In a culinary landscape where creativity and attention to detail are paramount, few chefs rise to prominence as quickly and seamlessly as Taz Sarhane, the new head chef of Michelin-starred Cycene in Shoreditch. Joining the team as sous chef in January 2024 before taking the position of head chef in August the same year, Sarhane's respect for his ingredients and passion for constructing intimate dining experiences have cemented Cycene as one of the most special dining experiences in London. Here he shares his vision for the restaurant, thoughts on produce and seasonality, and the philosophy that drives Cycene's unique dining experience.
Taking the reins as the head chef of a prestigious restaurant would be daunting for many. For Taz, though, it has been a gratifying journey, filled with support from Cycene’s founders, James and Christie Brown, and an outstanding kitchen team. “It’s had its challenges, of course,” Taz admits, “but I’ve had really good support...They let me make a lot of creative decisions, which I think is very freeing, considering most restaurants aren’t like that. We both have a very aligned interest in food and what makes a great restaurant. Beyond them, I'm backed by an amazing team of chefs in the kitchen.”
Housed within Blue Mountain School, a creative venue renowned for its artistic ventures, Cycene is a dining experience long before any dining has commenced. Everything from the freshly palo santo'd greeting room to the handmade plates and bespoke banquettes in the dining room, has been meticulously curated, with direct involvement from the artists who adorn the space. The intention is to create an atmosphere of home entertainment, as though guests are simply visiting a friend for dinner. “Cycene is about the experience. You can have good food anywhere, but you can’t have the Cycene experience anywhere,” says Taz. This collaborative, design-driven approach means that the food, setting, and atmosphere all work together to create something completely unique, and brimming with character.
A key part of what makes Cycene so special is its size. How many other restaurants include a course eaten directly from the pass, that is personally introduced by their head chef? Probably only those with a maximum of twenty-one covers per evening. This has allowed the team to design an incredibly intimate and focused dining experience. "We have this phrase here at Cycene: 'it's only six tables'" Taz shares with a smile. “When it’s only six tables, it means you can pay the most attention to the finest details - it’s not about numbers here; it’s about quality. I get to interact with all of the guests, which is one of my favourite things.”
Contrasting his previous roles at Claude Bosi at Bibendum and Brooklands at the Peninsula, where he worked with more than double the covers, this aspect has allowed for a different level of interaction with produce and guests alike. "What's missing from restaurants in London is personability" Taz insists. "I love to have conversations. I feel like every single evening that we open for service, I learn something from a guest, and a guest learns something from me. It's all about relationships. When you see somebody for a second time, and you can greet them by their first name, it's amazing. It's almost like a village mentality, like you're no longer in the city. You say hi to people you know, and you remember what they like to eat, what they don't like to eat. The more intimate dining scene is definitely for me."
This intimacy extends beyond the dining room and into the kitchen itself, where the small team of eight chefs functions more like a close-knit family than colleagues. “We all have a personal relationship. We have a beer on Saturday night, and we see each other on the weekends. It’s actually a team. We’re not just working with each other, we’re working towards something together.”
A commitment to team wellbeing is something Taz holds close to his heart, born out of a frustration with the gruelling hours often found elsewhere in the industry. "I really hate the environment that's been created in the UK where the restaurant comes before everything else" he says. “Here, we all start a little bit later, make sure everyone gets their sleep. For us, it’s all about Cycene being calm and relaxed. When you come into a stressful environment, you feel it straight away.” As a result, the team never start before nine o'clock, enjoy a shared breakfast before prep, and have three days off in a row each week - time that Taz feels should be purely dedicated to rest and rejuvenation. "I say to the guys in the kitchen: on the weekends, don't think about work... enjoy your life. Go and learn about things, spend time with your family, find your passions. We can't live to work."
When it comes to the menu, Taz brings an unwavering commitment to using local British produce, a philosophy rooted in his belief that the UK offers some of the best ingredients in the world. “I’ve travelled to every corner of the United Kingdom, and I think we have such exceptional produce,” he explains, lamenting how the London dining scene too often overlooks homegrown ingredients in favour of international influences. “I feel like sometimes we need to look back at ourselves for the best things. It’s like looking in the mirror and realising who you are." With a personal and professional passion for foraging, this is a stance backed by plenty of firsthand evidence - Taz will spend hours out in nature, collecting everything from mushrooms to elderflower and wild blueberries for his menus. "I take a walk through the forest and it's like going to the supermarket. It's my main inspiration" he explains. Beyond quality assurance, though, Taz asserts that foraging for ingredients is a vital part of staying connected to our ecosystem. "It's all about going back to our roots. Foraging is how we ate at the very beginning. We can sit in a beautiful dining room with amazing plates and candles but at the end of the day this is based on human instinct."
This deep respect for nature and seasonality is something that informs every dish at Cycene, which runs on 'micro seasons' in which ingredients are gathered only at their absolute peak - a window which can sometimes be as short as a handful of days, and completely weather dependent. While Taz enjoys eating bold, spicy flavours at home, the restaurant’s philosophy is one of simplicity and purity. “For me, food has to taste like what’s in it. So here at Cycene, we only use three or four main flavour combinations for every dish; if I have a steak, I want it to taste like a steak. I don’t want to completely slather it in a fermented sauce because then it doesn’t taste like a steak anymore. I think when you work with such amazing farmers and producers and people who spend their whole life focusing on ingredients, things should taste like what they're meant to.” This isn't to say, though, that ingredients are approached without creative flair in Cycene's kitchen. Preservation is a method used plentifully, to ensure that flavours only available at the peak of a season's produce may be enjoyed for months to come. "The idea is to capture that perfect moment when you bite into fruit, and elongate it... So in October you can still have that amazing sensation of eating fresh summer berries." This allows Cycene to live in a perfect harmony in which they are simultaneously both governed by, and in control of, the seasons.
Outside of the kitchen, Sarhane remains deeply connected to his craft. Weekends might involve getting back out into nature, researching food, or indulging in the occasional restaurant visit. No matter what, there is always a focus on learning and expanding horizons. “I’m obsessed with cooking, but I’m also obsessed with a lot of other things. There’s so much to learn in life.”
Whenever you get the chance, book a seat at Cycene here. If you'd like to keep up with Taz, follow his Instagram here.