On a Tuesday morning, I stepped inside Bubala on Poland Street, Soho. A restaurant outside of business hours can be quite an eerie experience, especially in the morning during prep time. In the main area the lights are dim, drawing instant focus to the bright neon stainless steel-topped kitchen. The scent of grilled aubergines and mushrooms punctuated the air. Music blasted from a speaker, scoring the movements of the chefs and setting the cadence of this well-oiled machine.
Ben Rand, executive chef of the Bubala group, is the one who greeted me at the door that morning.
With two successful restaurants and a third one on the verge of opening in King’s Cross, he’s a very busy person indeed, but still took the time to sit down with us for a chat, reflecting on his beginnings in the kitchen, taking over from Helen Graham, and his special relationship with All Greens.
T: How did you get into the kitchen in the first place Ben?
B: I grew up in quite a foodie family, my dad grew loads of veg and my mum was a really good cook and then I also grew up in North Norfolk, so I always worked in hospitality growing up and mostly front of house. Then I actually went and did a ski season and during that ski season, I worked in a hotel bar, and it very quickly became apparent that the kitchen team were working a lot more than the bar team, so somebody had to go to the kitchen. I said I’d do it, go and help out and I just absolutely loved it. I fell in love with the process of the whole thing, the rhythm of the day.
I went back to the restaurant (in Norfolk) where I had worked in front of house and asked them if I could have a job in the kitchen. There was a really young head chef at the time who took me under his wing. I think it’s an industry where if you show a passion and you’re enthusiastic, people tend to sort of see that and give you the opportunity to learn.
T: How did you first come across Bubala and how has it been taking over from Helen Graham as executive chef?
B: I’ve known about Bubala for probably as long as it’s been open, which is five years. I started working here just over a year ago and yeah, I was just in a position where I actually needed a new job and very much at a point in my career where I wanted to work for a fantastic company with a great culture as well as a great product. Bubala was something that ticked all of those boxes for me, so yeah, that’s how I ended up here.
T: And how has it been for you, not only starting in a new restaurant but a plant-based one?
B: For the last 10 years I’ve worked in a number of restaurants in London. I used to work at a restaurant called The Dairy (now closed), which was in Clapham and then opened a couple of restaurants with the same group. I would say they were like modern European restaurants that, you know, cook meat, fish as well as vegetables. I think I’ve always had an interest in the garnish aspect of traditional restaurants and cooking vegetables and vegetarian food was something that was natural to how I eat at home anyway.
I think it does create its challenges, but they can be overcome with just a bit of thought. We have to go back to the drawing board, you have to test the dish a couple more times and get it right. I think it’s very easy to reach for a tin of anchovies because you know what you’re gonna get there is like salinity and umami, but those challenges are a great thing. I think also there was an absolutely incredible roster of dishes already, you know. It was amazing to see the processes that go into the signature Bubala dishes, some of the seasonings and the spices that are used. The larder is incredible here and we try to use it to its full extent. Honestly, I’ve relished the challenge.
T: How does your relationship with your greengrocers (All Greens) affect you on a day-to-day basis?
B: What we need from suppliers is the knowledge of what’s coming up ahead of time. I’ve worked in restaurants for ten years and I’ve got quite a good understanding of the seasons, but nowhere near as much as somebody who specializes in that.
Having information of what’s coming up in the season, having information about where the produce is from, why we might see a change in produce for better or for worse, and understanding that something we’re using is coming out of season soon, it’s a very necessary relationship. And then also an inspiring part of the relationship is having those conversations where you gain an understanding of where the food’s coming from, whether it’s directly from a farm or a specific region, what’s coming into season, like the magical things that are hyper seasonal, maybe with a story behind them and that’s super inspirational and that’s the starting off point for any new dish.
Like if we need to change a dish in say, April, we’re not just asking: what’s gonna be available? We want to know what’s gonna be great in April. Because if we start off with great produce, you’re already three or four steps away from producing a great dish. So we start off asking what’s gonna be great, what’s gonna be available, and then what’s gonna be really nice to go with it, and then we start applying our processes, our seasonings, our sauces. So yeah, I think that relationship is integral really.
As we finished our conversation and I packed up my camera, the kitchen team huddled around Ben near the bar. The atmosphere was lively now, bordering jovial. The early morning eeriness long dispelled. Displayed on a shelf behind them is a small trophy awarded by CODE Hospitality that reads: ‘Happiest Place to Work’. Ben walked the crew through the new dishes—he elaborated on the origins of the forced Yorkshire rhubarb used in their new salad dish. He went into detail, explaining what makes it unique, what makes it special; why they should care about it. A small moment that was part-briefing, part-mentorship, and seemed to sum up everything we had talked about.
Want to experience Bubala’s vibrant dishes for yourself? Check out their newly opened location in King’s Cross and explore their menus here.
Photos by Tristan Benhamou.
