1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to River Cafe, Table four, a production of iHeartRadio 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: and Adami's Studios. 3 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:08,600 Speaker 2: Hi. I'm Michael Caine and I'm here with a very 4 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 2: good friend of mine called Ruthie Rogers. 5 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 3: I often say that the real reason I have a 6 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 3: restaurant is that once a week I get to walk 7 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:25,919 Speaker 3: Michael Caine from Table four through the crowded restaurant to 8 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 3: his car and say good night to a man I 9 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 3: admire and I adore. 10 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 2: Is that me? Oh? Yeah, well, I love the restaurant. 11 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 3: I always say, what do we always say? Now? We 12 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 3: both say it the only reason she has a restaurant. 13 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 3: In each episode, my guest reads a recipe they have 14 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:53,159 Speaker 3: chosen from one of our cookbooks. I talk about food, 15 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 3: the food they cook, the food they eat, and most 16 00:00:57,200 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 3: of all, the food of their memories. 17 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 2: The River Cafe have a dessert which is my favorite, 18 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 2: and it's called Pannacotta with grapper. So what I'm going 19 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 2: to do is I'm going to give you the recipe 20 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 2: in cash. You want to make it for yourself, Okay, 21 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 2: Pour nine hundred milligrams of cream into a pan, Add 22 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,839 Speaker 2: the vanilla pods, add the lemon ride, bring to the boil. 23 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 2: Simmer and reducee by a third pass through a sieve. 24 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 2: Then scrape the seeds from inside the vanilla pods back 25 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 2: into the cream and discard the alter pods. Remove the 26 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 2: gelatine from the milk. Heat the milk until hot, then 27 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:45,960 Speaker 2: return the gelatine to the milk and stir until dissolved. 28 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 2: Pour through a sieve into a hot cream and leave 29 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 2: to cool, stirring occasionally. Lightly whip the remaining cream with 30 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 2: the icing sugar, fold into the cold cream mixture and 31 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 2: then add grapper. It is now ready to be poured 32 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 2: into six small balls and put into the fridge for 33 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:10,399 Speaker 2: at least three hours or if you like, overnight. 34 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 3: So, Michael, here we are Yeh River Cafe. But let's 35 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:19,639 Speaker 3: go back to the beginning. You were born in London. 36 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, I was born in Burmasey, which is South London. 37 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 2: But I'm a company because I was born in a 38 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:29,360 Speaker 2: part of Burmasey which is opposite bow Bells. And if 39 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 2: you're born within the sound of bow bells, you're a company. 40 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 3: What about food? Do you have memories of food? 41 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 2: Yeah? My memory of food is this. My father was 42 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:40,920 Speaker 2: a Billies Gape fish market porter and he was a 43 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 2: big gambler, and so he never bought steak or anything. 44 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 2: It was too deer. But he used to nick a 45 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,919 Speaker 2: lot of fish. So for fifteen years I ate fish, 46 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 2: every kind of fish you can imagine, and I realized 47 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 2: that's a very healthy thing. And also another accidental healthy 48 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:58,919 Speaker 2: thing for me was the Second World War. You couldn't 49 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:00,960 Speaker 2: get any sugar. You couldn't get any of those things, 50 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 2: those drinks that you have now with all this sugar 51 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 2: in it. Then I was evacuated into the country away 52 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 2: from the smug which in Bermondsey then was terrible because 53 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 2: of everyone had cold fires. But I was evacuated to 54 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 2: the country and I lived on a farm for six years. 55 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 3: Do you remember the food there. 56 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 2: Oh, the food was wonderful. I mean some of the 57 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 2: food I caught myself because I could outrun a rabbit. 58 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:23,680 Speaker 2: And I used to catch a rabbit with a stick 59 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 2: and give it to my mother to cook for dinner. 60 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 2: Pheasant partridge. We remember all those things, and so thinking 61 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 2: back on it, health wise, I was very lucky. And 62 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 2: not on top of all that, my mother insisted I 63 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 2: ate porridge for breakfast. For fifteen years. 64 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 3: You had fish, you had pheasants, had. 65 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 2: Porridge, rabbit and everything had fresh vegetables. We lived on 66 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 2: a farm. We used to go and knick the cabbage. 