I sit here and think about ChillaxBBQ and read the comments and reviews from our clients with complete humble pride. Truly. You sort of never think that a Margate boy trained on allotments by his Mum and Grandparents, cooking for the Cub Scouts and Brownies, would one day be cooking for others and being asked to come back and cook again and again. It really is so very humbling to be in this space. Where did it start? I have to say it really did crystalize here; Kilo Under Pressure – where it all started… This amazing experience gave me such confidence to cook under pressure for others and I truly cannot thank Javier and Joshua enough for that.
Have a look at the old Beardy fucker explaining post-event how hard it was in the video above…
Plating up the deconstructed Thai Red Curry Prawns…A chance to breath and smile during services, under the ever-watchful eyes of Javier – the poker and prodder!!!Look at these two. Conspiring and causing yet more pressure on yours truly.My Pho Bo. VERY proud of this one. Super delicious and so fresh. It only takes 8 hours to make the broth, and 5 minutes to eat it.My usual quirky shit kicks into full force with this welcome cocktail. Tom Yum Spicy Cocktail nonetheless… Yeah, that’s fucking quirky!!!The actual Kilo Chef giving me some much-needed guidance, advice and support. I am actually trying to read the font 2 order tickets that seem to keep flying off the bloody machine. I need a magnifying glass or some new fucking eyes…A full table of mates and colleagues. Love them dearly for showing up and being part of the 120 PAX, but when you get the ticketing thing to squirt out an order for 25 starters it is not so nice. This is when I shit myself!!!The day before I had stripped down the meat to super tender, super lean and super thin. A quick char with the hand-torch and let the boiling broth do the rest. Oh. yeah, boiling broth that got. poured down my leg by one of the line cooks. Ouchy!!!My Cambodian Chicken Pomelo Salad ‘w’ nuts warning. I had to train the Sous Chef how to make and plate this. Sweet, sour spicy. Delicious.Here are those prawns again – beautifully plated. Served with chicken rice ‘w’ Japanese seasoning sprinkles. Yummo!!!This where our ChillaxBBQ came from – inspired by my mate Dougy P with a little Beard tweak of course. Singaporean Style Slow Roast Pork Belly ‘w’ Kimchi and Apple Mustard Puree. How good does that look…? And yes served on platters – just as we do now for ChillaxBBQ.
So there was Kilo Under Pressure – where it all started… a fantastic memory that just popped in my head as I clean up my photos on my Mac. I can’t thank Javier and Josua enough, and I certainly cannot thank enough my friends that came this night and the other Pax that took a risk. It’s how ChillaxBBQ came about. with my BFF Ruthers. I would never have had the confidence to do really cook for others professionally if not for this experience. It’s true bucket list stuff this. I shit myself but came out stronger. I fucking loved every single minute, apart from the clean down after service at midnight, the low countertops, the burns, the cuts, the heat blah, blah, blah. What an experience. Hopefully, one day we get to cook for you too and you graze!
