Gloucestershire &amp; Worcestershire


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="650" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/1-16-1000x650.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-64158" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/1-16-1000x650.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/1-16-800x520.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/1-16-400x260.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/1-16.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Coming in hotter than a chilli burrito, <a href="https://visitworcestershire.org/taste-worcestershire">Taste Worcestershire</a> is the foodie event of the year; a showcase of local food and drink with awesome events happening across the county from 7 &#8211; 27 October.</p>



<p>Dip into set menus that are epicurean delights, thrill to special offers and gorge on foodie experiences. The festival&#8217;s local heroes include Asian-inspired restaurant Maneki Ramen, award-winning wine maker Astley Vineyard (below) and many more.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="653" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/1-37-1000x653.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-64473" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/1-37-1000x653.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/1-37-800x523.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/1-37-400x261.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/1-37.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>With Worcs being named recently as one of the Best Places to Go in the UK &amp; Ireland 2024 by Condé Nast &#8211; hot on the heels of Taste Bromsgrove and Taste Worcester &#8211; there&#8217;s a lot to lust after on Worcs&#8217;s foodie scene right now.</p>



<p>One of these is at <a href="https://www.manekiramen.com/">Maneki Ramen</a>, awarded Japanese Restaurant of the Year 2024 (Arita Awards) it&#8217;s headed up by top chef Pete Dovaston. This Tokyo-inspired ramen shop serves up japanese bowls in a cool, repurposed railway arch in historic Worcester. We caught up with owner chef and head noodle twiddler Pete to find out more&#8230;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-long-have-you-been-at-maneki-ramen-and-what-s-it-like-working-there">How long have you been at Maneki Ramen and what’s it like working there?</h2>



<p>⁠I’ve been working here since we opened it four years ago. It’s a great place to work, great food, great team, and a great company at A Rule of Tum. My team is eight strong, but we generally have 3-4 working a service, except on Saturday nights when we extend to five chefs and kitchen porters.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="686" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-10.30.05-1000x686.png" alt="food at maneki ramen" class="wp-image-64467" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-10.30.05-1000x686.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-10.30.05-800x549.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-10.30.05-400x275.png 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-10.30.05-1536x1054.png 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-10.30.05.png 1632w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-describe-the-style-of-the-food">Describe the style of the food?</h2>



<p>The food we offer is Tokyo-inspired ramen and modern interpretations of Japanese small and large plates &#8211; basically food I like to eat! We use techniques learned in Japan, applied to local ingredients, aiming to maximize flavour and celebrate the ingredients.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tell-us-a-bit-about-you">Tell us a bit about you?</h2>



<p>I’m born and raised in Worcester, but I trained in Oxford under Corin Earland (previously Chef Director at Peach Pubs). I moved to Tokyo to work at the one-star Les Enfants Gates under Naoki Matazawa &#8211; this is where I really learned my trade. After two years in Tokyo, I moved to New York, working under the expert vision of Guy Reuge. I staged in various Michelin kitchens, including the then-number one restaurant in the world, Eleven Madison Park.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-you-have-any-unusual-specialist-skills">Do you have any unusual specialist skills? </h2>



<p>Yes! The ability to make a terrine from anything and rapid butchery! These are skills I learned in the early hours after service in Tokyo. If zero waste is a skill, then put me down for that too. My personal approach to cooking has evolved over time. I used to put all my ideas on one plate. Now, I’m more concise and concentrate on flavour first and foremost. Balance and texture are also important to me, but essentially: &#8220;Keep it simple, stupid.&#8221;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="733" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/8-3-1000x733.jpg" alt="food at maneki ramen" class="wp-image-64469" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/8-3-1000x733.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/8-3-800x587.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/8-3-400x293.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/8-3.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tell-us-about-your-cooking-muses-and-inspirations">Tell us about your cooking muses and inspirations?</h2>



<p>My greatest influences include Naoki Matazawa, my chef at Les Enfants Gates, and Corin Earland (The Fishes) for being a machine and pushing me to near breaking point. Also, the now closed Relae, both the book and restaurant shaped the way I approach food and flavour.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-any-brushes-with-celebrity">Any brushes with celebrity?</h2>



<p>I’ve encountered a few celebs in my time. I’ve cooked for top footballers, politicians, musicians, fashion designers, and billionaires. This was mainly as a private chef in China, where every service was an experience &#8211; some enjoyable, some not so much!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-give-us-your-signature-dish">Give us your signature dish?</h2>



<p>My current favourite dish is off the tasting menu. It’s based on my love for the sea&#8217;s flavours and uses some of my favourite techniques. It’s called the Karaage Oyster, which traditionally refers to marinated and fried chicken. We use oysters from Maldon. </p>



<p>We make a savoury custard from the oyster juices and abductor muscles, setting it in the shell. We then fry the oyster after dredging it in seaweed flour and top it with smoked caviar and a hollandaise made from oysters and sea truffle, a dried seaweed from Ireland. It’s served on a bed of edible seaweed that I foraged on my recent trips to the beaches of Europe.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="733" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/2-11-1000x733.jpg" alt="chef at work" class="wp-image-64474" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/2-11-1000x733.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/2-11-800x587.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/2-11-400x293.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/2-11.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-you-enjoy-using-locally-produced-ingredients">Do you enjoy using locally produced ingredients?</h2>



<p>I definitely enjoy using locally sourced produce and ingredients when they are good. Obviously, being a Japanese restaurant, we have to import some ingredients, but we’re lucky to be able to source locally grown Japanese ingredients like yuzu, wasabi, and shiso. Ingredients are key, so I spend a lot of time sourcing what’s best and from suppliers I respect. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-the-worst-thing-about-being-a-chef">What&#8217;s the worst thing about being a chef?</h2>



<p>The worst part of my job is hiring and firing, believe it or not. It’s often disappointing when chefs don’t work out, and firing people is never easy. But ultimately, my job is amazing, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-the-best-part-of-your-job">What is the best part of your job?</h2>



<p>The best part of my job is teaching my team new skills and helping them develop as chefs. I also love creating new dishes for both the ramen and tasting menus, and learning new skills and techniques.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-any-advice-for-budding-chefs">Any advice for budding chefs?</h2>



<p>The main advice I would give to aspiring chefs is to first, master your craft. Learn everything you can from everyone you can. Read books, work for free for the best chefs, be humble, and never stop developing.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-next-for-you">What&#8217;s next for you?</h2>



<p>My future plans are to open a few more Maneki Ramen locations! I’m currently working on opening in Birmingham. My dream is to expand to Manchester and London and eventually open a tasting menu-only site in one of these cities.</p>



<p><strong><em>For more info on all the awesome events taking place and to download your Golden Ticket voucher for offers and discounts, head to <a href="https://visitworcestershire.org/">Visit Worcestershire.</a></em></strong></p>



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Meet the Chef: Pete Dovaston from Maneki Ramen + the lowdown on Taste Worcestershire

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