“i did the residency on my own without a sous chef or maitre’d and found it super hard in terms of communication and cultural differences. i’m a maniac for perfectionism and that can be very demanding to work with.

“but if you do take on the challenge the rewards are huge. you have to learn to be very patient, to breathe, and most importantly to work as a team and i think i have changed a lot during this time: mentally and physically, but also my mission in the kitchen. i’ve learned that you need to adapt to where you are and what you are doing whether that’s techniques for the dishes or the people you are working with.

“what i loved was working so closely with the seasons and going to the marche central every day and building relationships with vendors that became almost like friendships. omar and mohammed, both in the fish market, would call me every day to tell me what they had in and i also got to create new dishes with wonderful products like a royale of yellow radishes, which are fantastic in morocco. it’s the first time i’ve used them and they works amazingly with corvina, pickles and herbs. this plate has lots of details, which gives it real wow factor for the diner.

“when peas came in they were so sweet i wanted to use them in dessert. they work really well with strawberries and lemon – it was something we did at celler de can roca and at mugaritz – and wanted to show that vegetables aren’t just for savoury dishes the same as fruits are not just for dessert. in fact that’s inherently moroccan, but it’s also japanese, which has been a big influence for me after my time at kitchisen in kyoto.

“if i was to return i’d definitely come with someone, i don’t recommend coming alone, but it’s not impossible and it’s amazing what you can achieve. above all communicate, communicate, communicate. i think the team now also understand that in the restaurant business every day you must always strive to be better. it’s the little details that make the biggest difference..