When I stepped off the tube at Chiswick Park to meet the chef of the big-league gourmet French restaurant Le Vacherin, I was rather surprised. Making my way through rows of houses, past a playground filled with children kicking a football, I spotted its small sign behind a row of trees; a rather inconspicuous setting for a restaurant of this magnitude.
But after finally stumbling in (which included a brief struggle to find the
door, as the uniform darkly tinted windows made it difficult to decide where
the grand entrance was) I was greeted with a warm smile and a cup of hot tea.
Head chef and owner Malcolm John is well aware of the out of the way location
of his restaurant, and uses it to his advantage.
’Yes,' he says, as we sit across from each other on a pair of comfortable arm chairs. 'It's in a quiet location,' Malcolm then goes on to explain to me his reasoning for placing Le Vacherin in the middle of Chiswick. ‘It's proven to be very successful because of what we offer,' he says. ‘It actually helps that you're not actually on the main road. So people want to come to your restaurant. It's a bit of an adventure to seek us out.’
Malcolm had been looking to open a restaurant in Chiswick for quite some time as a French bistro would be a one-of-a-kind offering, as well as the perfect place for him to put his skills to use. The only problem was a lack of foot traffic. Because there are less people in the area, business had to come from word of mouth, as well as vehicles passing by.
Nevertheless, Le Vacherin has managed to attract a dedicated following. By holding themed galas and black tie dinners, Malcolm carefully markets his product so that people will look forward to visiting in the future. Fortunately I had come at the right time, as Malcolm still had fresh pamphlets left over from their important Sabrage dinner the night before.
Reaching over and grabbing one from the table next to us, he puts it in my hand and explains a little more, ‘Sabrage is when you open a bottle of champaign with a sword. Julian White was the host. It was an eight course meal with three different champagnes. We did 86 covers,’ he beams. ‘It also celebrated our year's anniversary of business.’
Malcolm is now looking forward to the 14th of July, when Le Vacherin will be holding a special dinner to celebrate French Bastille Day. For £60 a head, Malcolm will be serving a seven course meal complete with Quenelle de Saumon and the traditional Crepes Suzette.
But possibly the most important dinner Le Vacherin holds is that of their namesake,
the Vacherin Dinner. When asked about this famous gourmet cheese, the normally
soft-spoken Malcolm lights up with a wealth of information. The Vacherin cheese
comes from Savoie, on the border of France and Switzerland. Because the cows
must only eat Spring grass to produce it, the cheese (which Malcolm bakes and
serves as either an appetizer, or a cheese course in itself) is only in season
a few months out of the year; from October to March. Other than between those
months, it is impossible to get.
’If somebody's selling Vacherin out of season, then it's been in their
freezer and I wouldn't recommend buying it,’ he says. ’Obviously
the restaurant's named after the cheese. So we sell a hell of a lot of Vacherin
during the season.
A lot. And in our second year, I predict it's gonna be even bigger.'
In the distant future, Malcolm has plans to expand. But for now, he is concentrating on getting Le Vacherin firmly settled into the ground. There are a few techniques he wants to try out, especially in marketing, to bring more people in and give them a more satisfying meal while they're there.
Malcolm's background has given him the experience to run a restaurant of this
caliber. A chef for 25 years, Malcolm was classically trained in French cooking
and has cooked at many hotels, including the Sirenous Hotel in Positano, Italy.
Cooking Italian food was a completely different experience for him, as the
meals were a lot simpler to prepare, and the people were more accustomed to
going out.
’You see the families eating together every day of the week, in restaurants. I think here, it's restricted to weekends and Sundays only. But that's partly because of the lifestyle you're living,’ he elaborates. ’Mum and dad work, so the only time they have to actually have to sit down together as a family is Sunday.’
Malcolm has been very busy himself. In addition to opening up his own restaurant, he also agreed to let the creators of the popular television show “Who Wants to be a Restaurateur” feature him in one of their programs. For practically a year, they brought their cameras along to document the process of opening up Le Vacherin.
’It featured the trials and tribulations that we had opening the restaurant. The problems I had with the landlord over a lease, then with the solicitor,' he explains. 'It was interesting, but, it just gives people an insight for people who don't know, to actually see what goes on in the industry. That gives them an insight into how difficult it is starting up a restaurant.'
But now, Malcolm can sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labour. His hard work has paid off, and he is running the most successful French Bistro this side of Chiswick andall because he wanted to be in charge.
’I wanted to be in control of my own destiny. Restaurants are bought
and sold every day, so any time a restaurant is bought and sold, you normally
find the
chefs are out of work. I've never been out of work in my life, and um, I just
want to take control of my own future,’ he states firmly. ’Also,
I've run a lot of other people's restaurants and I've made them a lot of money,
so why shouldn't I do it for myself?’ Seems like Malcolm is going to
be a big cheese in this fickle business.
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