Friday, 7 October 2011

Bloggerview with Omar Allibhoy, the Antonio Banderas of the chef world!!



Name and occupation : Omar Allibhoy  , TV chef and  owner of Tapas Revolution , Westfield


What would you like to plug? 
 I'm currently working on an exciting campaign with Olives from Spain aiming to educate British people about how nutritious, versatile and tasty the Spanish olives are. I'm also championing the Mediterranean diet which has long been considered one of the healthiest in the world. Fresh fish, meat, pulses and vegetables make up the vast majority of meals and table olives  play a key role with a high nutritional value.

Name your three desert island ingredients :

Spanish  olives of course! Anchovies and cheese

What would you have for your last supper? 

Anything with Sea bass! Completely delicious and I used to always enjoy it when I was a child.
 
What foodstuff would you banish to room 101? 

Fast food and junk food, it tastes horrible and is so bad for you.

What's your favourite restaurant, and why? 

There are too many to choose from and it usually depends what mood I'm in at the time .

What's your favourite tipple?

A deep, fruity Spanish  red  wine? 

Which book gets you cooking ? 

We have a family cookbook that's been passed down through generations, everyone has added to it and it's our best kept secret!

What's your dream dinner party line-up?

And what would you cook for them?  I enjoy cooking for my family and friends the most and I like to experiment and try out my new dishes on them.

What was your childhood teatime treat?  

I know this sounds weird but as a child I absolutely loved olives, I think it was the salty taste that I found really moreish.

What would you make to impress your partner?

I'm a great fan of fish so it would probably be some braised seabass on a bed of peppers and Spanish olives.

What was your most memorable meal?

Meeting Gordon Ramsey and eating the meal we made together was a great milestone. He is a real inspiration to me.

What's the worst meal you've ever had? 
I always immediately regret eating fast food.
 
Who's your food hero? 

Gordon Ramsey is very inspiring and he also refers to me as the Antonio Banderas of Spanish cooking!

Wine or beer? 

Wine when I'm eating and beer with friends .

KFC or Burger King? 

Neither

What do you consider the best of the best of British?  

A traditional Sunday r oast

Which country do you look forward to going to the most because of the food?
 

Back home to Spain, I'm from Madrid and mealtimes are such social occasions with great food. 

What's the best/worst thing about the British restaurant scene?  
The best thing is that you can eat anywhere in the world here in London - the range of culinery delights is amazing and I don't think you get that anywhere else in the world. The bad thing is that Brits stick to what they know and don't try new things as much as other cultures. I'm hoping that with Olives from Spain I can inspire people to be more experimental. 

What do you think will be the next big thing? 
I  believe that Spanish food is making a real culinary comeback here in the UK and this is something I'm very passionate about - spreading the word of Spanish cooking!   

What would you do if you could choose any other career? 

Probably an architect or designer! Now I channel all my creativity into cooking.

Make a wish? I wish for people to get experimenting with food and try a new ingredient every week. This week, try the Spanish olive!


More more information on Olives from Spain please visit www.olivesfromspain.co.uk.

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