Features / Restaurants
‘I’m doing my own food in my own style’
Sitting at a table in Root as his team around him busily prepare the restaurant for dinner, Rob Howell contemplates that for some quirks of fate he could have been somewhere very different indeed to a converted shipping container in Wapping Wharf.
At the age of 25, Rob already has a packed CV including some top London restaurants and which before Root saw him rise from junior sous-chef to head chef at the Pony & Trap.
Leaving the Michelin-starred Chew Magna pub, Rob wanted to spread his wings and had a job lined up in Copenhagen. But it fell through at the last minute and this is when his former boss at the Pony, Josh Eggleton, asked him if he would be interested in heading up the kitchen at a brand new restaurant on the first floor of Cargo 1.
is needed now More than ever
Many chefs dream of opening their own restaurants one day and for Rob, and his girlfriend Megan who is now manager at Root, this was the perfect opportunity to do just that, just without having their own names on the title deeds.
Root came into existence following a complete pivot from Eggleton after initially opening the space as Chicken Shed, whose aim was to cook ethical fried chicken but could never present a product that he was truly pleased with.
Rob says that Root “could not have gone any better”. He adds: “We opened up with no clue as to what to expect. Josh had the idea of a vegetable-driven restaurant but the menu from then to now has dramatically changed.
“We’re trying to make it a little bit more playful. We have evolved massively to the point where I’m so happy. I’m doing my own food in my own style.”
Rob Howell was asked to become head chef of Root by Josh Eggleton, his former boss at the Pony & Trap
Sustainability is at the heart of what Root does, from buying well-sourced fish, meat that can be traced back to a farm and vegetables that are always in season.
Root will be hosting an event on Tuesday organised by the Sustainable Restaurant Association to mark their new project, One Planet Plate, which asks chefs around the world to submit a recipe that showcases solutions for a better food future.
But Rob is adamant that sustainability should not just be a buzzword but an ingrained way of thinking.
“For me, it’s about being more resourceful with everything,” he says. “Some people like talking about it. I don’t think that’s the way forward. I think the way forward is just doing it and not wasting anything.”
When it comes to waste reduction at Root, Rob and his kitchen team might use the bones from a red mullet in sauces, or turn chicken thighs into stock for another dish or into popcorn chicken, with meat eaters and vegans alike able to always find options on the menu.
Rob and Megan can walk to Root from their home at the other end of the Floating Harbour and can count on friends within Bristol’s food scene to help with advice or extra kitchen equipment when they need it. Birch in Southville even sent a couple of customers here on a recent night after a mix-up with a booking.
“Bristol has given me everything,” says Rob, who has also spent time in the kitchens at Casamia, The Ethicurean and Wilson’s. “Everyone wants to help everyone. It’s not dog eat dog, it’s how can we make Bristol even better.
“Chefs can thrive in Bristol. The amount of top quality restaurants we now have is ridiculous. But there’s more chefs coming through all the time, doing their thing.”
So what is Rob’s style that has propelled Root to be spoken about as one of the best restaurants in the city? “I don’t really know,” he says. He takes a few more moments to ponder the question before answering: “Fucking tasty food.”
For more information about One Planet Plate, visit www.oneplanetplate.org
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