Firsts & Lasts with... Roberta Hall, Chef & Founder of The Little Chaartroom
First & Lasts
It is said that the two most important moments in a restaurant are the moment you walk in the door – the hello – and the moment you leave, the last bite you take, the last person you speak to – the end/goodbye. But so much of our life is shaped by first and lasts, so here we profile amazing women of the industry, talking about some of their first and last moments...
Roberta opened The Little Chartroom, located on Albert Place at the top of Leith Walk, in June 2018 with her husband Shaun. Within the space of a year, the restaurant had made its debut into The Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards Top 100 list, as well as the Michelin Guide 2019. Roberta was recently named Breakthrough Chef of the Year at Food and Travel Magazine Awards and won The Chef Category at the 2018 YBF’s. The Little Chartroom is a neighbourhood bistro serving super seasonal dishes from a small constantly changing menu.
First kiss: 15 years old, Stuart. He was in the year above me at school.
First cocktail ordered on a night out: Gin Sour.
First food poisoning: I don’t recall a time when I’ve definitely had food poisoning, but there have been many occasions when I have over-indulged!
First job in hospitality: I was a part-time apprentice chef at Tower Restaurant in Edinburgh while I was still at school.
First thing you do to unwind after work: Watch something on TV like Stranger Things.
First thing you do in the middle of a hellish service/day at work to stay level headed: Take a deep breath and push on through!
First thing you do when you wake up: Hit the snooze button.
First thing you do when you plan a holiday: Choose the restaurants.
Last thing you bought at an off license: A white Rioja, the producer has gone out of my head though…
Last three favourite places you ate in:
The Balmoral, Edinburgh
Kadeau, Copenhagen
The Greenhouse, Dublin
Last song you listened to: Don’t you (forget about me), Simple Minds.
Last podcast you listened to and what did you take away from it: The Pass podcast when I was interviewed. I don’t like listening to myself- a lot to work on.
Last glass of wine you really enjoyed & where: 1989 Cheval Blanc. I could never buy a wine like this but I was given it for Christmas by my old Head Chef and it was quite special.
Last time you had a proper day off and what did you do with it: Last week I travelled up to Thurso, almost the most northern point of Scotland, for a friend’s wedding on their family farm. It was incredible.
Last time you exercised (body or mind): Last Monday - I had a personal training session at my gym.
Last review you read and agreed with: Marina O’Loughlin’s review of The Clove Club.