April 15, 2021

We caught up with Dominique Ansel from Dominique Ansel Bakery…check out what he told us!

What is your favourite dish on your own menu and why?
The DKA (Dominique’s Kouign Amann) – it’s similar to a caramelized croissant, with tender flaky layers inside and a caramelized crunchy crust outside. I have one every morning for breakfast. It’s been with us since day 1 in NYC and is our best-seller in each of our shops, including here in London.

What is your desert island dish?
A fresh-baked baguette still warm from the oven served with good butter, with freshly-shucked oysters with lots of different mignonettes and a nice bottle of champagne. Rice with a fried egg on top, served with good soy sauce and Japanese pork sausage.

What is your favourite seasonal dish?
Cassoulet, a classic French stew that’s traditionally eaten around the holidays and during the chillier months. It’s made with braised pork belly, two kinds of pork sausage, duck confit, white tarbais beans, garlic, onions, tomatoes, herbs, plenty of good French wine, and always fresh-baked baguette on the side to sop up all the sauce. It’s a tradition for us now – I made a big pot of it for our team family meal around Christmastime, and we all enjoy it together. I call it our Three-Day Cassoulet – it takes three days to make it (soaking the beans and confit-ing the duck on day 1, searing the meats and slowly cooking it all together on day 2, and eating it on day 3). And I make a hefty enough portion that it takes about three days to eat too.

What drink would you pair with it?
A nice bottle of Bordeaux.

What is your favourite restaurant in London and why?
It’s hard to choose just one – London is such a diverse city with old-school spots that have been there for decades or even centuries, to cuisines from all different cultures and some amazing young chefs doing really creative new things. I love sitting along the bar at Barrafina in Soho for a glass of wine and their pan con tomate – I always try to visit whenever I’m in London.

St. John is always a classic, and The Wolseley is one of those timeless quintessential British spots (it’s where I tried my first kedgeree ever).

The Ledbury is also one of my favorites – it’s such a special thoughtful experience and I love what Brett is doing. And I recently had a wonderful meal at BRAT – there’s a simplicity and elegance to everything on the menu that makes it wonderful.

What is your favourite thing about Taste?
This is our very first time participating in Taste, so I’m looking forward to seeing all the diversity that comes together from all across London.