Kitchen Confidential

By Anthony Bourdain

An interesting serving of life in the sometimes seedier restaurant kitchens.

The life of a chef is definitely not for the fainthearted. Anthony knew this to be his calling after the revelation of cold soup, vichyssoise served to him as a young boy aboard a cruise ship.

He exposes the madness and mayhem he experienced from starting out as a dishwasher to his rise as Executive Chef at Les Halles, with all the sex and drugs added to the recipe!

The pressure cooker workload in a small and crowded kitchen plays out like a ballet at times, with bad language and humour stirred through to deliver over 200 meals a night. It was all a labour of love for Bourdain. 

Bourdain lifts the lid on the restaurant trade with searing honesty, making this book rather compelling. After reading this you may never see dining out as quite the same experience you once did.

Anthony was a larger than life character who sadly committed suicide in 2018.

One piece of advice which will stay with you after this book – ‘avoid the fish special on a Monday’!