67 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 2: And eventually we came back to London and the council 68 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 2: gave us a prefabricated house which was made of asbestos, 69 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 2: and they put them up like in two weeks, and 70 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 2: people were sort of sympathizing with people like me who 71 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 2: were having to live in these prefabricated houses. And what 72 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 2: they didn't know was what life was like before because 73 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 2: in the flat we lived in when I was a 74 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 2: little boy, there was no toilet. For a start. You 75 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:19,600 Speaker 2: had to go down to the garden, so I had 76 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:23,840 Speaker 2: very strong legs, or you bought a pot pop, you know. 77 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 2: But when we walked into the prefab the first time, 78 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,960 Speaker 2: my brother Stanley and I, we were stunned. We were 79 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 2: in a place which for the first time had electric light, 80 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 2: an indoor toilet, and it had a little garden. It 81 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 2: was unbelievable in the middle of London and the Elephant Castle. 82 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 3: Do you remember the kitchen. 83 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 2: The kitchen was lovely. It was an electric stove and 84 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 2: a refrigerator, you know, it was a refrigerator. We'd never 85 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 2: seen a refrigerator and we had a bathroom. I mean 86 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:55,480 Speaker 2: when we used to have a bath in the kitchen, 87 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:57,600 Speaker 2: in a bath that my mothers pour hot watering in 88 00:04:57,720 --> 00:04:58,119 Speaker 2: the kettle. 89 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:02,799 Speaker 3: So you imagine mother and father moving with their children 90 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 3: to this prefabricated house which it had had a bathroom, 91 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 3: it had a kitchen, it had a view, it had 92 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:12,720 Speaker 3: a garden. So how do you think that changed her 93 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 3: way of being with you and cooking for you. 94 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 2: It was fabulous for her because it cut out masses 95 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 2: of work to do things, you know, And she was 96 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:24,240 Speaker 2: so happy and the food got even better. 97 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 3: Why do you like the pana cootta? 98 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:34,280 Speaker 2: Well, the panakotta has little bits of fruit in it, 99 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 2: and I can eat that without conscience because I'm eating fruit, 100 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:41,120 Speaker 2: you know. And I said, oh, look it's a BlackBerry. 101 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 3: Yah. 102 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 2: It just happened to have a little bit of extra 103 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 2: panicotta with it because it was quite old and I 104 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:50,680 Speaker 2: can't stuff down sugar as much as i'd like to, 105 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 2: and there's quite a lot of sugar in it. 106 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 3: It's quite a bit. But she just read the have 107 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 3: you ever made it? 108 00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:00,160 Speaker 2: Oh? No, I never make desserts. I only does and 109 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:02,120 Speaker 2: veitch because I'm afraid of eating them. 110 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 3: Oh, okay. And what do you make when you make 111 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 3: a main course? What do you like to cook? 112 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 2: Well, I'm the one responsible in the house for Sunday lunch, 113 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 2: so I do roast beef, roast lam Christmas, I do 114 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:17,680 Speaker 2: the roast turkey. I do the best, allegedly the best 115 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 2: roast potatoes anybody who ever came ever eaten. Yeah, I'm 116 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:24,039 Speaker 2: very good at that. Well, the trick is, when they're 117 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 2: cooked is to mash them just a little bit, just 118 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:29,320 Speaker 2: crack them open, put oil on them, and then bake 119 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 2: them again, so they always got baked inside. Oh yeah, 120 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 2: but I've never eaten panicotta in any other reund but yours. Okay, Well, 121 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 2: I always eat it every time I come. 122 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,160 Speaker 3: You do? You come usually on a Wednesday or Thursday. 123 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:47,160 Speaker 3: You always sit on table for and you always sit 124 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 3: at the same seat. And I was just wondering how 125 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 3: you feel about restaurants and food. 126 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 2: Well, I love restaurants. I've owned a couple. I don't 127 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:58,599 Speaker 2: use restaurants for occasions. Restaurants are part of my life. 128 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 3: Because your mom worked in the Lion's Corner house. 129 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, my mother was a cook in a lion's corner house. 