Business -- 1 month ago
Q&A with Dom Hamdy
A quietly revealing Q&A with restaurateur Dom Hamdy, reflecting on family, food, personal style and the small rituals that shape a considered life in hospitality.
- Words: Joseph Bullmore
A by-turns incisive and lightweight questionnaire for the modern person-about-town. This issue: Dom Hamdy Restaurateur behind Canal, Bistro Freddie and Crispin
What simple thing changed your life most unexpectedly?
The birth of my daughter. No one can prepare you. She is heaven.
How do you get to sleep?
Ten pages of a good book. I’m currently reading Jeremy King’s Without Reservation.
What is the best city in the world?
I’ve fallen completely in love with Athens. It has a raw energy and a food culture that keeps drawing me back. I’ve been three times this year.
What’s your favourite insult?
****
Apart from therapy, what is the best form of therapy?
Thirty minutes of puzzles with my two-year-old. We were recently given The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
What podcast do you most often recommend to someone?
Bella Freud’s Fashion Neurosis. Bella is charming and there is something endlessly disarming about her and the way she gets under the skin of her guests.
What piece of advice do you wish you’d followed?
Not all advice is good advice.
Do you have a uniform?
Not so much a uniform, but I’m definitely keen on oversized fits and natural materials.
What is the last song you listened to?
Glass, Concrete & Stone from David Byrne.
What is your favourite time of the day or night?
I love the calmness of the morning, before the day kicks off. It’s our family time.
What is the finest accent in the world?
Danes speaking English.
What’s been your most extravagant-ever purchase?
My great-uncle lived in Germany and had a right-hand-drive 1971 Triumph TR6. He drove it one last time to the UK (without breaking down) and my brother and I bought it. It’s a visceral driving experience.
What is the finest drink on the planet?
White Burgundy.
What is the best thing about getting older?
My growing family
What is your tip for public speaking?
Chartreuse.
What is your favourite piece of art?
Anselm Kiefer’s Für Ingeborg Bachmann.
What quotation is always stuck in your head?
“It will be alright in the end. If it’s not alright, it’s not the end.”
What small thing irritates you inordinately?
New cars incessantly beeping — they’re computers on wheels.
What is your go-to toast?
White with an unsafe amount of butter.
What is your favourite pair of shoes?
Paraboots cover many bases.
What is one thing that’s always worth paying more for?
Produce: so meat, fish, fruit and vegetables.
What did you learn from your parents?
How to properly set a table.
Where does the best burger in the world?
Gasoline Grill at Copenhagen airport. For breakfast.
Who is the most interesting person you know?
My friend Gabriel Chipperfield has many feathers to his cap.
How would you describe your personal style?
Considered.
What is your go-to dessert?
Is there anything better than a freshly baked frangipane tart with seasonal fruit and French crème fraiche?
Which famous person’s death affected you most?
Philip Seymour Hoffman was the greatest actor of our time. What a loss.
How would you like to be remembered?
As a family man who created important things.
What are you looking forward to doing tomorrow?
Swimming.
Continue exploring the capital's cultural scene in our guide to the best things to do in London this January.
