Where the Chefs Eat asks your favourite chefs for their top restaurants in cities across the world. For this edition, we sit down with Yotam Ottolenghi.
It’s a toss-up whether Yotam Ottolenghi, chef, restaurateur and co-founder of the Ottolenghi empire, is more synonymous with the Middle East, where he’s from and where his bright, bold cooking often looks to or with London, where he built not just a booming business consisting of perenially popular delis and restaurants, but a zeitgeisty style of cooking and eating out that’s remained chic for decades.
What you might not know is that before he moved to London to study at Le Cordon Bleu and eventually open his first deli in Notting Hill, Ottolenghi first relocated to the Dutch capital – where he’s returning years later to open his first restaurant in the city at the Mandarin Oriental.
“I used to live in Amsterdam 30 years ago,” he tells us. “I’ve been spending more and more time in the city, reconnecting with the city and getting to know its vibe and its restaurants. Amsterdam has changed so much since I was here in the late ’90s. Back then, there were just high-end restaurants and a few more simple places.”
It was Amsterdam where Ottolenghi, in his own words, “started cooking obsessively.” He tells us, “I used to go and buy fresh produce: wonderful cheese, fish and vegetables. I lived on one of the canals, and I was just getting to know ingredients, especially Dutch ingredients.” These days, Amsterdam has one of the most exciting food scenes in Europe. “I love coming back to see what people are doing,” Ottolenghi says. “There’s an explosion of great ideas and people doing great things everywhere.”
Below, the chef shares his top recommendations for tables to book in the city – each, he says, “incredible in its own way, combining tradition with innovation.”
Uncommon Cafe, Amsterdam
Uncommon Cafe, Amsterdam
Uncommon Bar
Must-order: pain suisse with pine custard
Uncommon Bar is a wonderful, innovative place that does fermentation and makes great wine. The ferments often use local ingredients but also employ interesting techniques to create something really special. Everything is fermented: the wine is fermented, the coffee is fermented, the pastries are fermented, and the food is fermented. It’s in a beautiful space, and there are jars on the walls, like the ones I have in my restaurants, with pickles and ferments waiting to find a home. Order the pain suisse with pine custard – because you’re coming here to be surprised at what [chef] Matt and the team have created for you. This place is about nature’s unpredictability.
