Pascal Aussignac, chef-patron at Club Gascon, talks about Red Martinis, frogs' legs, architecture and horse meat, among other things...
What was your best subject at school?
Art
What was your first job?
At the age of 10 I was opening oysters and working as a kitchen porter at a Michelin-starred restaurant in La Rochelle
Which is your favourite restaurant?
Maison Troisgros, Roanne, France
What is your favourite hotel?
The Chedi Muscat hotel in Oman
What do you do to relax?
Gardening
What is your favourite drink?
Red Martini on ice
What is your favourite food/cuisine?
Asian, especially Thai
Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?
Frogs' legs as they are nearly extinct in France. They now tend to come from Eastern Europe and the taste is not very good.
What flavour combinations do you detest?
Rice pudding
Which person in catering have you most admired?
Alan Yau
Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?
iPod
If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry
If you had not gone into catering, what would you be now?
An architect
Describe your ultimate nightmare
Being stranded at sea on my own
Tell us a secret...
I would love to serve horse meat at my restaurant
What's your favourite film?
Le Père Noël Est Une Ordure (Santa Claus is a Bastard)
What's your favourite book?
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
What is your favourite prepared product?
Savora mustard
Who would be in your "fantasy" brigade?
Me on the pass, Bjorn van der Horst on meat, Antonin Bonnet from the Greenhouse on sauce, Brett Graham from the Ledbury on fish, Yotam Ottolenghi on vegetables, Claire Clark on pastry
If you had more time, what would you do?
Take care of the people I love