‘When I go to McDonald’s, I always have to eat the complete menu’
Chef Michael Wolf of Amsterdam’s Wolf Atelier opens up about his most memorable dining experience and his lack of total self-control at McDonald’s…
Which food trend should we stop immediately?
“Of course, everyone can do whatever they want, but I think we should stop taking so many photos of food. It’s getting dramatically out of hand. It seems as if guests find it more important to post a dish beautifully on Instagram than to actually eat it.”
Most memorable dining experience?
“I was invited by a chef to come and eat in Istanbul. We went to a grill and kebab restaurant and everything was perfect. The company, the music, the food. I ate kebab and green peppers from the barbecue with a salad of onion, yoghurt and fresh pita. The ten litres of raki helped too.”
Favourite drink?
“I’ve been drinking gin and tonics since I was fifteen and it’s still my favourite. I have twelve bottles at home and always take a look to see which flavour I feel like.”
Indispensable kitchen gadget?
“I actually use the Microplane for everything. Not just in the kitchen, but also for preparations at the table with foie gras, truffle or lime.”
What would you never eat again?
“I really don’t like cauliflower. Vegetables should be green or a colour that resembles it, but certainly not white.”
Which country is your favourite when it comes to food?
“I’ve been going on holiday to Portugal for years and I love Portuguese cuisine. Caldeirada de peixe (a fish stew), fresh fish from the grill, the shellfish and piri-piri chicken—everything is so delicious.”
What should everyone eat at least once?
“In my view, everyone should eat langoustines at least once. It’s one of the purest flavours there is, and I really love that.”
What is the best product from the supermarket?
What is still on your food wish list?
“I’d really love to eat at Mugaritz near San Sebastian. Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz has been working with such a fascinating philosophy for years. He draws inspiration from his immediate surroundings and uses the products that grow there. You can see that many chefs are increasingly working with local products too, but they have been doing so for decades already.”
Which cookbook should everyone have on their shelf?
“I’m not really into cookbooks, but I think the book ‘Eten, drinken en slapen’ by Ronald Giphart, Sergio Herman and Jonnie Boer is really great. It’s very interesting to see and read what other chefs who are also at the top are doing.”
What do you like to make at home when you want to eat quickly and well?
“I quickly make some ‘sticky chicken’ with chicken thighs, and glaze the chicken with a reduced sauce of honey, ketjap and ketchup, adding a little lime and a few grated onions.”
Which dish do you have no self-control around?
“When I go to McDonald’s, I always have to eat the complete menu, including ice cream. What I do like is that the quality is the same all over the world—the McChicken is the McChicken everywhere.”
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