Amjad Bashir, known as Peter to his regular customers, has just opened the second of many planned Zouk restaurants which boast a contemporary dining area offering a health-conscious fusion of Eastern cuisine. The restaurant is dominated by an open kitchen which forms the stage for the chefs' 'performances'. With flames from the charcoal grills; dough thrown to make chapattis; the smells and spicy scents; it makes for a real dining experience.

Is 'Zouk' your first venture and what's the concept?

I've been in the restaurant industry for about 30 years and had several restaurants but this is the second 'Zouk'. The concept is Eastern fusion - predominantly Indian, Pakistani and Lahore cuisine but we also have a lot of fish, including Lobster, Sea Bass and Red Snapper which is mostly grilled because it is a healthier option than frying. If we do fry, we use mono-unsaturates and our sauces are lighter than most Asian restaurants as we believe that the public is very health conscious. We do make fantastic desserts though, if you want to over-indulge! We've employed some really great chefs from the continent and from India.

Because the kitchen is on full view, it's obviously important that it is designed and installed to the highest standards, why did you choose Vision for the job?

I hadn't actually worked with Vision before but I chose them because I'd heard good things about them. I've been in the trade a long time and you hear about other good professionals in the industry. I'd heard about Vision through various sources and I have read about some of their work in 'Restaurant Magazine'. They understood what we wanted straight away which was, most importantly, a fully fledged open kitchen with everything on view. It had to look right - not just a mish-mash of ideas. We wanted the whole restaurant to look 'state of the art' and very presentable to showcase our superb food. We made some structural changes to the building - which was just a concrete shell - adding the mezzanine floor along with the drop ceiling resulting in a different feel to a typical Indian restaurant; it's contemporary, light and airy with big windows and modern decor. It was a blank canvas really but it meant that we were able to put all our services exactly where we wanted to make the atmosphere we wanted to create. It has been a pleasure to work with Vision; they are an excellent and professional organisation to work with.

Does the presentation of food follow this modern theme?

We have chosen a contemporary style because we want to focus on the food. A traditional restaurant focuses a lot on decor rather than on the main subject - the food and the chefs. That's the reason why we have an open-style kitchen where everything is on view; so that the food is centre stage and the chefs, who are the superstars, are the performers if you will.

Was that the brief given to Vision and were they involved right from the very start?

They were involved from the beginning and were told what our brief was; the type of cooking that we wanted to do; the type of equipment we were looking for; the results we were trying to achieve and the ambience we wanted to create. We told them what we wanted to achieve and we got the benefit of their experience as well. They hadn't done this particular brief before, but they've done many different types of restaurants with different cuisines and they were very familiar with the equipment and what we wanted to achieve.

In the planning process they presumably presented designs as cad drawings or visuals?

They did both and we played about with the drawings - I think it was a two-way street. Centre stage was to be the tandoori area and the Ramali oven which is new this country; it's an inverted Tava or hot plate for breads where the chef can throw the dough up in the air to make wonderful large chapattis, it's quite dramatic. Ramali means handkerchief denoting the thinness of the actual ruti or the chappati. We also wanted the charcoal grills on display, of course these would throw out a lot of smoke which needed to be extracted properly. We wanted the flames to be seen and the smells to be there, but not to overwhelm the customer. So we've got some pretty big extraction fans up there.

With the designs approved, Vision then did the fit out - how did that process go for you?

Vision did all the fit out, and one of the directors which was Chris Rouine was in charge the whole time. He put the whole scheme together and oversaw all the work during implementation. We had various points of sign off and he kept us informed throughout the process.

Almost inevitably problems arise with a large project like this - did you have any problems at all?

Inevitably yes, I don't blame anybody because of teething problems such as ice machines that accidentally turn themselves off!. These are problems that you hit upon in any new site and you work your way round them trying to solve them, it's more important how these problems are resolved. I think that determines whether a company is professional or not when you hit snags and how quickly they respond to those problems we had. Vision have been excellent. If we have any issues we ring Vision straight away and tell them about any problems. We have had the occasional issue but they responded very quickly.

So this is the second Zouk, are you planning any more?

Yes, our hope is to actually go to several major cities around the world. We are looking for a site in Milan and have earmarked some of the more vibrant cities like Barcelona, Tokyo, Singapore, Dubai, Lahore. We are looking at making this an international brand. We only officially opened for business last weekend but the response has been excellent mostly through word of mouth and people are coming in because of what they have heard and read about us. We've had very good reviews which has done us a power of good.

So yours would be a quality and price offering?

Definitely one of quality and I think people who value quality will like the price. Although Manchester city centre is a very competitive area, we have a unique presence, a unique product, very good food prepared by excellent chefs in a superb ambience and coupled with great service. The atmosphere is fantastic and it's a real hive of activity with all the cooking on view. It is not a kitchen hidden behind walls, where you don't get the smells or see the action.

Would you use Vision again to supply these kitchens?

Oh definitely, I always believe that if you happen to find a company that manages to meet all your needs then that's precious and yes, I would gladly work with them again.

'The Kitchen now standing at platform one is the Vision Commercial Kitchen, at St Pancras Grand Restaurant, St. Pancras International Station.'   When world class catering company Searcy's were asked to create a station restaurant at the newly renovated St. Pancras International, their CEO Duncan Ackery and appointed Executive Head Chef Billy Reid knew that they had to catch a northern connection.

A huge project like this doesn't happen overnight and obviously requires a great deal of process and planning, not least of all from the point of view of the kitchen requirements. Take me through the initial stages.

