seasoned BY CHEFS October 2014

The Chefs

Mark Jordan

Mark Jordan

A Modern Classic Atlantic Hotel & Ocean Restaurant Le Mont de la Pulente, St Brelade, Jersey, JE3 8HE, Channel Islands

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The Chefs

Mark Jordan - A Modern Classic

Rosie Birkett reports from the awardwinning Atlantic Hotel in Jersey, where owner Patrick Burke tells her about his continued quest for excellence - and why he’s excited about the hotel’s fiftieth anniversary, in 2020.

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ith its strikingly modern white facade rising above the crystal blue pool, flanked by swaying palms and sun-loungers, you could be forgiven for imagining yourself off the coast of Los Angeles - rather than in the Channel Islands when you visit The Atlantic Hotel, on a searing late summer’s day. Until, that is, you look out over the flora-rich headland to St Ouen’s Bay and see the ancient La Rocco Tower and Second World War battlements, built by the Germans during their occupation of the island.

There’s a certain mid-century glamour to the property Jersey’s only member of the exclusive collective ‘Small Luxury Hotels of the World’ - and it’s a building which stands out in its surroundings, on an island populated by rambling old English houses and French influenced villas.

When I meet with the Atlantic’s owner, Patrick Burke, in the hotel’s Michelin-starred Ocean Restaurant, he explains how he was strongly advised to do away with the original architecture when he began remodelling work on the hotel, at the turn of the millennium. “Because it was built in the sixties [by his father] the original building did have a rather brutal look to it. Many of the architects we spoke to told us to cover it over, to erect a roof on it and try and make it into a country house, which we really didn’t wish to do. What we wanted was to take what we already had and move it forward. That is why we enlisted the services of revered architect, Jonathan Manson - known for his modern approach.

“Jonathan was the first architect we met who really understood the building. He came here and said, ‘they’re all wrong’. He brought in a sketch pad and explained that - whilst the architecture of the late sixties was a bit brutal, its roots were in the modern aesthetic of the twenties and thirties and it is fundamentally, very beautiful. So his idea, as we remodelled, was to go back to those roots and bring something that everyone would think was contemporary but that was, in fact, modern architecture.

“I think it was at that point that we understood just what we are; the building is almost like an ocean liner, looking out over the bay. He even said it reminded him of Frank Lloyd Wright’s style. He encouraged us to embrace the hotel’s

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architecture and to go back to those roots. I’m so pleased we did, because we didn’t want to change it all, but rather keep edging it forward.”

This idea of evolving, rather than overhauling, is something that Patrick has found to be fundamental over the years, implementing an ongoing roster of improvements since he took over which, while staying true to his father’s vision and the hotel’s origins, keep The Atlantic at the forefront of luxury accommodation. Patrick and his wife, Treena, are currently in the midst of prototyping newly updated rooms, to be rolledout in the next five years, which feature improved design, solar blinds, Californian ceiling fans - Patrick is keen to not install air conditioning - and a centralised, state-of-the-art computer control system called Lutron.

“We’re also looking at taking four existing rooms and creating three out of four, because we want to have more choice of bedroom. So we can have a standard, a superior type which is larger and the deluxe, which will be almost as big as two of the existing rooms. We’re looking forward to 2020 which will be fifty years after my father opened the hotel - which is an amazing anniversary to celebrate - and we want, as much as we possibly can, to get the hotel ready by then. It’s very exciting.”

From a gastronomic point of view, The Atlantic has longbeen admired for the cuisine created by head chef Mark Jordan at Ocean Restaurant, which has held a Michelin-star since 2007. Jordan’s flair for rendering the famous local seafood, renowned for its sweetness and freshness thanks to Jersey’s huge tidal range (the third largest in the world) into exquisite plates, has people flying in from all over the place to dine here.

During our interview, I get to sample this refined, creative cooking, indulging in a plate of the sweetest local lobster, served with crackling tempura tapioca and lobster claw, smooth mango sauce, fresh pea shoots and crunchy chicory.

It’s a lesson in balance, texture and flavour and is followed by an equally-flawless dish of smooth, creamy turbot, topped with crispy potato ‘scales‘ and served with fresh, nutty local asparagus with a rich, heady mussel cream.

Jordan explains how the hotel’s location, overlooking St Ouen’s Bay, is a constant source of inspiration for him. “I

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Mark Jordan - A Modern Classic

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The Chefs

I love the island and being here is the best scenario for me as a chef, because my style is simple and main ingredient orientated - I’m not one to over-embellish.

Julia and Darren Quennault’s Manor Farm provides meats, poultry and dairy supplies to both ‘Mark at the Beach’ and ‘The Atlantic Hotel’ - all great, home grown Jersey organic produce.