130 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 2: That was the first sort of brasserie in England that 131 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 2: I ever saw. There were no braiseries in England, but 132 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 2: Lion's Corner House was a brasserie. I realized later when 133 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,559 Speaker 2: I went to France and loved the braseries in France, 134 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 2: and I came back to England and I met Peter 135 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 2: Langan and we both said there isn't a brasserie in London, 136 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 2: and we opened Langard's brasseriie together, what was it like 137 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 2: being involved in a restaurant fabulous? 138 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:34,160 Speaker 3: What did you like about it? 139 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 2: Well? I loved the idea right from the start of 140 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:41,000 Speaker 2: designing the restaurant and didn't getting drunk for nothing. 141 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 3: How did you design it? What would your design be? 142 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:46,480 Speaker 2: Of the design there is? I said, how we got 143 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 2: to design this? Said Peter Langer, my partner. He said, 144 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 2: We've got masses of walls. It was an enormous restaurant. 145 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 2: He said, we cover them with pictures, paintings. I said, paintings. 146 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 2: I said, I'm the money. I said no, he said, 147 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 2: we'll get wonderful paintings for very little money. Because I 148 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 2: had the perfect partner, who's going to help me? Choose him? 149 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 2: I said, what's his name? He said, David? Helpney. David 150 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:14,160 Speaker 2: even did the menu forever. Yeah, so I had a 151 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:14,880 Speaker 2: great time. 152 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:27,840 Speaker 3: When you sort of started out acting and being an 153 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 3: actor on your own. Was food important to you then? 154 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 3: Would you grab something or did you go back to 155 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 3: your Now? 156 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 2: I used to go to the cheapest possible restaurant I 157 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 2: could find. I mean, I had no money. I found 158 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 2: an Italian restaurant in Soho that served three course meal 159 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 2: for half a crown. 160 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 3: Half a crown and six. I interviewed Paul McCartney the 161 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:49,480 Speaker 3: other day and he was telling me that the first 162 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 3: really good meal that he remembers was going with George 163 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:57,080 Speaker 3: Martin to Latoine and that was an awakening for him 164 00:08:57,280 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 3: of what food could be. Do you remember an experience 165 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 3: going from an expensive, cheap restaurants to actually having your first. 166 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 2: Well, my first thing was when my dad died. He 167 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 2: left me a bit of money, about one hundred pounds, 168 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:13,559 Speaker 2: and I was so sad. I thought, I'm going to 169 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:16,160 Speaker 2: get on a train and go to Paris. And I 170 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 2: got on a train on my own and went to Paris. 171 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:22,240 Speaker 2: And I stayed there for about seven months. And I 172 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 2: adored the food in Paris. I loved it, but I 173 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 2: adore English. 174 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 3: I remember how old you were when you went to Paris. 175 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 2: I was seventeen seventeen. 176 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:33,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, so you took the hundred pounds at the one 177 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 3: hundred pounds last year seven months. 178 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 2: No I worked. I used to sell on the street, 179 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 2: freaked freak for a franc used to get free for 180 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:43,560 Speaker 2: a franc. I used to sell that. And I had 181 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 2: a French mate who had a cafe so there. Then 182 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:50,839 Speaker 2: I had an American friend, another sort of broke like me, 183 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 2: and he worked in the air terminal, so I used 184 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 2: to go in there and I could get free food 185 00:09:57,559 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 2: from him. And I used to have an empty suitcase. 186 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:01,880 Speaker 2: I'd sleep on the sofa as I was waiting for 187 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:04,599 Speaker 2: a plane if I didn't have enough money. But I 188 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:07,240 Speaker 2: love Paris, and I learned to speak French. I speak 189 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:08,280 Speaker 2: very good friends, It's good. 190 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:10,959 Speaker 3: Do you remember, like the first grand meal that you 191 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:12,959 Speaker 3: had when you had money, which will you take into 192 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 3: a restaurant and had something amazingly sophisticated to eat and 193 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,680 Speaker 3: that made you interested in food, even food. 194 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 2: Yeah. The restaurant was the White Elephant, that was Encouragement Street. Yes, 195 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:27,880 Speaker 2: and we went there. I'm trying to think what the 196 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:30,319 Speaker 2: hell it was We had. Oh it was to do 197 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 2: with cavia. Ah, and there was cavia all over the place, 198 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:37,679 Speaker 2: and I never got over that. I'd never eaten the 199 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:41,000 Speaker 2: caviar obviously couldn't afford it. But then this whole dish 200 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 2: was cavire. It was wonderful. I know who it was too. 201 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 2: Harry Saltzmith had given me the part in Ichris File, 202 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 2: and he took me to the White Elephant. And of 203 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 2: course I was under contract. You know, I could have 204 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 2: anything I liked, and I suddenly realized that's what my 205 00:10:59,120 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 2: life is going to be. 206 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:03,840 Speaker 3: But having great food could be possible. 