Purity, clarity, surprise

What makes FHIOR a distinctive destination? The blonde-wood, pared-back Scandi interiors? The convivial, engaging staff? Definitely. But for Chef Patron Scott Smith speaking from the kitchen, it all boils down to something else: “Purity of flavour.”

This is the essence of FHIOR. Take the making of stocks. “In every other kitchen, you roast your bones and then add water, veg, herbs, wine and leave to simmer. Not here. We do bones and water. Beef stock should tase of beef, not onions and carrots and parsley.” Later, to this pure base stock other flavours will be layered, with each vegetable cooked individually by itself.

“Three things we’re always considering when creating a dish are taste, texture and temperature,” says Scott. “You want something soft, something crunchy. And different kinds of crunch too – brittle pops, fresh snaps. Clarity and contrast. We want our customers to enjoy a memorable experience, to be surprised and entertained.” So a fridge-cold pickle might unexpectedly lurk beneath an arrangement of warmer ingredients.

Plating is where the final flourish of FHIOR identity gets added. “My head chef will take a plate to 95%, and I’ll apply the final visual tweaks. The biggest complement is when the customer looks at what we present and says, ‘Oh, that’s a FHIOR dish.’”