Art Evolution » Five Minutes with Alan O’Kane (February 2007)

Five Minutes with Alan O’Kane (February 2007)

Image of Alan O'Kane

n-e-life.com talk to Art Evolution partner, award-winning Bib Gourmand Red M, head chef and restaurateur Alan O'Kane who at 32 is already on to his second restaurant venture, Sidneys in Tynemouth.

What do you do?

I am the head chef and new proprietor of Sidneys seafood bistro in Tynemouth.

I sensed the restaurant’s coastal potential and felt it needed that extra something to make it a fantastic local hotspot and a definite addition to everyone’s phonebook.

Before this I was the manager of the Angel in Corbridge, where I received my Red M, an accolade from Bib Gourmand which is like a Michelin star for value food under £25 a head.

What does your average day comprise?

I get up at 6.30am every morning with my three children Ayva, three, Ruby, two, and five-month-old Fern, get them ready then hop in the car and do the nursery run.

Then with the sea on the doorstep, I head straight down to Tynemouth fish quay and buy fish straight from the boats, keen to use only the best local produce.

Then it’s over to the restaurant for the rest of the working day, preparing and cooking service for lunch and dinner.

Last orders is 9.30pm so I am usually back in the house by 11pm, but no rest for the wicked as I spend the rest of the evening in my office, which is like a library full of cooking books (I have about £3,000 worth of cookery books in there!) and sift through using my own ideas and imagination to think of what to put on the chef’s special board for the next day.

What makes you tick?

The buzz of the kitchen and food in general.

What makes the North East the best place to have a restaurant in?

As this is a relatively small region, if you are good enough you can make quite a big name for yourself, and your restaurant can be highly regarded. It also means that you can get to local suppliers in a jiffy, so you can really maximise a menu of local food in season.

What is the best piece of chef’s advice that you’ve received?

When I finished college I bought the ‘Good Food Guide’ and wrote away to a long list of restaurants in London asking for a job. I got a phone call from the head chef at Harvey’s restaurant, Marco Pierre White and, although he could not offer me work, he said he was interested that I had shown initiative to push boundaries and travel to London.

He suggested I come to London for a couple of weeks to do one-day trials in different restaurants, to get a feel for the pressure of working in a fast and furious kitchen.

I took his advice and did just that, managing to get myself off to a flying start working full time in the Savoy where I trained for one year and my success went from there.

And the worst?

I’ve been lucky in my career to not have had too much bad advice.

What is your dream job?

Honestly this job is my dream job. When I’m on holiday I can’t resist ringing the restaurant to see what’s happening and to check everything is okay - much to my wife’s annoyance!

What is your greatest achievement?

Receiving my Red M.

What do you like about the North East?

The people in the North East are great and so friendly. There are so many great characters in this trade.

Do you have any cooking tips?

When making risotto add a spoonful of whipped cream, this lightens the dish.

How do you juggle work in the restaurant with home life?

With great difficulty- being a chef really is a vocation and you have to work incredibly long hours.

I always make sure I’m up in the morning with my children to take them to school but my working days lasts from 10am to 10pm at least, six days a week.

February 27, 2007 11:49am

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