207 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:06,199 Speaker 2: Yeah, having enough money to have great. 208 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 3: Food, because I think food is an aspiration, isn't it 209 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 3: Having great food or something that you can it opens 210 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:12,880 Speaker 3: you up to a world. 211 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 2: Is why I come here. 212 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 3: What about when you went to make the Italian Job 213 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 3: in Italy? What was that like? 214 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:19,200 Speaker 2: Oh? I had a wonderful time. It was a great 215 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:20,240 Speaker 2: restaurant every evening. 216 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 3: Did they cook on set? Do you eat? No? 217 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:24,439 Speaker 2: No, we didn't buy that much with lunch because a 218 00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:26,560 Speaker 2: movie is a hard thing to make, you know, especially 219 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,240 Speaker 2: when with all those cars and crowds, like an Italian job. 220 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:31,520 Speaker 2: So we concentrated on that all day. I mean, you 221 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:33,839 Speaker 2: wind up having a sandwich or a bowl of spaghetti, 222 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:36,199 Speaker 2: but then you'd have a great meal in the evening. 223 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:38,240 Speaker 3: And if you are in a film, do you really 224 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:40,400 Speaker 3: try and avoid food or do you find it's good 225 00:11:40,440 --> 00:11:40,840 Speaker 3: to sit. 226 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:42,719 Speaker 2: Down and have no I avoid food. Yeah, I don't 227 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:44,199 Speaker 2: want to go to sleep in the afternoon when I 228 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:46,880 Speaker 2: was supposed to be doing ten pages of dialogue. Food 229 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:48,079 Speaker 2: makes you go to sleep. 230 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 3: When you make movies in la Is there a restaurant 231 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 3: that you go to? 232 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:53,199 Speaker 4: Oh? 233 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, Chasins. 234 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,120 Speaker 3: We ate the Chasin tell us about Chasins. 235 00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 2: Chasins was almost like a club. I used to go 236 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:06,079 Speaker 2: there every Friday and you look around the room and 237 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 2: Alfred Hitchcock was always sitting there. Kerry Grant was over there, 238 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 2: you know, and it was one of those incredible places, 239 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:18,200 Speaker 2: you know. But everybody only ever went to the same 240 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 2: restaurant on the same day. If you went to Chasings 241 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 2: on a Tuesday, would have been crowded, but there'd been 242 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 2: no stars there. The stars were there Friday night, and 243 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:31,640 Speaker 2: Spargo was another one Thursday. Everyone was in Spargo. And 244 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:34,080 Speaker 2: the great thing about that is that there was great 245 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:38,880 Speaker 2: food and a great atmosphere. But there were stars everywhere, 246 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:41,960 Speaker 2: just all the movie stars I've been seeing in movies 247 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 2: all my life. My grandfather knew Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred Hitchcock 248 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:49,560 Speaker 2: was born in South London. His father had a grocery 249 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:53,720 Speaker 2: store next door to my great grandfather with Alfred Hitchcock. 250 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:58,000 Speaker 2: When I went to Universal making a picture Gambit with 251 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:01,960 Speaker 2: Shirley McLean, was given a dressing room bungalow next door 252 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 2: to his. His was a permanent one, it was always in. 253 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:06,760 Speaker 2: Mine was a temporary one. And I've got to know 254 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:09,760 Speaker 2: him very welcome from both from South London. And I 255 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:11,800 Speaker 2: said him one day I saw, I said, I saw 256 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:15,439 Speaker 2: strangers on a train and there wasn't one shot of 257 00:13:15,559 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 2: a train in the entire movie, going along a track 258 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:24,320 Speaker 2: to somewhere. He said, whose viewpoint on the train would 259 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:29,960 Speaker 2: that have been? And there in one line he summed 260 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:33,760 Speaker 2: up directing movies. And I remember that you never did 261 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:34,440 Speaker 2: a movie. 