KACHEN #16 (Autumn 2018) English edition

CHEF PORTRAIT n
Thomas Murer
great cuisine for a small price
„I prominence in Luxembourg after appearing in the French TV
don't intend to revolutionise cookery. I just want to restore
some balance", says Thomas Murer, the Alsatian who rose to
show "Top Chef ". What does he mean by balance? "A good appetiser, a
good entree, and a good dessert at a fair and equitable price" is the task
that he and his wife Emeline have put before them.
Murer, 29, most recently worked at "Aal Schoul" in Hobscheid, and
now wants to do what some of his colleagues believe to be impossible
in his very own establishment, the restaurant "An der Villa" in Steinfort,
scheduled to open in October. Murer has planned a very special kind of
restaurant in an exquisite setting; namely, in the former residence of the
steel industry magnates Charles and Jules Collart, which had recently
been used as a municipal youth house, and was beginning to fall into
disrepair.
“
"We plan to run it like a bistro – but with the quality of
fine dining." Put another way, "We want to be accessible
to a large number of people. People who don't earn a
lot of money should be able to dine there as well." For
a long time now, it has irritated him that most quality
restaurants in Luxembourg are very expensive. His
plan includes lunches between €20 and €24, appetisers
starting at €9, entrees starting at €16 or €17 and normally not going
over €27. "And in the event that I get wild turbot, then I may offer that
for €30 or €32, but not for €40 or €50.“
I had
the fortune
of always working
for people who
passed on their
enthusiasm
to me
the restaurant, and find the bill "decent". "I want to be happy, and I
want happy employees. What more could I want?" With regard to stars,
he thinks primarily of the pressure they bring. And he thinks of the
hobby food critics who give out bad reviews on social media, because
the waiter didn't pour the wine quickly enough.
Why should he be the one who can offer "an affordable cuisine in
an extraordinary ambience"? Murer looks to technology and good
organisation. "I've changed the design of the kitchen ten times. They
said I was crazy." But now everything is as it should be. With higher
work surfaces ("To prevent back problems"), with induction stoves
instead of gas stoves, with a kind of miracle machine called the
VarioCookingCenter which cooks, roasts and simmers different foods
almost independently - and then cleans itself. "My team
should be cooking, and not wiping the kitchen.". He
wants to use vacuum technology (sous-vide) for bulk
purchases: "I won't buy 20 poultry breasts, I'll buy 200.
That's more economical."
"An der Villa" is to be a restaurant where the cooking is
”
sophisticated. "Our ambition is to do as much as possible
ourselves. We work with proper vegetables, our own
sauces, and also with real chicken stock. And we want to surprise our
guests. For example, an exquisite dessert can be made with lemon, basil
and fennel. And guests should say, I never would have thought that
these things work together."
PHOTO RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS
Murer is no romantic dreamer. He began to take cooking instruction
in Alsace at the age of 14. "That's where I learned the basics." Lots of
choucroute, but also rhubarb pie, brawn, and apple cake. "The things
one should be able to do." Afterwards he worked for two years at
"Auberge de l’Ill" under Marc Haeberlin. Later, after internships with
other top chefs, he worked for Patrick Jeffroy in Brittany and for Jean-
Luc Brendel in Riquewihr. "I had the fortune of always working for
people who passed on their enthusiasm to me." He followed his wife to
Luxembourg, who had come because she liked it here.
Murer knows, then, how things are done in starred restaurants. "And
because I know this world, I know that this is not what I want." The
main goal: guests who are still raving about the food when they leave
The Steinfort restaurant, then, should offer a "cuisine française de
terroir". A newer, lighter cuisine – "ambitious, but not pretentious."
And with seating for around 50, naturally open on weekends as well.
"In Alcase, the whole family goes out to eat on Sundays. And that's true
in Steinfort too." A restaurant for all. For children, there are chicken
nuggets, "but made on the premises and properly seasoned." Murer, the
father of two small girls, has come up with another little revolution. "We
are even going to serve candy floss. We've already bought the machine.
AN DER VILLA • 15 rue d'Hobscheid • L - 8422 Steinfort
2018 / 3 | KACHEN | 85