The TV cameras may have left Room Nineteen but that hasn’t stopped its Scottish head chef Iain Lawless from getting his fair share of publicity. The chef has shot four segments for Channel Nine’s Perth Style program and he is a guest chef for both the Amano Cooking School and Upper Crust Cooking School. According to Mr Lawless it’s all part of building the profile of Room Nineteen as well as building up his talent for tele and-or radio.
“I think a lot of TV chefs are really boring but I like to have a bit of a laugh and have a bit of fun,” he says.
“Hopefully something will come out of it. I’d love my own TV show. I did radio as well, Amanda and Ash did a week of it (on 92.9) after the TV show had finished. They had a segment called Ask Iain Anything. It was really fun.”
Mr Lawless has also been having fun at the cooking school kitchens around Perth.
“I’ve been doing a few of them on my days off which are Mondays and Tuesdays, it’s just building some profile,” he says.
His next cooking class at Amano is scheduled for August 16, with the food based on simple bistro cooking.
His previous Amano Cooking School class held in June focused on his favourite regional food, Thai.
Mr Lawless also hinted to Gusto that he’s contemplating putting together his own style of cooking school focusing on the food from his favourite global destination, which is of course, Thailand.
“I’d love to do a cooking tour of Thailand,” he says.
“I’m going to go back there probably in December but I’d love to do a cooking tour because I know all of the great spots and could show people around.”
And has the lack of television coverage deterred the punters to Room Nineteen? Not if the amount of dinners they’re cooking up is any indicator he says.
“It’s pretty busy. We’d never do less than 100 covers a night,” Mr Lawless ays.
Mr Lawless has had to employ additional chefs to the kitchen.
“Every single one of my chefs has stayed, not one of them has left. I’ve got one chef leaving Monday but he’s going travelling and I’ve known about that for a while which is fine. It just shows the loyalty of them.
“I’ve just put on a chef and am recruiting some apprentices.”
And the now very famous Surf n Turf is still a top seller.
“On the weekends it’d be the most popular meal,” he says.
Regulars to Bay View Terrace bar and restaurant Kuppa will have noticed a recent makeover but it’s only part of the changes that have taken place. Former Bar One and Altos head chef Andrew Callander has taken up the job as head chef and, according to Kuppa owner Tom Lapping, a new and impressive menu should provide some new spice to the four-year old restaurant. Hudson Gallery owner Dom Lalor is also negotiating a stake in the Claremont establishment, however, Mr Lapping will remain the majority shareholder. Gusto will follow the progress.