262 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 3: With his Scot, did you. 263 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:38,800 Speaker 2: I bet people who did movies and they loved him. 264 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:41,640 Speaker 2: I never did. I never got that lucky. 265 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:44,160 Speaker 4: If you sit near the wood of and you get 266 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 4: a great view of what we're cooking, whether it's dover soles, turbots, pigeons, 267 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:52,960 Speaker 4: or pieces of beef. Today we're making potatoes eleven oregano, 268 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,840 Speaker 4: parsley and black olive alfuna. The potatoes are in here 269 00:13:56,880 --> 00:13:59,440 Speaker 4: now with all the herbs, good olive, all season twelve. 270 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:01,720 Speaker 4: You have to incorporate all your. 271 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:05,160 Speaker 2: Mouthy lemons chopped and chopped garlic a little bit later. 272 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:08,160 Speaker 4: If I put them into soon, the garlic would probably 273 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 4: go too quickly, as with the lemon. Now the potatoes 274 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 4: have had a bit of a head start. 275 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:13,719 Speaker 2: Then we'll get all the lemon and the garlic in 276 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 2: that and they will all come together. 277 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:25,920 Speaker 3: The other thing I think about restaurants, having worked in 278 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:28,960 Speaker 3: one and having an open kitchen really seeing the people 279 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 3: who come in, is that people do very private things 280 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 3: in a public space. So they'll use a restaurant to 281 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 3: fire someone, or they'll use a restaurant admit an affair, 282 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 3: or they'll use a restaurant to get divorced. You see 283 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 3: a lot of tears, but if you talk to my waiters, 284 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:46,680 Speaker 3: they will tell you about the amazing amount of people 285 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:47,960 Speaker 3: who'll cry. 286 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:51,680 Speaker 2: Well, people at my table have cried, but with laughter, wait, 287 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:53,080 Speaker 2: jokes and stuff. 288 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 3: You know. 289 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:55,160 Speaker 2: I consider myself a Duff commits. 290 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:56,800 Speaker 3: When you've been asked to be in a movie, will 291 00:14:56,920 --> 00:14:59,040 Speaker 3: you have had meetings with you know? 292 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:05,200 Speaker 2: Oh, in Hollywood you're always with executives and it's quite serious. 293 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 2: But it's never dinner. It's always lunch. I would never 294 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:12,320 Speaker 2: discuss business at dinner. You've got to come to lunch 295 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 2: for that, because I'm not wasting the dinner doing it. 296 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:14,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, you know. 297 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 2: Do you think that's just you or is it most people? 298 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:21,360 Speaker 2: You go into Hollywood restaurants at lunch time and it's 299 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:23,680 Speaker 2: all business. Yeah, it's all business lunches. 300 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 3: When Richard and I went to New York, the thing 301 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:28,680 Speaker 3: that I was really interested was we were often taken 302 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 3: out to lunch by his clients, to the Four Seasons 303 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 3: and the Secret Building. And the thing I still notice 304 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:37,000 Speaker 3: is that nobody drinks. No. You know, Richard asked for 305 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 3: a glass of white wine, and I think they thought 306 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:42,000 Speaker 3: he was an alcoholic, you know, having and if you 307 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:44,800 Speaker 3: go around, they're having fantastic food, but with iced tea. 308 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 2: With New York, I find a restaurant and live in it. 309 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:49,320 Speaker 4: Yeah. 310 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:53,400 Speaker 2: My restaurant in New York was Elaines. Yeah. Elaine was 311 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:56,560 Speaker 2: a lady who owned this restaurant named after her, and 312 00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 2: she was one of my closest friends. And she was 313 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 2: everyone's close, just mine, and you always met people there. Yeah, 314 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,680 Speaker 2: I mean it was a very showbiz area. Yeah, very showbiz. 315 00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:10,720 Speaker 3: I know for myself that people will return to a 316 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 3: restaurant where they're welcomed with warmth, with kindness, and the 317 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:18,800 Speaker 3: food might not be the top priority, but people will 318 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 3: come back to a restaurant if their chicken was overcooked 319 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:24,920 Speaker 3: or their lemon tart was a bit you know, curdly. 