If you know chef Mr Ollie Dabbous, it is probably because of his second restaurant Hide. You may have been lucky enough to eat there, you may have not (it is a special occasion, Mayfair type of place, with the prices to match). But there’s a good chance you at least heard about it when it opened – it was one of the most audacious projects in the London restaurant scene last year. In fact, with its three floors, 500 covers, 6,500-bottle wine list, and expensive-looking wooden decor – it was one of the most extravagant openings in recent memory, especially when you consider Mr Dabbous had just one restaurant under his belt – the eponymous Dabbous, which he opened in 2012. No matter – Hide received a Michelin star within months of opening.

But what drives Mr Dabbous and his cooking philosophy? What transformed a green, 20-year-old chef cooking in Oxford for Mr Raymond Blanc into a notable restaurateur? To celebrate a new weekend brunch menu at Hide, announced this month, we asked him what makes him tick. Spoiler: he likes theatre (but hates queuing).

I started cooking as a holiday job every summer from the age of 15. My first job was in a trattoria in Florence. I always enjoyed cooking as a hobby, but when I first stepped into a professional kitchen, I felt alive, eager to learn and desperate to improve. I made the decision early on to work in the very best restaurants: restaurants where I felt in tune with their style of cooking. I started working at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons on my 20th birthday, and from that point on, I haven’t looked back.

From as early as I can remember, I wanted to open my own restaurant. I think this crystallises as you develop as a chef and recognise your own innate style of cooking. There was never any latent desire to win awards or seek recognition. Recognition and success are just by-products of being good at what you do.

I feel confident in my ability because I have worked so hard over the years, and because I have a clear identity to my food. It’s a long time since I have felt any pressure. When I first started as a chef, I was more nervous because I had no experience to fall back on. The biggest moment of doubt was opening Dabbous, my first restaurant, because we had such a tiny budget. We were nearly bankrupt before we even opened the doors. I brought in all my pots and pans from home as we didn’t have the budget for any more. That turned out OK, though!

My cooking has an organic style that showcases the very best ingredients in a refined, sometimes theatrical manner. There is a lot of thought that goes into the dishes, which hopefully brings a purity of flavour and lightness of touch. I am very proud of the sense of identity in what we serve at Hide. We have created something unique within a saturated industry.

I hate clumsy dude food. Also trendy but vacuous fine dining: things that are fermented or burnt, just for the sake of it. Or deconstructed. I also won’t queue for dinner. It feels like the antithesis of hospitality.

**With Hide, we went for it. **There is no point in taking over a huge dining room overlooking Green Park and then playing it safe. The thought process was a sense of spacious and timeless luxury, with an organic nature to the design and the food. It is a massive offering across all the floors, but I am incredibly proud of what we have created and all our amazing staff. The experience at Hide is unlike anywhere else.

To win a star after five months for a restaurant that regularly does over 500 covers a day was an amazing team effort.  It puts you on the map globally. It doesn’t change anything though behind the scenes. If I’m not happy with something, I won’t serve it. That is down to pride, not accolades.

My current favourite is a dish of steamed sole that we serve at Hide, accompanied by a sauce of olive oil and eucalyptus.  It is fragrant but incredibly well balanced, and I haven’t seen another plate of food like it.

I’ll always remember the first time I had a tomato essence at Le Manoir.  It was both an epiphany and a slap in the face. I never knew food could taste so much of itself, and more frustratingly, I didn’t know how to achieve it.

It feels like Hide is still in its infancy, so there is plenty for me to be getting on with.  I am very happy with the standard of food and the level of innovation, but you constantly need to keep progressing, evolving, and becoming more and more efficient as a brigade and as a business. We are striving to win a second star in [Hide] Above while on [Hide] Ground, and we have recently launched an exciting new brunch menu at the weekend.