This week we’re joined by one of the most compelling chefs working in Britain right now: Alex Dilling. With a pedigree that runs through Alain Ducasse and Hélène Darroze, and two Michelin stars at his incredible restaurant Café Royal, Alex’s story is one of intense kitchens, huge pressure, and an almost obsessive pursuit of precision.

We talk through his journey in depth, from brutal early days in New York and the shock of stepping into major leadership roles in his twenties, to the highs and lows of overseeing Michelin-starred kitchens in London and Paris. Alex opens up about the realities of elite fine dining, the fear of losing stars, navigating business instability, and what it really feels like to carry the weight of a famous dining room on your shoulders. There are vivid stories from the pass, from kitchen disasters to career-defining moments, told with honesty and humour.

Food, of course, is at the heart of it all. We dig into the thinking behind his most iconic dishes, his love of classic flavours treated with modern restraint, and his famously generous approach to caviar. Alex talks about menu evolution, portion size, keeping creativity alive in a tasting-menu format, and how his cooking has grown lighter, calmer and more confident over time. It’s a wide-ranging, revealing conversation with a chef at the very top of his game, and one who’s still clearly hungry to push things further.

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