“Something just a tiny bit magical happens.“
“I wanted to put more thought process into a dish; to create an effect and a reaction.” Tom Aikens
Part of Tom’s inspiration came from his childhood living in the Norfolk coastal beauty spot of Blakeney, where he and his brother would catch crab lured with smoky bacon pieces… so why wouldn’t it work on a menu?
Muse marks Tom Aikens’ return to experience-led fine dining in an intimate 25-cover converted mews house. Curiously, he had chosen the name before the (mews) location.
Watch the interview with Tom here, where he discusses Muse, the menu and why he chose a Charvet suite.
Tom has a bespoke Charvet professional cooking suite in the main upstairs kitchen at Muse. The range is not large, but it is packed with features including sink, spoon well, chargrill, one Chrome and two Steel Plancha, drawer refrigeration, sink, water bath and working space. There is also a seamless one-piece top to the range, plus an oven and wall mounted refrigeration.
His relationship with Charvet began with his first Tom Aikens restaurant in 2003.
“That was via Hansens; it was a made to measure suite. We looked at a number of options taking into account the space and what we could afford.
“We knew we would be inundated and needed something that would take a punch and Charvet can definitely take a bit of brutality. It was really put through its paces; 40-50 for lunch, 50-60 for dinner, consistently for five years; a crazy time and there was only six of us in the kitchen!
“It’s a workable stove, easy to use and the one important thing with Charvet is that it is a range that’s very adaptable, not only to your needs, but also to the spaces that you can get it to fit into.”
Kitchen installation by Advance Catering.
