In the kitchen at Foliage

Maybe it's because I'm a South Londoner (Dee dum, dee dum dee dum!) that I always fondly imagine Islington as a fairy land of superb Georgian houses, very few of them flats, all lived in by successful people driving Saabs and with kids called Jocasta and Toby. So it's a bit of a shock to come out of Highbury Station and see scenes worse than my native Streatham. Beggars begging, druggies crashed out in corners, filthy streets and noisy traffic. Walking away from the area things get better, there are the houses I imagined and there are the people - albeit behind rather a lot of security grilles.

And these people like their food and price is not a problem. Which is why on an unattractive main road, Morgan Meunier's eponymous restaurant MorganM is doing gangbusters business every night. 'You can't book,' he tells me later. 'We are booked solid four weeks in advance and we don't take bookings any further ahead than that.' This seems a puzzling Catch 22 situation, but I suggest you just call and see.

I'm early at 9am so I take a seat in the converted pub. Morgan designed the place from a ripped out hulk of a boozer. He painted the art on the walls, he chose the unique cutlery and crockery and, of course, he is the Head Chef. Somehow I don't think Gordon Ramsay would paint his own pictures or have the bottle to put the results on the wall. Morgan is nothing if not self-confident. As the good-looking staff potter about murmuring in French and ironing tablecloths, I check out Monsieur M's CV.

Morgan was previously Head Chef at the Admiralty Restaurant, The Strand, and prior to that was at Monsieur Max, Twickenham, where he gained a Michelin star. He is of course, French, and here he comes now, chef whites concealed under a flasher's raincoat. He's been out checking with a supplier which conjures up images of early mornings huddled in the semi darkness choosing fish or something. Morgan disabuses me of that notion. 'We work late into the evening; we aren't getting up at dawn to go buy produce. We rely on our suppliers and we trust them, because after all we are only as good as what we get.' As he points out, 'If we start buying average produce the people will are going to get average meals.'

Average is not what MorganM is about. 'Oh no, everything we do here is about celebration. People come here because they plan to feel good.' This is something Morgan has brought with him from his childhood in France. 'I am not, in that clichéd way, cooking because my mother was a great cook. In fact, and she agrees, she is not a good cook,' he laughs. 'But as a family we did like to mark special occasions with a meal at a very good restaurant. It might have only been once a year, but that sense of occasion, of pleasure, drew me to this industry.'

Morgan's menus are rather special it has to be said. For a start he is solidly seasonal. 'Yes I stick to seasonal, 100%', he cheerfully confirms. 'It's natural. You want to eat appropriate to the season. Who wants a warming heavy soup in the middle of summer and who wants a chilly gazpacho on a Winter's day? Generally we change the menus every season but as the seasons don't really last three months anymore there is some overlap. And of course there is the Christmas menu which I don't see as turkey but an excuse to indulge in rich ingredients like lobster, venison and sauternes jelly. Those sorts of things.'

They are tasting menus, but unlike most Morgan does not insist the whole table has the same dishes, instead he arranges it so that everyone has the same starter then can choose a second course, then have the same third course and so on. 'Yes I want people to have a degree of choice. Two people will have about twelve different dishes between them, so they get to try a lot more. Of course this adds more work in the kitchen, forty eight customers all having multiple dishes. But again it's all about the event. People don't come here for a three-course meal; they leave having had an experience. The number of courses is part of that and there is only one service, so no one is ever rushed. Lunch extends a long time, particularly on Fridays,' he laughs. 'No one is going back to the office.'

'We are also careful to time the courses correctly.' Morgan explains. 'When people first arrive of course they are hungry. So we bring the first two courses fairly smartly. No one wants to be feeling hungry, unable to concentrate on the conversation because they are looking around for their food.' They could load up on bread? 'Well bread is an important part of a French meal, ' he agrees. ' We offer three different types and plenty of lovely Normandy butter but no, we don't want to keep them waiting.' After the initial cravings have been dealt with, the pace slows. 'Yes, we then leave a slightly longer gape between courses and we have a break between fish and meat course.'

This is all obviously puts great demands on the staff and Morgan is adamant about keeping the restaurant closed on certain days. 'This means that everyone gets a break and, importantly, that we all are off on the same days and in on the same days. With staff rotating, some in some off, the consistency is challenged. Here the same team will cook your meal on Friday as cooked it on Wednesday. You can be confident of quality.'

At this point, as I ask about staff levels, Morgan invites me down the kitchen. A flight of vertiginous stairs (must be a worry when you're carrying laden plates) leads down to a busy space. People seem to be eviscerating various poultry and a radio is blaring Rolling Stones. This is the time of day when brigades can kick back a bit and relax, getting on with mostly dull jobs and chatting and laughing while moving fluidly through the prepping tasks. Morgan points out the various stations emphasising the need for a logical flow. 'It's not a production line,' he reassures me. 'More a hub system. Each component is brought to the central assembly area exactly when it is needed. Keeping the flow is crucial to keeping the standards.'

Morgan's style is unique. As he says, copying others is a waste of time. 'Of course all we chefs have similar backgrounds in cooking, that's inevitable. But here, at the end of the day I have no style other than my own. Of course you can't put in "Morgan's" under category on your website so.' he ponders for a bit.'.French fine dining.. no. okay "A modern approach to French food rooted in the classical tradition" , will that do?'

Very nicely, thanks.