Culinary powerhouse Andy Beynon is the one Michelin star chef and owner of Behind in London Fields. Having worked in a number of top-flight kitchens during his career, Andy took the plunge and opened Behind – his first solo restaurant which had a stalled launch due to the pandemic. We chatted to Andy about menu development, being awarded a Michelin Star 20 days after opening, and his favourite dishes:

Tell us about Behind and what inspired the concept?

For me, the service is as much a part of the meal as the food itself, which is why the entire menu is served by us, the chefs. This is the chance for our diners to get a look “behind” the scenes of a busy kitchen.

How did you juggle the success of winning a Michelin star after just 20 days with managing restrictions due to Covid 19?

Like a lot of restaurants, we moved to a takeaway offering which was hugely successful. We also focussed our efforts on menu development and research so we could hit the ground running when we did reopen.

How often are the menus changing at Behind?

It’s seasonal tweaks, rather than a full menu change. We can change dishes weekly or even daily, dependent on what our suppliers have available.

Are there any dishes that come back time and time again?

You can always find our fish pie croquette on the menu. The coating is made with fish scales – it’s important to us to utilise every element of the produce.

We hear you are in charge of pairing the wines – is this always front of mind when creating your menus? How does it influence it or vice versa?

Dish development usually comes first, then we tweak accordingly. We like to use coastal wines where possible. At the moment we have a Vernaccia on the list wine that’s grown on an old oyster bed and we’ve developed an ‘oyster, cucumber, and horseradish’ dish around this.

Will you ever include meat on the menu?

Yes, we do occasionally include meat on the menu. We currently have a surf and turf dish with black pudding and a dish with rabbit and langoustines.

What’s your earliest food memory? And did it lead you to becoming a chef?

Trips to Italy with my family where lunch and communal eating were taken seriously.

You recently held a dinner for #CookForIran with The Pem’s Sally Abé – how did that come about?

I have close friends who are Iranian, so it felt hugely important to raise awareness for what is happening there.

This year’s Michelin stars have just been announced. Who were you rooting for this year?

In my eyes, there are two chefs that should be on the list –  Ben Marks at Perilla and Patrick Powell at Allegra

Finally, when you’re not working – where do you like to eat?

Lahore in Whitechapel. Their lamb cutlets and tarka dahl are always a winner.

For further information on Behind, see here. 

20 Sidworth St, London E8 3SD