Schilo van Coevorden
Schilo van Coevorden is executive chef at the Conservatory Hotel in Amsterdam
What do you look forward to?
´To be working with Japanese products at our new restaurant Taiko which opens in September. Taiko is going to be the successor of Tune. Taiko, which means drum, is my own type of cuisine based on my years abroad. We focus on raw foods, fish and vegetables, but also on tofu made on our Spanish charcoal grill or the one and only wagyu made out of 100 percent Japanese beef. We’ve always worked with quinoa, hemp seed and grilled kale on the plancha. But following Los Angeles and now also London, healthy cooking is something we want to distinguish ourselves in . Also intended for business people who visit a restaurant two or three times a week and would like to eat something else.’
What type of dishes does Taiko serves?
‘For example a salad with tofu, half green Spanish Raff tomatoes which are only available during the winter and a nettle soy dressing. Or lamb with grilled shishito peppers from Japan with Korean spices. Lot’s of vegetables, but not just vegetables…’
What are your own favorites?
‘Every year i look forward to the white asparagus and i’m crazy about Chinese broccoli. Not the regular one, i used to get those overcooked when i was little. The half raw ones from the wok are the best, just like spinach. Parsnip from the oven, roasted at high temperature with just a little bit of olive oil is also one of my favorites.
In terms of fruit i choose peach and wild strawberries. When i worked in spain, my supplier grew strawberries on a mountain near Malaga. Once a week he came down and drove to the airport to deliver a couple of boxes for some great French chefs. Then he drove one hour to come to me. They had this amazing red color, where slightly bigger and the inside was white. Sometimes i still have dreams about those…’
Every year i look forward to the white asparagus and i’m crazy about Chinese broccoli
The most delicious vegetable dish ever…
‘I have two favorites: the green palette from Michel Bras and the sprouts ‘Thai-style’ from Momofuku’s David Chang.’
Why Rungis?
‘They can consistently deliver a high quality. They have an enormous range of Japanese products in their assortment and because they’re a pioneer in their industry. The fresh almonds, the green ones in the cap, they’re the only ones that have them!’
