A chef is bringing a ‘Mediterranean vibe’ to an Isle of Wight seaside pub.
Kris Philp, head chef at The Waterfront Inn on Shanklin Esplanade, has been at the helm since 2022.
Graduating from the University of Aberdeen with a Masters in Business, he found himself working in kitchens throughout and after his studies, and loving it.
Since the beginning of his tenure at The Waterfront, Kris and his team have changed the menu to suit the pub’s surroundings.
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He said: “We’ve kind of taken it more in the Mediterranean vibe – pastas, pizzas, fresh salads, some fish dishes.
“Mainly because if you look out there, you’ve got the sea in front of you – you could be sat in the middle of summer and you’ve got glorious sunshine.
“You could be sat in the Mediterranean, you wouldn’t know the difference.”
The food at the Waterfront Inn has been taken to a more ‘Mediterranean vibe’ (Image: The Waterfront Inn)
Kris’s process in the kitchen is meticulous and deeply rooted in practicality.
Take the Waterfront Inn’s paella – a dish that the kitchen has been trying to put on the menu for several years, but couldn’t quite make it work.
The pub’s paella (Image: The Waterfront Inn)
Through experimentation, the team figured out how to do it consistently and promptly, and now ‘it’s one of those dishes that flies out’.
The kitchen also takes pride in their pizzas, and prize consistency over anything else.
Kris said: “I won’t let them cook it until I know they can cook it, so it’s consistent.
“You come in a day that I’m not here, and you’re going to get exactly the same as you get on my day off.”
Kris and the team make pizzas to keep up with food trends (Image: The Waterfront Inn)
Kris’ role at The Waterfront Inn has also allowed him to have more freedom in the kitchen, something he hasn’t always experienced in his career.
He said: “Until I came to here, I worked in corporate companies.
“There was so much red tape and there was no individuality.
“I started working here in 2018, and I’ve worked with the owners, and having that creativity and control over what we’re doing is so much nicer.
“We call it family run business – it feels like a family.”
Dining and Cooking