Apdikt restaurant, located in Steinfort, received its first Michelin star one year ago, in February 2024. Has this added any pressure on the team? Executive Chef Mathieu Van Wetteren weighs in.
The restaurant name Apdikt is Luxembourgish for “pharmacy”, which is what the restaurant previously was. But it also ties in with Chef Van Wettern’s philosophy: “You are what you eat. That’s the best pharmacy a body can have.”
It seems fitting then that he uses the analogy with the Michelin star he earned one year ago: “You can be the best doctor in the world, but without a PhD no one will recognise you. It’s hard because I knew that one day I’d have a Michelin star, but I never asked myself what’s after that.”
The chef says that because of his 20 years’ experience—which included working at starred restaurants in Sweden and Belgium and travelling throughout Asia, sampling flavours along the way—he can now see a plate and understand it, like it’s “The Matrix running in front of my eyes!”
But he admits the long hours have meant plenty of sacrifices, also for his wife and children, and knows that for those seeking to obtain a second Michelin star, there’s no more space for anything else, so it’s not something he’s actively aiming for: “I saw my family working hard and making compromises. I love my wife and children too much.”
Now, he says, the pressure is just on himself. Self-described as energetic by nature, he’s trying to focus on having more balance.
“It’s a system where everyone feels safe, everyone knows exactly what they have to do.”
All about discipline
Comparing his experiences in Belgium and Sweden kitchens, he praised the Swedish way of working. “Everything was organised, the hours and workers are respected. It’s all about respect, and the result is everybody puts in all their heart.”
Van Wetteren says he has always approached his work with discipline and likes cultivating Japanese philosophy in his kitchen: a repetition of the same steps each day, aiming for perfection in each. “It’s a system where everyone feels safe, everyone knows exactly what they have to do,” he adds.
The executive chef works mainly with vegetables and fish. Whether it’s through Japanese barbecuing or brining, Van Wetteren says a variety of techniques are used in order to get the best flavour out of each product. Dishes are seasonal, with many of the vegetables harvested from the garden just in front of the restaurant; in winter, meanwhile, the team tries to use as much of the products they’ve preserved during the year.
The chef also notes that once the restaurant received its star, they didn’t raise their prices. “That’s the cherry on the cake—but the cake is the one I baked,” he says. “A cherry is just a cherry… if you stay humble, life will get you through well.”
