. He recently started inviting chefs to Restaurant Sat Bains for collaboration dinners\u2014something he hasn\u2019t previously done at the restaurant\u2014and everyone from Clare Smyth<\/a> to Gareth Ward<\/a> to Daniel Clifford<\/a> has joined him in the kitchen. More chefs, including Angela Hartnett<\/a>, are on the docket.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a nice group of chefs who share like-minded views and ideology,\u201d Bains says. \u201cWe\u2019ve been around a long time. I\u2019ve been a chef 37 years, so we\u2019ve seen a lot of cycles of recessions and boom and bust. There are times where you\u2019ve just got to hold your nerve and if you can ring a friend and say, \u2018How are you doing? Are you as quiet as we are?,\u2019 it helps. By having a connection with each other you can get through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bains takes advantage of his days off to explore the U.K. and its burgeoning restaurant scene. He recently went to chef Aktar Islam<\/a>\u2019s Opheem in Birmingham, which he describes as \u201cbeautiful, very intelligent Indian cuisine with beautifully nuanced spices.\u201d Coming from Punjabi heritage himself, Bains particularly appreciated the fine dining approach to Indian dishes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was things I remember from being a kid done in such a beautiful way that fitted a perfectly balanced tasting menu,\u201d he says. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t overdone. Everything was balanced, everything was light, everything was perfect. That was a revelation for me because I\u2019ve known Aktar a long time. It was a brilliant interpretation of his heritage and culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

The chef also regularly hops on the Eurostar alongside Claude Bosi, a French chef who has several restaurants in London<\/a>. \u201cWe go two or three times a year to eat at all of the three star [restaurants] there,\u201d Bains says. \u201cIf you see us, you\u2019ll have to excuse all the swearing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imagining these two storied chefs hanging out on the Eurostar helps to dissipate the pretension of fine dining\u2014something Bains is keen to do. He is constantly making changes at Restaurant Sat Bains to improve the experience of the guests, including swapping in new dining room chairs next month to make the seating more comfortable. The restaurant is also offering a less expensive three-course menu that is more accessible, costing \u00a3145 (approximately $189) as opposed to \u00a3249 ($324) for the longer tasting menu option. \u201cThe [hospitality] climate\u2019s tough at the moment, so we\u2019ve got to be adaptive and also think on our feet,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

Everything goes back to Bains\u2019 desire to push himself. He describes himself as \u201cvery self-motivated,\u201d which includes waking up early today to go to jiu-jitsu.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuccess is scary,\u201d the chef admits. \u201cIt makes you comfortable, and I think comfortable is scary. I think you\u2019ve got to work hard in your field. You\u2019ve got to keep pushing and evolving, and I think your team will benefit from that because they\u2019re growing with you. My friend who passed away a few years ago, always said, \u2018Life is a journey, not a destination.\u2019 And I want to enjoy the journey. I want to enjoy the process of each day, trying a little bit harder, trying half a percent harder. Not to get anywhere in particular, but to make sure you put some effort in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Sat<\/p><\/div>\n