Duncan - You're right, this project developed over a considerable period of time. London Continental Railways were looking for partners to provide catering services to work within the Station. Part of their plan was to create a top end restaurant in keeping with the highly aspirational nature of the environment. The renovation of the Barlow Shed, the intricate architectural detailing and the high quality catering and retail offer on ground level had already set the benchmark.  They had approached a number of people to deliver the restaurant and Searcy's I'm glad to say secured the project. I came to it after Alternative Hotel Group purchased Searcy's in the spring of 07 and I was put in place as the new Chief Executive Officer.  The first thing I did was to review the plans for both front and back of house and I decided that all things considered we needed to be a little more aspirational.  I appointed Martin Budnidski as the new Front of House designer and chose Vision Commercial Kitchens to deliver the Back of House requirements.

A restaurant on this scale must generate huge demand on it's resources, did this have a bearing on your decision regarding kitchen provision?

Duncan - The restaurant will be feeding 800 people per day, without the right equipment you can't control your food cost effectively.  In this day and age with food costs on the increase, recruitment a constant issue and the cost of replacing breakages hugely expensive, we needed to bring in a professional outfit. When I approached Vision they came back with what I thought was a cracking proposition, admittedly higher spec'd so a little more expensive than the previous people, but using raw kit from exclusive ranges means that what’s in there today being hammered during our soft opening, will still be there in ten years time.  Appointing a high quality operator like Vision was absolutely the right choice.

Had you any knowledge of other projects that Vision had delivered?

Duncan - Yes, I actually worked with Vision on a lot of DeVere projects. Jack Sharkey and I developed the Steam Bake and Grill concept together, so I have first hand experience and am really impressed with the quality of their workmanship.

On this project you're in London and with Vision being based in the North West did that pose any problems?

Duncan - None, distance is no barrier, electronic communications being what they are today and with Vision's digital capabilities it is very easy to review a set of plans and move forward. Look, on a project of this scale there are so many factors to be considered, the kitchen was drifting into the bars and the bars was drifting into the kitchen, there were no clear lines where an
area begins and ends so you need to have complete trust.

Billy, you're probably best placed to illustrate how the lines have been blurred.  Tell me about Vision's role in this and how you feel the requirements have been dealt with.

Billy - Follow me, if we go around to the other side of the pass and out of this door you can see that we are now Front of House where Vision have fitted us out with two stunning display chillers, both will be stocked with produce cooked in the kitchen. In one, we will have ham hock terrine, potted beef and various sauces, slice the meat, sauce on a side plate, have a nice day. In the other we’ll have smoked salmon hanging, lobster cocktails and dressed crab, beautiful.  The quality of the workmanship together with the offering all adds to the theatre.

Everyone knows there's fast food or there's healthy food. 'Leon' is a new restaurant concept which challenges that maxim by offering cheap, fast food that isn't bad food. Henry Dimbleby, son of broadcaster Jonathan and cookery writer Josceline, is one of the three Leon founders. He's keenly aware how important Vision's role, in designing and installing all the kitchens, has been to the success of the business thus far and to achieving his huge ambitions.

Can you explain the 'Leon' concept?

We want to make it possible to get away from empty, sugary foods that make you fall asleep in the afternoon and wake up fat. So instead of McBurgers and McChips, there's dishes like grilled chicken with salsa verde, roasted sweet potato falafel, mackerel summer couscous - basically Mediterranean and Meze style dishes. The emphasis is on healthy, seasonal cooking delivered with speed - a fast-food style counter service and cardboard boxes at lunch, then table service and cutlery after 6.30pm. We're big on seasoning, so everything radiates with flavour and, above all, the freshness and vitality of the raw materials. Every ingredient, from the meadow-fresh feta to the golden sesame seeds is high quality and seasonal. The ingredients are occasionally organic; the chicken is freerange; the coffee is ethically traded; many items are low-carb, low-GI, vegetarian-friendly, allergy-friendly, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free - all basically light and healthy.

How many restaurants have you opened so far?

The first came in July 2004 in Carnaby Street, serving 800 covers a day; the second opened just over a year later at Ludgate Circus; the third, this was the Knightsbridge outpost; and the most recent is in Spitalfields Market.

Have Vision done all the kitchens?

Yes, the four restaurants and the 'big kitch' - a central production kitchen where we make all our soups, stews and sauces - the things that require intricate cooking skills get done centrally and then the cooks use them, but also prepare things like salads and wraps locally. We've got a fifth opening now which Vision also planned and installed for us.

Max Gnoyke is Managing Director of Heathcotes restaurants which encompasses the 'Simply Heathcotes' and 'Olive Press' brands as well as two stand alone restaurants; 'the Winckley Square Chop House' in Preston and the original, Michelin starred, 'Longridge Restaurant'. A time served chef himself, Max has worked at Gavron and The Connaught with Gordon Ramsay - restaurants with three Michelin stars, so he naturally demands high standards of all his suppliers.

How would you describe your role?

The three mantras I live by split into team, customer and profit. So it's a balance of driving the teams in the existing restaurants, making sure we serve the customer and make a profit. That's it in a nutshell. Day to day it runs the whole gamut from purchasing to developing menus. We launched the new menu in all the Olive Presses recently. So we check all the dishes out with all the head chefs and fine tune a few things; I rolled up my sleeves myself.

You're a chef by profession?

Yes, many years ago. We're a very chef led business. Paul Heathcote is the Chief Executive, I report in to him and we've all worked to 2-3 Michelin star standard which gives us an edge in terms of whatever we do, it's got to be very good. We're in and out of the restaurants all the time.

With new projects you get involved with planning and fit out?

If it's a restaurant with 'Heathcotes' on it I'm involved. I'll take it from sourcing properties, then we'll look at it together; me and Paul. It depends who's got what on so we'll split things between us. Then we're into design and planning.