Both establishments receive all their fresh fish direct from Sean Faulkner Fisheries, who supply a full range of seafood - including fresh crab and lobster - from their fish farm, which is based in an old German bunker.

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surf in the bay and in the morning, when I’m surfing, I can look up at the hotel, look over to where I get my lobster from and know that the majority of my fish and shellfish come from that bay. The great thing about the hotel is that it’s on a corner of the island - the other hotels are in town.

The Atlantic is a destination in itself. I remember one of the Michelin inspectors once said to me that it’s very unusual to find a chef, hotel, dishes and produce that all match so well.

“I love the island and being here is the best scenario for me as a chef, because my style is simple and main ingredient orientated - I’m not one to over-embellish. There’s a big thought process behind it and it’s harder to achieve excellence with that style - with just a few ingredients - because the main star of the show on each dish has to be, one hundred per cent, the best you can get. Where we are in Jersey I’m surrounded by great produce - amazing scallops, squid, bass, lobster and they all arrive fresh on my doorstep.”

Over the ten years he’s been cooking in Jersey, at The Atlantic, Jordan has built up a network of key trusted suppliers, which he now uses not just for his Michelin-starred restaurant, but for the more informal, bistro-style ‘Mark Jordan at The Beach’, which he opened - with Patrick as a shareholder - three years ago, to extend the culinary offering of the hotel and the island. “I grew up between Birmingham and north Wales and I wanted to eat the food I grew up with - the Scotch eggs and the fish and chips and fish pies. We opened three years ago and, within a few months, we got a Bib gourmand.”

Rather than encroaching on each other, the two restaurants achieve a beneficial symbiosis by sharing both a philosophy and their suppliers.

“I buy this fantastic cross-breed Jersey-Aberdeen Angus beef and the bits of the animal I can’t use at the restaurant, I put into burgers at The Beach. Hotel guests, if they’re on a week’s holiday, can’t eat at the restaurant every night, but they can come and sit here, overlooking the beach and eat the best burger they’ve ever had.”

When it comes to his dishes at the fine dining Ocean restaurant, within the hotel, Jordan is keen to continue to push forward, while nodding to classical flavour combinations.

“The food at Ocean is ever-evolving,” he says. “I did a new dish this week because we’re in a change of times and we’re getting really good squid from the bay now. It’s a riceless

ristotto, with squid, that’s been cooked for eight hours in a water-bath and then diced so it’s like rice, mixed with cauliflower and anchovy with a carpaccio of scallop on top the flavours were just phenomenal and I’m developing all the time. With the food I create, the basic flavours are classical combinations that have been there for years; I just build on them and update them, adding a modern twist. It’s not gimmicky, it’s gorgeous.”

Jordan is so enamoured by the produce of the island that it’s even converted him to oysters, which he never used to eat before living there. “I’ve been a chef for thirty years and I never used to eat oysters because one of my friends got really ill from one when I worked for Keith Floyd. I went on a tour with Jersey oysters - we were eating raw oysters in the middle of the oyster beds and I’ve never had anything like it - being there and eating these Jersey oysters with the sea at my knees was just amazing. Now I can’t get enough of them - but they have to be Jersey oysters because of the quality and clarity of our grade ‘A’ waters.” Between his two restaurants, various appearances on Saturday Kitchen and his surfing habit, it’s remarkable that Jordan finds any spare time at all; but he’s keen to emphasise that more developments are in the pipeline. “I’ve written a cookbook and contributed to a few over the years, but there’s more in development and we’re looking to grow the brand on and off the island. It’s a very exciting time.”

Its architecture and food is not the only thing setting The Atlantic apart from its hotel siblings on Jersey. When you first walk into the bright, airy reception area, with its polished oak floor, one of the first things that greets you, sitting - if you’ll excuse the pun - bold as brass on the receptionist’s desk, is a naked lady. On closer inspection, you’ll see that the sleek statuette grows out of a plaque which declares that The Atlantic has been awarded the industry-leading accolade of the Catey for ‘Independent Hotel of the Year 2014’.

Run by the trade industry bible ‘Caterer and Hotelkeeper’, the Cateys are widely considered to be the Oscars of the hospitality industry and Patrick makes no secret of his absolute joy at being awarded such a plaudit. “From the beginning of my training in hospitality, I’ve been reading the Caterer every week and it’s always been a dream to win one here, at the hotel. We’re the only hotel in Jersey’s history to do so - and that’s an amazing feeling.”

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The Chefs

Mark Jordan - A Modern Classic

Relaxed Beachside Dining in Superb Location Mark Jordan at the Beach La Plage, La Route de la Haule, St Peter, Jersey, JE3 7YD, Channel Islands

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Mark Jordan - A Modern Classic

CHEFS RECIPE

Salad of St Ouen’s Bay Lobster, Mango & Basil, Lobster Tempura INGREDIENTS

METHOD

1 1lb lobster

1. To prepare the lobster remove the tail and the claws from the head and place a spoon through the back of the tail (this keeps the tail straight during the cooking process).

