A night in the life: Matteo Gherbin from Aqua Shard

‘My schedule is pretty irregular, some days I’ll be here until 1am. Desserts can take two or three days to create – but sometimes the general manager will say we need new desserts by tomorrow. Creating a new dish is like doing a jigsaw puzzle, all the pieces have to fit in. My sous-chefs and I taste it and see what we can adjust – the acidity, whether it’s missing crunch, the creaminess – until we get a balance. That’s the best bit – the creative side, where you research new ingredients and get everyone to collaborate and try new things.’

‘I’m from Italy, near Venice, and started working in a pastry shop in my hometown in 1997. The pastry chef there was a real artist, who painted portraits, and I was into drawing stuff too. He wowed me with his cakes and I thought I could start working on pastry. Obviously taste is the most important thing, but you have to have fun in the kitchen. Making desserts is also great for de-stressing – coming to work is like therapy and we get a natural buzz working in the kitchen. There are so many things encased in what we do – it’s art, chemistry and science.’

‘The sunrises and sunsets are amazing, and London seems so still and quiet from up here. It’s a different world and a different perspective from here. We’ve got floor-to-ceiling windows in the kitchen too – I can see the London Eye while I work. Whenever I get stressed I just look out of the window and it has a relaxing effect.’

‘The lack of sleep gets to you sometimes – I drink a lot of coffee! But there are so many opportunities and things to do – we’ve got the whole world out there. You never have a sense of boredom. This city opens up your mind, especially if you’re coming from a small town. Natural adrenaline gets you through!’

‘I’ve got a car, but I never use it for work because there’s no parking. I live in Bow, so I get the Jubilee line from London Bridge to Canary Wharf, then get the bus. The night tube is mostly the same as in the day, but a bit more fun. I’ve never seen any brawls, but I see people playing music and dancing. It’s always good to know you’ve got a train you can jump on. They should extend it to all the lines, though!’

‘I’ve calmed down a lot since my daughter was born – I’m a family man now – but I always used to hang out at Trisha’s, on Greek Street (now called the New Evaristo Club). Trisha’s the landlady. It’s a hidden place, full of colourful Soho characters. You could end up having a really interesting conversation with a 60 year old man who’s been living in Soho all his life.’

TfL operates a night tube service on the Central, Northern, Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines, as well as Overground and bus services. Use the TfL journey planner to plan your next after-hours journey.