320 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:27,280 Speaker 3: But I certainly will not go back to a restaurant 321 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:30,480 Speaker 3: where I've been treated badly or I've been people been arrogant, 322 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:33,080 Speaker 3: or you know, you go. I want people to feel 323 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 3: safe when they. 324 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:37,520 Speaker 2: Go on restaurant where I got treated badly. I never 325 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 2: did because I'm so fussy about restaurants, and yeah, I 326 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,560 Speaker 2: read about them, you know, before I go the first time. Yeah, 327 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:46,240 Speaker 2: and I've always been in restaurants all over the world, 328 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:50,400 Speaker 2: but the River Cafe in particular. Someone took me there 329 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:53,640 Speaker 2: the first time, and I was stunned by the restaurant. 330 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:56,680 Speaker 2: I had never seen a restaurant like that. It was 331 00:16:56,760 --> 00:17:00,400 Speaker 2: the highest restaurant I've been in the widest and being 332 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:04,119 Speaker 2: well known, and people coming asking for autographs. You sit 333 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 2: so far apart from each other that no one recognizes you, 334 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:10,640 Speaker 2: especially if like me, got a baseball cap and dark glasses. 335 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:11,720 Speaker 3: You know that helps. 336 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:15,159 Speaker 2: And you can see all the staff cooking, and there 337 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:18,800 Speaker 2: was a big boiler doing pizzas with great big flames 338 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:19,320 Speaker 2: coming out. 339 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:20,760 Speaker 3: You would be meaning the wood oven. 340 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:24,159 Speaker 2: Yeah, And I had never seen a restaurant like that. 341 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:26,600 Speaker 2: I mean of the sixties, the big popular restaurants for 342 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:31,440 Speaker 2: small Italian brasseries which took over from the English restaurant. 343 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:33,720 Speaker 2: You know, where you had to leave a sort of 344 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:36,679 Speaker 2: nine o'clock about half past eight. You see the headweight. 345 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:39,480 Speaker 2: They're looking at his watch. Great, when are the bloody 346 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:43,399 Speaker 2: people leaving? But what there was also he sees the timing. 347 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,320 Speaker 2: You stay as long as you like. You leave when 348 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:49,040 Speaker 2: you finished the dinner, not when the waiters have got 349 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:49,480 Speaker 2: fed up. 350 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:52,320 Speaker 3: I think that when Rose and I started the River Cafe, 351 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:54,680 Speaker 3: we were at a point in restaurant world. And it 352 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:57,359 Speaker 3: wasn't just us. It was Alice Walters in San Francisco 353 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:01,320 Speaker 3: and Sally Clark in London and Roly in London as well. 354 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:02,680 Speaker 3: And I think we were at a point where you 355 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:07,639 Speaker 3: could either go to a very very established, well cooked 356 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,280 Speaker 3: meal formal it was an occasion you would go out, 357 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 3: you'd dress up, and you'd be humiliated by the wine waiter, 358 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 3: you know, but you would have a good meal. And 359 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:17,720 Speaker 3: then there were the kind of like you said, the 360 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:21,680 Speaker 3: cheap Italians or the Greek or the places where you 361 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:24,159 Speaker 3: could go and have a great time but maybe not 362 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 3: eat so well. And we thought, well, why can't you 363 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:28,879 Speaker 3: combine the two. Why can't you do a place that 364 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:32,480 Speaker 3: has elegance and it has drama, all the things we 365 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:34,280 Speaker 3: look for, but also you could have fun. 366 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:40,800 Speaker 2: From my point of view as an actor, I realized 367 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:44,560 Speaker 2: that I love writing. I'm writing a book now another one. Yeah, 368 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:48,080 Speaker 2: And I loved a garden and I love to cook. 369 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:51,440 Speaker 2: And if you think that there are three things, you 370 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:54,560 Speaker 2: do them on your own. My life is spent with 371 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 2: one hundred and fifty people all day, and when I 372 00:18:57,359 --> 00:19:00,600 Speaker 2: go home, I write, cook or garden on my own. 373 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 2: And that's why I chose those things. I didn't know 374 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:04,920 Speaker 2: i'd chosen them for that. 375 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:10,080 Speaker 3: One of the questions that I ask everybody at the 376 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:14,159 Speaker 3: end of the conversation is we have food when we're hungry. 377 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:17,000 Speaker 3: We have food when we're celebrating, but sometimes we just 378 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:20,680 Speaker 3: want food for comfort. What would that be your comfort food? 379 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:24,880 Speaker 2: Well, years ago, sausage of mesh. Yes, now it's caveo. 380 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 3: Okay. To visit the online shop of the River Cafe, 381 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 3: go to shop Therivercafe dot co dot uk. 382 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:44,399 Speaker 1: River Cafe Table four is a production of iHeartRadio and 383 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:49,640 Speaker 1: Adamized Studios. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 384 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:52,760 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.