Carousel, London’s revolving guest-chef restaurant founded by brothers Ed and Ollie Templeton, celebrates its 10th anniversary next month, having hosted more than 350 chefs from around the world. We caught up with Ed to find out how a homespun, slightly experimental operation on the fringe of London’s dining scene in Marylebone has been transformed over a decade into one of the capital’s undoubted stars, now with a prime dining address on Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia.
Feedback in the annual Harden’s survey shows Carousel going from strength to strength, revealing an audience that really ‘gets’ what is being offered and trusts Carousel to provide a great meal every time – whereas in the early years it might have seemed more of a lucky dip. So has the Carousel team have simply got better at hosting guest chefs?
“We’ve definitely developed a lot of shared knowledge and a really confident kitchen,” Ed says, “so I’m really thrilled that has been borne out in the feedback.”
The kitchen is not simply handed over to the guest chef: instead, the guest chef works alongside Ollie’s crack in-house brigade, who are crucial to Carousel’s success. “Organisation is key,” says Ed. “We’re in conversation with dozens of chefs at any time, discussing menus, requirements, produce and so on.”
The system combines meticulous planning with a high level of flexibility. The in-house brigade has to be quick on the uptake, adapting to new methods and flavours on a weekly basis – with the improviser’s ability to handle emergencies or pivot at short notice if a residency falls through.
These challenges, though, bring real advantages in terms of recruitment and retention of good staff, says Ed. “We’ve always been able to attract really good chefs, because they know they’ll get great experience here. They might be preparing Japanese food this week and Nigerian food the next.”
And it is not just about the kitchen. A big part of the magic of Carousel is the way in which the whole team – from the back of house to the front – buys in to the concept, feeding off the excitement of each new guest chef.
A MEAL AS A PERFORMANCE
As a result, an evening at Carousel can feel more like a live event – a gig or a performance – than a meal in a restaurant. Excitement builds before the meal, and there may be a table or two of industry contacts, another of friends and family. If the guest chef is from abroad there’ll be some expats living in London, like the away support at a sports event. Then at the end, everyone joins in for a general exchange of opinions.
“We definitely wanted to create a sense of performance from the very beginning, having come into the business from the events and pop-up world,” Ed explains. “Then, when we moved to Charlotte Street, we designed the space with an open kitchen as a sort of stage. We introduce the guest chef, who says a few words, so it’s very much a dining experience rather than just a meal out.”
Interestingly, Ed does not have to devote valuable time to recruiting guest chefs – a residency at Carousel is a much sought-after gig, whether for emerging chefs wanting to showcase their ideas or established overseas stars keen to strut their stuff in London.
A big draw for the international chefs is the prime ingredients they know they will find in Britain. “Chefs from the United States, for example, are blown away by the amazing produce,” says Ed. “High-quality meat, fish and vegetables are not easy to find in the US. We tend to take for granted just how good British farming and fishing is.”
So it becomes a process of self-selection – in Ed’s words, a “nice ecosystem” – with chefs knowing when they are ready to tackle a Carousel residency.
“Word of mouth between chefs is our most powerful way of casting the net,” he says. “People in major cities around the world know who we are now. It’s a small industry, and there aren’t many degrees of separation between any two chefs.
“The other day I wondered how many countries we have hosted chefs from – I thought it would be about 30, but in fact it was 55. And we get press in those countries when their chefs visit us.”
Even so, it must be a relentless process to open what is in some respects a new restaurant every week. “It can be difficult, and with two small children I do sometimes think, my God, there have got to be easier ways to earn a living! But you live and breathe it – I’m more passionate about it today than I was when we started.”
CREATING A HOUSE STYLE
Given that, by definition, Carousel cannot project a signature style of cuisine, it has to find other ways to project its own personality and connect with customers. “The service side of things is everything to us,” explains Ed. “It’s our identity. We work really hard to show people a really great time. And it’s across the board, so for instance our sommelier team has really developed its ability to match wines with very different cuisines, week in and week out.”
All of this has been crucial to attracting a database of regular customers – for all its differences, Carousel is like any other restaurant in needing regulars if it is to fill its tables.
“We were lucky to open first in Marylebone, which is a really residential area,” says Ed. “We hadn’t really planned it, but we built an amazing network of locals who loved what we were doing and came in every other week. They liked the place, liked us – and had a completely different meal each time they came.
“We have a whole new set of regulars at Charlotte Street, who feel the same. So we’ve become a kind of neighbourhood restaurant for these people.”
Success was not instant. “In the early years we had some tumbleweed times when a guest chef was cooking to a half-empty room – it was embarrassing! But we managed to get on a roll just before covid – and there was a lot of goodwill when we resumed after the pandemic. We’ve been pretty consistently busy ever since.”
While the guest chef residencies are the heart of Carousel, Ed points to the importance of “adding new spokes to the wheel”: the operation now incorporates a thriving events business catering for up 250 people at a time, a wine bar and, most recently, a ‘mescalaria and tostada bar’ called No 23.
FAVOURITE GUEST CHEFS
While Carousel maintains a high ratio of new and unfamiliar chefs, it also has repeat residencies from chefs who have made a particular impact, either through their cooking or through sheer personality – and some have become close friends. We asked Ed to name a few of his favourites.
“Ollie was still in his early 20s when Mathieu Pérez, a French chef based in Barcelona, cooked here, and made a real impression on him. He’s a big inspiration.
“Carl Ishizaki from Stockholm also made a big impression with his Japanese-Swedish cooking. Santiago Lastra cooked here before he opened Kol, and has become a really good friend.
“Romy Gill has been six or seven times – she’s now part of the family. Danny Lee, a Korean-American chef from Washington DC, came with his mum, who is in her 70s and hand-made the noodles and dumplings. He took the whole team to karaoke, and everyone was swept up by his enthusiasm to have a great time – and that’s what life’s all about!”
CAROUSEL celebrates its 10th anniversary with a week of one-night-only dinners from October 15-19. Reservations are now open.
