Q&A with Niven Kunz
He worked at De Librije and De Bokkedoorns and earned a Michelin star at the age of 24. His own restaurant has been named Best Vegetable Restaurant for four years in a row. After the success of his first cookbook, a second was inevitable, and so his cookbook Groente! will be published at the beginning of June.
Which food trend should we put an end to immediately?
I’m not really a fan of all-in dining: that mass serving of large buffets and so on. I don’t like all that mass-market fuss; it’s really just gorging yourself in a feeding trough.
Most memorable dining experience?
This summer I ate at Martín Berasategui in San Sebastian. I had already been there twice before, and I thought it was absolutely fantastic again. I had the largest menu then, because I always eat a full menu. It’s so refined, with a great atmosphere, delicious wines and incredibly friendly staff.
Favourite drink?
White Burgundy, but as long as there’s a little oak in it, I’m happy. I’m not really into all that trendy stuff. I’m old-fashioned in that respect and simply want more mature, full-bodied wines. I also really enjoy a gin and tonic, mind you.
Indispensable kitchen gadget?
My tweezers. I always use them for everything: meat, fish and shellfish. I almost always have them with me.
What would you never eat again?
Well, I don’t really have anything like that. But something like overcooked cauliflower simply isn’t nice. If something is overcooked, you completely ruin the flavour of the ingredient, although I do eat everything. The only thing I can’t stomach is spinach boiled into mush.
Which country is your favourite when it comes to food?
For the higher-end restaurants, I’d say Spain. But when it comes to a simpler meal—though you can hardly call it simple, really—the Indonesian cuisine. My in-laws are Indonesian, and I had Indonesian food there just yesterday.
What should everyone try at least once?
Green bean carbonara, which is my own dish that I serve in my restaurant. It’s a delicious vegetable dish. The three-course Peking duck menu at Sichuan Food on Reguliersdwarsstraat is also very tasty. It’s definitely one of my favourite places. I sometimes eat beef with black beans there too, but I prefer the Peking duck.
What is the best product from the supermarket?
Water. I drink a great deal of water: apart from one small bottle of cola a week, I’ve completely stopped drinking soft drinks. They really only make you thirstier, and they contain a lot of sugar.
What’s still on your food wish list?
Eating at Eleven Madison Park Restaurant in New York. I’m very impressed by chef Daniel Humm’s cooking style. It seems as though he works with few ingredients, using them to create many beautiful things. You see only three or four elements on the plate, and that’s beautiful to look at. Like me, he mainly uses a lot of vegetables.
Which cookbook should everyone have on their bookshelf?
In my new book Groente!, we show how easy it is to prepare vegetables and how delicious they can be.
What do you like to make at home when you want to eat quickly and well?
Noodle soup. With chicken stock, lots of vegetables and chicken. And noodles, of course. But I also sometimes make a really delicious couscous salad.
Which dish do you have no self-control around?
Wine gums, although that’s not really a dish, perhaps. But wine gums. If I have to choose a dish, it would be sauerkraut casserole: very tasty with minced meat and potatoes. Slightly gratinated and with a little sriracha sauce.
Groente!
Niven Kunz
€24.99
Kosmos Uitgevers
