May 05, 2025

Stevie Parle - Kicking A Michelin Starred Chef Out Of His Restaurant - The Tragic Effect 'Viral Dishes' Has Had On Menu's & Creating The Pop Up Movement!

38 minutes

This week on The Go-To Food Podcast, we sit down with London’s original restaurant protege Stevie Parle - one-time pop-up poster boy, chef, restaurateur, and the creative force behind Dock Kitchen, Rotorino, Pastaio, and most recently, the soon to be hardest restaurant in London to get a table at, Town on Drury Lane.

Stevie shares the story behind his unconventional journey through the food world, from formative years at the River Café, Moro and Petersham Nurseries, to building a career that spanned pop-ups, bestselling cookbooks, newspaper columns and bold restaurant ventures.

We talk about the surprising impact of going viral on TikTok — including the lobster pasta video that turned a quiet dish into a logistical nightmare — and the tension between cooking for social media vs. cooking from instinct and taste.

He talks about how Town was born out of a desire to “just cook good food” rather than follow the restaurant concept trend, how simplicity and spontaneity shape the menu, and the freedom that comes with ditching the formula.

We also get into the nitty gritty: Stevie’s favorite under-the-radar food spots (including a deep love for Rot King in London and The Goods Shed in Canterbury), memories of culinary disasters (ever swapped salt for sugar in a lemon tart?), and of course, cooking for famous faces from Mick Jagger to David Cameron.

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Plus, we chat dream meals, the rotisserie chicken revival, London’s evolving dining scene, and why chefs might be done chasing stars in more ways than one.

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By Go To Podcast Company

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