I have mentioned before my dislike of the term “signature dish”. It is an egotistical notion and we chefs have a bad enough reputation for egotistical behaviour without needing to exacerbate it. The term suggests that the food exists as a vehicle for the chef, rather than that the chef should be there to convey the flavour of the food. Besides, there is a deeper, truly egotistical reason for my dislike of the term: if a particular dish is a “signature” dish, is the rest of the repertoire anonymous or unworthy of its perpetrator?

That said, some dishes are more popular than others and some seem to express the personality of the chef or restaurant more than others. When I opened Le Café Anglais, I wrote about the pike boudin, naively imagining that I was going to turn a sausage made out of a bony coarse fish into a cult. But while that dish has proved popular, the Parmesan custard with anchovy toast has outsold it tenfold.