Food for Thought: Patrick Powell

Patrick Powell spent his childhood at his grandmother’s “very clichéd” farmhouse in Portarlington, County Laois. He would help collect fresh produce from his grandmother’s vegetable garden and marvel as she baked fresh soda bread, tarts and pies. Some days, she would spend almost six hours preparing a meal, stewing away bacon and cabbage for an eagerly awaiting Powell.

Nana Powell’s influence also stewed away in her grandson as he would later become one of London’s most in-demand chefs. After washing dishes at 15 and loving the “nervous energy” of the kitchen, he went on to study culinary arts at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, before taking an apprenticeship at Dublin’s Michelin-starred L’Ecrivain under the watchful eye of the acclaimed Irish chef Derry Clarke. After a stint in South America, Powell spent a couple of years at Cutler & Co, Melbourne – then known as Australia’s best restaurant. But it was in London that his career rocket fired.

“A friend was helping out open Chiltern Firehouse, and so I decided to stay a few months, but ended up becoming a head chef and staying there for four years,” Powell says. For those who like celebrity spotting, Chiltern Firehouse quickly became ‘the’ place to go if you were hoping to rub shoulders with the Beckhams or Kate Moss. Powell had a ringside seat as A-listers came and went in their droves. “It was such a moment-in-time restaurant. There was such a huge frenzy about it; people were just excited to get their foot through the door,” he says. “London hadn’t seen such a hype like that with a restaurant before, and I don’t know if it will again.”

Realising that he had served his time at Chiltern Firehouse, Powell remained unsure of what to do next. Speaking to Harry Handelsman (the developer behind Chiltern Firehouse, the man behind the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel and the owner of Manhattan Loft Gardens), they realised they had the same vision to open a restaurant. After an unlucky water leak delayed opening for four months, Allegra opened its doors in September 2019, only to close again in March, only to reopen again, only to close again…. (we know how this story goes).

Allegra – named after the owner’s daughter – sits sky-high on the 7th floor of Manhattan Loft Gardens. The 42-storey development can be found in Stratford, close to Westfields Shopping Centre and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The postcode is a far cry from West London, and one wonders whether the previous celebrity clientele of the Chiltern Firehouse would dare to step their foot out of Zone 1. But speaking to Powell, it seems this is the core of its appeal. “Stratford is not the first place when you’re thinking of coming out to eat, but the people who do come have made such an effort to come to us and have a good time,” Powell says. 

Allegra describes itself as a ‘modern European restaurant’ in London. It was designed by Space Copenhagen (the team behind Noma), and the restaurant’s interiors “fuse cutting-edge style with cosy, old-world opulence which flows onto the Allegra terrace”. The huge outside terrace is one of Allegra’s stand-out features (and one that is in high demand due to the current Covid-19 restrictions). The restaurant also has its own herb garden, an in-house curing room for the bar snack charcuterie, and a huge wood-burning grill on the terrace.

The food at Allegra is “seasonally-led”, “product-driven” and not “over-complicated.” Powell describes it as, “we buy good produce, and we try to make it as delicious as possible. We like technique, but we don’t want to mess around with things.” In Powell’s kitchen, he and his staff conduct a taste test before anything makes it on the menu. “We have to say ‘it’s ‘f*****g delicious’ before it can go on the menu,” he says, “if we don’t feel that way, it won’t make it on.”

Previous menus have included: Orkney scallop crudo, winter radish & pickled ginger, juniper roasted venison loin, confit chicken wing, parmesan dumplings, halibut cooked en papillote and quince mille-feuille with ginger stem ice-cream.

Whilst outdoor restrictions remain in place, the only menu at Allegra on offer is a ‘Happy Burger @ Allegra’. “We couldn’t serve what we usually do as we couldn’t do it justice in the weather,” says Powell. “We may have lots of heaters and blankets, but we are still up on the 7th floor!”

Still, good luck trying to bag yourself a reservation, the restaurant has been hot in-demand ever since reopening. “It’s been crazy, my feet are really sore,” the chef says. “I think we are booked out for the next five weeks. There is space for walk-ins, but our covered areas are full every-day. Long may it last.”

“The whole idea of Allegra was for people to eat a high-quality of great food and experience great service,” Powell says. “I want them to come in and to come back.” He is a pioneer of “the idea of escapism” when coming to a restaurant. He loathes certain restaurants in London that can be “quite trashy” and “ loud and brash” and hopes that Allegra will offer a ‘real’ restaurant experience, where people will come for the experience and not for the #Allegra Instagram shot.

For Powell’s last supper, he chooses a “sweetbread dish with tuna mayonnaise”, followed by a main of “one of his grandmother’s dinners, a Sunday roast or a stew” and for his dessert he picks “Noma’s milk ice cream, with caramel and a base of crunchy frozen ants”. To wash it down, “a pint of Guinness” – of course.

Powell’s dedication and enthusiasm for his craft, the impeccable service, and the unusual venue means it is an experience worth the extra mileage. Let’s hope the luck o’ the Irish keeps Allegra open for the foreseeable future, if not for the sake of Powell and his staff, then for us mere mortals, trying to land a reservation.

Try to book here: https://www.allegra-restaurant.com/reservations/

Truffle Croque Madame
Serves 2

Ingredients

4 slices of milk loaf
4 slices baked ham
4 slices Ogleshield cheese
2 eggs
10g chopped chives 
100g truffle bechamel (below)
Butter, for frying 
Freshly ground pepper 

For the truffle bechamel:
600ml milk
60g white flour
60g butter
2 cloves
1 bay leaf 
2 sprigs thyme 
25g good quality truffle paste
100g grated Ogleshield cheese
1 egg yolk
25g Dijon mustard

Method

To make the truffle bechamel, infuse the milk, bay leaf, thyme and cloves by placing in a pot and gently bring to the boil. Allow cool and pass through a sieve, retaining the seasoned milk.

In another small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, for a few minutes. Add the milk and whisk until smooth and starting to thicken.

Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly until all lumps are removed and the mixture is thick and smooth.

Stir in the cheese, truffle paste, egg yolk, mustard, salt and pepper and set aside.

To assemble layer 1 slice of milk loaf with 2 slices of ham and 2 slices of the ogleshield, then top with another slice of bread. 

Pan fry the sandwiches in a heavy pan over medium heat in foaming butter until they are golden brown on each side.

Remove from the pan and place on an oven tray. Top each sandwich with 50g of the truffle bechamel mix. Place under a grill until the top of the sandwich goes a nice golden-brown colour.

While those are grilling, fry the eggs in a little foaming butter. Top each sandwich with a fried egg, chopped chives and a little bit of freshly ground pepper.