Fusion pioneer Peter Gordon: 'The globe is my pantry'

Sommelier Nuria Stylianou talks to Peter Gordon, about fusion cooking and all that jazz

Peter Gordon in his kitchen

Peter Gordon, the “Godfather of Fusion”, is renowned for his ability to take ingredients from around the world and encouraging them to sing together in perfect harmony on the plate.

He defines the term “fusion” as “the belief that any ingredient, from any part of the world, has the potential to be cooked and eaten. Who is to say, for example, that we must never use a Malaysian ingredient in a traditional Yorkshire dish?”

You may think fusion cooking is old hat – who doesn’t cook like this now? – but Gordon pioneered this style of cooking in Britain in 1995, as executive chef at The Sugar Club, when a successful New Zealand brand expanded to Notting Hill and Soho outposts. And he continues to do it with an elegance and ease few others match.

Originally from Whanganui, New Zealand, Gordon came up with his first cookbook when he was four years old – “really it was a scrapbook…cutting recipes from Woman’s Weekly” – and was influenced by his mother and grandmother, who instilled the importance of simply cooked meals, using home-grown produce with every item playing its part. But it was the exploratory cuisine coming out of top Melbourne restaurants in the Eighties that prompted Gordon to fall in love with the melting pot of that city’s different cultures, from Vietnamese to Ethiopian to Italian.

Gordon, who in addition to The Sugar Club restaurants in Wellington and Auckland also helped launch Auckland's Bellota bar and restaurant and co-founded The Providores and Tapa Room in Marylebone High Street. That business is now in its fifteenth year. The Tapa Room is a lower-floor, all-day wine bar/café, while The Providores, with its white linen tablecloths, is the more formal restaurant upstairs. Both serve Antipodean fusion food. Typical dishes include Thai-style gammon hock with cucumber, papaya, toasted rice, macadamias and hot-and-sour tamarind caramel and The Sugar Club classic Beef Pesto – marinated beef fillet, with warm chard, courgette and beetroot salad, with garlic dressing, pesto and Kalamata olives.

Gordon is also co-founder of Crosstown Doughnuts, which supplies London with daily-baked sourdough doughnuts that come in deliciously decadent flavours, such as crème brûlée and sea salt caramel and banana.

Having such a creative approach gives a refreshing twist on wine and food pairings. “I love the endless possibilities [of food and wine], and the variety of produce from around the world," Gordon says. "Because I view the globe as my pantry, anything is up for grabs. If I was only cooking the food of one region in one country, I’d have less fun. Having said that, our still-wine list at The Providores only lists New Zealand wines. We have the largest selection of any restaurant in Europe, and we do this out of a sense of duty, and because we’re incredibly proud of the wines we make there.”

These are the combinations Gordon's been enjoying from The Providores and Tapa Room this week:

Cicada Gewürztraminer, 2014

£14, Black Dog Wine Agency

“Rose, peaches, lychee, off-dry. Lovely with our smoked coconut and prawn dumpling laksa.”

Black Estate Riesling, 2014

£21.50, The New Zealand Cellar

“Medium dry, bright citrus and minerality. Our bruschetta with smoked garlic, tomatoes, pomegranate, roast grapes and goats' curd.”

Rod McDonald “One-off” Sangiovese Rose, 2014

£16, The New Zealand Cellar

“Strawberries and cherries, fairly dry with fruity undertones and delicious served chilled. Asparagus, almonds, spiced quail egg, shiitake and miso from my book, Savour.“

Seresin Estate Leah Pinot Noir, 2012

£22.90 The New Zealand Cellar

”Savoury plums, herbs and berries with soft tannins. Lovely with the lamb neck salad with baked pita, figs, feta, tomatoes and olives.“

Man O’War Dreadnought Syrah, 2011

£42.90 The New Zealand Cellar

”Silky dark berry fruits with a touch of pepper and spiced berries. Beef Pesto, a classic dish from 1987, first served at the original Sugar Club in Wellington and now served at The Providores and the Tapa Room.“

Peter Gordon’s new book, 'Savour: Salads for All Seasons', is available to buy now.

Nuria Stylianou is a WSET-qualified wine and spirits columnist. Email her onnuria.stylianou@gmail.com and follow her on Instagram @nu_on_the_vine