Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.
Comedian and actor Lara Ricote joins the hosts to build her dream restaurant menu, featuring sparkling water, pear and gorgonzola ravioli, steamed sea bass with caramelized fennel, and a rich chocolate and Maria biscuit torte made by her aunt. Along the way, the conversation covers her family's culinary background, unusual anecdotes about dental veneers, and her unique relationship with music.
Hosts Ed and James introduce the Off Menu podcast, announce Ed’s upcoming stand‑up tour and promote the episode’s guest, Lara Ricote.
The hosts discuss Lara’s award‑winning stand‑up shows, her new sitcom Break Claws, and her recent Fringe success Inkling.
Ed and James play a guessing game about the secret ingredient of Lara’s dream restaurant, revealing it to be ricotta and joking about kicking her out for it.
The conversation shifts to Lara’s relationship with music, her favorite songs, and her experience with poetry, including a discussion of Mary Oliver’s work.
Lara explains her family’s food culture, her childhood experience with small “rice” teeth, and how she dealt with gaps and veneers.
Lara shares stories about her father’s restaurant, her mother’s teeth, and humorous cultural references such as “Fiesta Day” and her family’s unique surnames.
The hosts explore how Lara’s family shares cooking responsibilities, the challenges of serving different dietary needs, and the decision to avoid beef in the menu.
The hosts take a break for a Cozy furniture ad, highlighting how the brand supports dream meals and comfortable home spaces.
Lara describes her family‑run restaurant Ricote, its menu, family dynamics, and the meaning behind the name.
The episode concludes with Lara proposing a future podcast concept involving university chefs, and the hosts wrap up the conversation with final remarks.
A lively debate over fennel leads into a detailed walk‑through of a fennel‑and‑sea‑bass recipe.
The conversation shifts to the host’s clowning past and how family members influence his culinary style.
Unusual Relationship With Musicinsight
The guest explains that she is not traditionally a fan of music and prefers listening to specific songs repeatedly before she can appreciate them.
Dental Mishaps on New Year's Evestory
The guest shares a hilarious story about her mother's dental veneers falling out during a New Year's Eve dinner in Colombia.
Dream Starter Raviolistrategy
The guest details her starter choice of pear and gorgonzola ravioli shaped like little parcels with a delicate touch of truffle.
Caramelized Fennel Sea Bassstrategy
The guest explains her main course of steam-cooked sea bass served on a bed of caramelized fennel and capers.
Gazpacho as a Drinkinsight
The guest argues that cold gazpacho served in a regular glass should be the sole drink offering in her dream restaurant.
Family Chocolate Torte Recipestrategy
The guest outlines her aunt's recipe for a rich dessert made with layered Maria biscuits, melted chocolate, and toasted almonds.
“I don't want to listen to anything.”
“Yeah, yeah. Like, if, if it's done well and it's like quite thin and just like adding a little something to the dish, I quite like it. If it's the main thing in the dish.”
“I only found out about that recently because I found out that gazpacho is delicious.”
“I'm going to a cabin that I found on Airbnb.”
Award-winning stand-up comedian and actor – star of Channel 4’s ‘Break Clause’ and ‘Make That Movie’ – Lara Ricote joins us in the Dream Restaurant this week. Did anyone else have teeth like rice (but not cooked)? Lara Ricote stars in ‘Break Clause’. All episodes are available to watch now on Channel 4 https://www.channel4.com/programmes/break-clause. Follow Lara on Instagram @lararicote https://www.instagram.com/lararicote Watch the video version of this episode on the Off Menu YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@offmenupodcast. Off Menu is now on YouTube: @offmenupodcast https://www.youtube.com/@offmenupodcast Follow Off Menu on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/offmenuofficial and TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@offmenuofficial: @offmenuofficial. And go to our website www.offmenupodcast.co.uk https://www.offmenupodcast.co.uk/ for a list of restaurants recommended on the show. Ed Gamble is on tour in 2027 with ‘Fresh Hell’. For dates and tickets go to edgamble.co.uk https://edgamble.co.uk/ Off Menu is a comedy podcast hosted by Ed Gamble and James Acaster. Produced, recorded and edited by Ben Williams for Plosive https://www.plosive.co.uk/. Video production by Ben Williams and Megan McCarthy for Plosive https://www.plosive.co.uk/. Artwork by Paul Gilbey https://www.instagram.com/pushgilbey/ (photography and design). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
16,205 words · 6 speakers
Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
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