Two minutes with Joe Laker, co-founder and executive chef of Counter 71
Tell us what inspired you to launch Counter 71?
It was an accumulation of ideas from various people who were directly or indirectly involved in the restaurant. Harry (Counter 71's GM and sommelier) and myself had spoken four or five years prior about doing a chef's table restaurant and what that would look like. It was always going to be a platform to celebrate the British Isles and what it had to offer in terms of the produce. This was the building block of the food and experience we were going to offer and it still defines what we do everyday.
How would you describe your cooking?
It's driven by produce - and development will always start with a specific item before building the dish around that. The cooking style is extremely intuitive, we have set structures, processes and systems but within that we trust our instincts and past experiences to know what to do. We taste, touch and observe, drawing on knowledge and feeling to cook. The open kitchen concept allows guests a glimpse into our world and the intricacies of it.
Your sister bar, Lowcountry, is directly below the restaurant - name your all time favourite dish and cocktail pairing.
I don't drink alcohol but I'm a huge fan of the non-alcoholic drinks that Ryan creates. Our main dessert at the moment is a tart filled with chestnut pastry cream, pear jam and finished with an apple balsamic ice cream. Ryan makes one of the best drinks I've ever tasted to pair with it, including Pathfinder elixir, citrus, aquafaba, simple syrup and soda water. It's the perfect balance of sweet, sour and bitter.