Two minutes with...
What is the significance of the name 'Arete'?
Neil and I came up with it in the on a weekend away in the Peak District. Initially, it came to me because it’s the french word for ‘fish bone’, which I liked. But then we discovered that ‘Arete’ was the Greek goddess of excellence and fulfillment of potential. It was also a concept that denoted the same qualities in Ancient Greek society, which tied in nicely with our culinary ethos. And finally, an ‘arete’ is also a ridge between two mountains. We liked the metaphor here, with Neil being based in Edinburgh and myself in London. So really, Arete has a triple significance!
Describe Arete in three words:
Honest, convivial, characterful
What is your cooking style like?
Our cooking style is based on sourcing the best produce possible, using classical recipes and techniques, with a more contemporary, paired-back style of presentation. Heavily influenced by French, Spanish and Italian cuisines, we tend to embrace the more convivial sharing approach to our dishes.We both love to cook over open fire. At Barra in Berlin (where we met whilst working together), almost all of our fish and meat came off the grill and I loved mastering this technique. Using good quality coal or hardwood brings out such great flavour in a dish and where possible we always try to include this in a menu for private events or pop ups.