2. Blanch in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then refresh in ice cold water. Do the same with the claws but boil them for 5 minutes.

3. Peel the shell from the tail and using a small knife discard the intestine by making a small incision at the tail and pulling the intestine which runs down the centre of the lobster. Roll the tail tightly in cling film to form a neat cylinder, and place into a water bath at 62°C for 12 minutes.

4. Crack the claws and remove the shell keeping the claws whole, remove the meat from the knuckles and keep to one side.

MANGO AND LIME GEL 500g mango purée Juice of 2 limes 5g agar agar JERSEY ROYAL POTATO SALAD 250g Jersey Royals Reserved lobster meat from the knuckles 1 tsp good quality mayonnaise Juice of ½ a lemon Salt to taste MANGO AND BASIL SALSA 1 ripe mango 6 leaves of basil Juice of 1 lime TEMPURA BATTER 300g soft flour 100g corn flour 275ml sparkling water Salt GARNISH 1 yellow chicory Ebene caviar Baby basil leaves Lobster tapioca cracker

MANGO AND LIME GEL 1. Bring the mango purée to the boil, whisk in the agar, remove from the heat add the lime juice and spread onto a flat tray and chill.

2. When firm transfer to a liquidiser and blend until smooth.

JERSEY ROYAL POTATO SALAD 1. Wash the potatoes under cold running water to remove any excess dirt.

2. Place into cold salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 6-8 minutes or until the potatoes are just cooked.

3. Drain and cool. Remove the skin from the potatoes and dice into ½cm cubes.

4. Combine with the mayonnaise, reserved lobster meat, lemon juice and salt.

MANGO AND BASIL SALSA 1. Peel and dice the mango into 1cm cubes.

2. Combine with 1 tsp of mango purée, finely shredded basil and a squeeze of lime juice.

TEMPURA BATTER 1. Gently whisk together all the ingredients. Don’t over whisk the batter as this will result in a chewy doughy finish, lumps in the batter will give it a fluffy and crisp finish.

TO SERVE 1. Drag the mango purée across the centre of the plate. Slice the lobster into three and dress with a squeeze of lime juice and a spoon of caviar on top.

2. Arrange the lobster on the mango purée followed by three quenelles of the potato salad.

3. Break down the chicory and using just the nice yellow tips rest them on the potato salad.

4. Spoon the salsa over the lobster and top with the lobster cracker.

5. Dip the lobster claw in the tempura batter and place in a deep fat fryer at 180°C and cook until golden and crispy.

6. Dust with salt and cut the base from the lobster claw and stand the claw upright in the centre of the plate.

7. Finish by garnishing with a few baby basil leaves.

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CHEFS RECIPE

Mark Jordan - A Modern Classic

Pistachio Cake INGREDIENTS / METHOD 100g polenta 400g ground pistachio 10g baking powder 6 eggs 400g sugar 250g olive oil 200g melted butter 80g pistachio paste

BACARDI GEL 350g absolu cristal nappage (valrhona) 165g bacardi Lime zest

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2.

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4.

PISTACHIO TUILE 200g fondant 200g glucose 75g pistachio paste

1. Heat the nappage to 60°C. 2. Whisk in the bacardi and hand blend.

3. Add the fresh lime zest.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Whisk in the olive oil, melted butter and pistachio paste.

Finally whisk in the beaten eggs and sugar.

Bake at 160°C for 45 minutes.

MILK CARAMEL 400g UHT cream 400g milk 140g egg yolks 70g sugar

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2.

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1. Boil the milk, cream and sugar.

2. Pour onto the yolks and put back into the pan.

3. Bring to 82°C and put aside.

RASPBERRY GRANITE 1kg raspberry purée 600g sparkling water 400g stock syrup

CARAMEL CRÉMEAUX 550g valrhona caramelia chocolate 645g basic custard 2g powdered gelatine 1.

2.

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4.

Heat the fondant and glucose to 152°C. Add the pistachio paste and mix.

Turn out onto a Silpat mat and work till cool.

Blend to a powder when cool in a Thermomix.

Sift onto a tray and bake in the oven to form shards.

1. Whisk all together.

2. Freeze and stir every couple of hours until frozen ice crystals are formed.

Bring the basic custard to 70°C. Whisk in the gelatine.

Pour over the chocolate in 3 stages to create a ganache.

Place in the fridge until required.

PISTACHIO STREUSAL 100g pistachios, chopped 100g flour 120g butter 120g sugar 1. Mix together lightly in a KitchenAid. 2. Bake at 175°C for 8 minutes.

For more of Mark’s fantastic recipes visit our website www.seasonedbychefs.co.uk

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