Celebrity chef profile - Driving ambition

Ed Baines almost gave up cooking to take up car design, but staying in the kitchen paid off. Now, writes Humayun Hussain, he has a gastro pub, two restaurants and a TV career to his name.

 There is something almost cheeky and boyish about Ed Baines. His tongue seems firmly set in his cheek most of the time and, to make matters worse, he's just told me he's recently been eating snake and fish brains. You then realise that he's being deadly serious. So what's he doing gorging on things most of us would run a mile from? "I was in Vietnam for what one might call an inspirational gastronomic tour,"​ he says with glee. "I know south-east Asian food is very fashionable in the west, but I wanted to understand how certain ingredients and flavours are married without making a mess of it. "As for my eating snake and certain parts of fish, they say in the Orient that anything that walks, swims or flies is edible and so it was. I'm prepared to eat anything that has fresh and vibrant flavouring and am much more likely to balk at something that comes out of a box or tin than grilled snake!"​

 The 37-year-old London-born chef has never been less then gutsy. He left boarding school at 16 and with a little arm-twisting from his mother literally went walking up the high street to look for a job. With a strong interest in cars, he at first landed a short stint as a junior apprentice at a garage full of old Ferraris. When that didn't work out, he ended up as a trainee and "general dog's body"​ at a patisserie. "The place really struck a chord with me," says Ed. "Learning pastry making, how a kitchen is structured and even washing up all helped because it was such a learning place for anyone wanting to be a chef."​ His tenure enabled him to get a place at the Dorchester as an apprentice chef, followed by a six-month contract in the kitchen of a French luxury cruise liner.

 Working practically seven days a week, doing anything from cooking breakfast to room service and everything in between, Ed learnt the hard slog of being a chef. "I thoroughly enjoyed it,"​ he says. "How couldn't you when you're 17, have a beautiful 32-year-old girlfriend, money in your pocket and days off in Monte Carlo?" He was soon whisked off to Queensland, Australia, as part of a recruitment drive for European chefs. "I love the approach that the Australians have towards food,"​ says Ed. "All the ingredients, from the fish to the meat and vegetables, are fresh and there are no boundaries, so cooking is always forward thinking."​ After working there for almost two years as a chef de partie, Ed returned to London. A little disenchanted after some work at Bibendum, he was close to giving up theworld of cooking and was thinking of taking a foundation course at Kingston University to get into car design.

 As luck would have it he met Ruth Rogers of the River Café. They hit it off immediately, he got a job there and still has nothing but praise for the restaurant and its owners. Next he took the job of head chef at the fashionable Daphne's and the sky was suddenly the limit. "I found myself being made all kinds of financial offers,"​ he states. "It was the perfect opportunity to open my own restaurant."​ Ed got together with his now business partner, James Poulton, and, after a few false starts, launched Randall & Aubin, the "rotisserie and Champagne oyster bar"​, in Soho, followed by the Ifield gastro pub in Chelsea and, subsequently, the second Randall & Aubin - in Fulham. The Belsize, another gastro pub, in Hampstead, north London was sold off last year. Has the journey been worth it? "Absolutely,"​ says Ed, without hesitation. "Cooking has given me an opportunity to see the world, work in television and be able to have my own business. Then again, the journey is never-ending, because when you are cooking you are also always learning."​

 Food ​

 Randall & Aubin​ 16 Brewer Street, London W1

 Opened:​ 1996 Decor and ambience:​ An old Victorian butcher's shop with lots of stool seating from which to watch the world go by. Quiet by the day, but busy and atmospheric by night. Menu:​ "Unpretentious with something for everyone," says Ed. Anything from a hot chicken baguette with fries to a platter of fruits de mer royale. Seafood, particularly the oysters, are a speciality and bought daily directly from fishermen.

 The Ifield​59 Ifield Road, London SW10

 Opened:​ 1999Decor and ambience:​ Handsome looking Chelsea gastro pub which is always busy. Yellow walls with bright lighting and beautiful antiques create a nice and snug atmosphere. Menu:​ Anglo-French fare with some global touches. So one minute you could be having bangers & mash with gravy or haddock & chips and the next, vegetarian tagine or Thai red roast duck. "I try and give the Ifield the mark of what I think a good gastro pub should be," states Ed, "a place to have earthy food made with the freshest of ingredients."

 Randall & Aubin​329-331 Fulham Road, London SW10

 Opened:​ 2001 Decor and ambience:​ Upmarket modern brasserie-style look with teak veneers and booth seating. Clientele can range anywhere from cinema goers from the multiplex next door to serious diners for a night out. Menu:​ Eclectic, with an emphasis on comfort food. Aside from staples such as Caesar salad and burgers and steaks, there is salt & pepper squid with tamarind dressing, pork belly with braised pear syrup and various grills.

 Drink​

 Randall & Aubin​ Soho

 Wine:​ The list changes twice a year according to the winter and summer seasons. Emphasis is on wherever the wines of the moment are being produced, so South American ones, particularly Argentinian and Chilean bottles, make a strong impression. Beer:​ None on tap as the premises are small. Otherwise, recognisable bottled ones such as Sol, Corona, Pilsner and Moretti.

 The Ifield​Chelsea

 Wine:​ Classical with lots of French and Italian reds, though there are more whites in the summer. Beer: Guinness and London Pride with two guest ales from local breweries across the UK. "As far as I'm concerned," says Ed, "one of the main reasons to go to a pub is to have ale. It's far more pleasurable then a lager and the taste is magnificent."

 Randall & Aubin​ Fulham

 Wine:​ A "sombre" list according to Ed with less emphasis on sparkling white wines and more on the reds. Like Ed's other two establishments, the wine list here changes every six months. Beer:​ Moretti on tap is very popular with clientele. Otherwise, bottled fare such as Leffe, Tiger and Hoergarden. Beer is more popular during the day and at weekends compared to wine.