ON MY MENU THIS WEEK: MEET THE JEWISH CHEF IS COOKING UP A STORM WITH A RANGE OF LITTLE-KNOWN

I could cook but he would teach me how to be a chef.”

Then followed stints at L’Autre Pied in Marylebone, and Dinner by Heston at the Mandarin Oriental, where he says he learned more about simple, precise cooking.

The head chef role at Pidgin was unexpected. Attracted by the idea of a set menu which changes every week, he applied for a sous-chef position. Then the head chef broke her wrist and Graham stepped in .

A typical menu (not for the faint hearted and emphatically not for kosher diners) might require customers to consult an encyclopaedia: “smoked tobiko” (Japanese flying fish roe) and “monksbeard” (a grass-like vegetable from Tuscany) sit alongside intriguing concotions that elevate the everyday — “hay baked asparagus” or “black cardamon hollandaise” for example. No dish is ever repeated and Dan is always trying to do things differently.

“I wanted to create a black ice cream, so I went into the kitchen and took out everything that was black — black sesame, black sugar, black cardamom, sweet soy sauce and black vinegar and then constructed the dish from there. It was delicious and interesting.”

Graham’s cooking has gone from rustic to dramatic, while his time travelling in Asia and Australia influences his meticulously sourced ingredients and diversity of flavours.

But some ideas are closer to home. He has featured his mum’s cheese chocolate brownies on the menu and says he seeks inspiration in his Jewish roots.

“In Judaism I think there is a huge symbolism around food. Every food has a meaning —think about the Seder plate. I have been intrigued by the traditional Greek Jewish way of cooking eggs, with coffee grinds, and I love the trend for modern Middle Eastern cuisine. I feel an urge to study the traditional Jewish foods.”

The Pidgin team will spread their wings in the next fortnight with new venture, Magpie for which Graham is executive chef, “It’s going to be something new and exciting in a prime central London location. We are planning a dim sum style service, with trays and trolleys circulating the restaurant with small sharing plates.”

www.pidginlondon.com Dan Graham briefs his team on the week’s menu