The art of the tasting menu

Last month, the W London unveiled a new collaboration with one of the UK’s most hotly tipped young talents, Ben Murphy as part of its ongoing Dining Series.

Murphy’s menu, served in the hotel’s bar and lounge, The Perception, takes guests on a journey through his childhood memories. The Week Portfolio caught up with Ben to find out how he put his tasting menu together.

How did you set about turning your life story into a menu. Did you think of the ingredients you wants to cook with first or the story you wanted to tell?

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I started with the story I wanted to tell – I focused on staple dishes that I had as a child. There is no-one in my family who is a chef, I had lots of turkey dinosaurs and potato smileys growing up. I wanted to create a menu that expanded on these childhood staples and took them to another level of flavours and textures.

In a tasting menu like this, how much do you hope the food can speak for itself, and how much do you depend on the front of house team to help?

The most important thing is for the front of house team to understand the story behind each dish and what I’m trying to achieve with the concept and presentation of the food. This is what really elevates the food to an experience.

Was there a course in the menu that you were most pleased with?

The egg and soldiers course is something I’ve created and feel particularly proud of, it will stay with me for the rest of my career. The choc ice is full of nostalgic memories for me, that was a pleasure to recreate.

Which tasting menus that you have had elsewhere do you recall best? What was special about them?

The Ledbury – the taste, the philosophy about the food and where it comes from. It is unique in every way.

How many courses is the right amount in this style of cookery?

I think seven courses is the right amount to showcase a variety of different ingredients and culinary techniques, while offering diners a full dining experience.

How do you get the balance right between courses?

By focusing on the right balance of flavours that will complement each other, as well as making sure the order of each course is perfect, building up from lighter dishes to richer flavour combinations with a few surprises along the way!

Are tasting menus a concept that only makes sense in a restaurant or can people apply the same ideas for their home dinner parties?

This is definitely something that can work at home – it just requires more than one pair of hands to prepare!

Where would you like your career to be in another 30 years’ time?

I’d like to have a few restaurants, under my own brand. My main goal is to have a respected identity that spans across multiple markets. A big part of what I do is to inspire other up and coming chefs, so I hope to continue to do that.

And if you were to continue the story you began at the W Dining Series at that point, what kinds of ingredients would you like the next seven courses of your life story to feature?

I would elevate the simple food I like to eat now when off duty, pushing them in new directions in a similar way to my current menu.

Ben Murphy’s seven-course tasting experience will be available every day from 5pm to 11pm at £49 per person. The Perception will also serve a smaller version of the menu for theatre-goers during the festive period, where diners can enjoy two courses from £17.50 between 5-7pm daily.

To book, visit theperceptionbar.com