"I like the unpretentious sheds with the great food"

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"I like the unpretentious sheds with the great food"

Food podcaster Olaf Deharde from GEO Saison on his gastronomic discoveries

"Dat was jut jewesen." This is how Olaf Deharde and Matten Kersten summarized their visit to Düsseldorf in dialect. Over a long weekend, the two podcasters from the travel magazine GEO Saison experienced the Rhine metropolis in its purest form. Their conclusion: the special thing about Düsseldorf is that you don't see the special things. They took a close look at the city themselves - and discovered, for example, that the four reception desks in the 25hours Hotel are based on the stage design of Kraftwerk. We want to know exactly what happened afterwards: What blew you away the most in Düsseldorf? Olaf Deharde reveals.

You say in your podcast that Düsseldorf is underrated in culinary terms. What surprised you the most?

To be honest: Personally, I wasn't that surprised, as I've known Düsseldorf since the early 2000s and have come to appreciate it as a culinary destination. I worked as an advertising photographer in the automotive industry back then and was often here for weeks at a time. Back then, you went out to eat twice a day: once at lunchtime, usually at Olio, and then again in the evening, usually at Reusch am Hafen. But the one person who was really overwhelmed on our podcast tour was Matten, who didn't know the city yet. I could see the surprise on his face the whole weekend.

You are the smart one in your team. How do you prepare yourself? 

Well, I do my research, of course, but as I've been to a lot of places, I'm also really into travel and gastronomy. So you know one thing or another. However, our head chef Fabio (Fabio Haebel, usually the third member of the GEO season podcast/editor's note) wasn't there at all, he always goes the extra mile. Especially when it comes to culinary finesse. As for me: I'm always on the lookout for places that aren't too obviously commercial. I particularly like the unpretentious places with great food. That's what interests me. 

In your podcast, you've also presented places that even some locals have missed so far: the tax office, the Cucina Vitale, the record store Minty Vinyl. Do you work with tips from locals?

Yes, our network is large. There are a few people in every city that I can talk to. Cucina Vitale, for example, was a recommendation from a well-informed friend. However, I discovered my favorite record store, Minty Vinyl, by chance. I was out for a walk in Flingern and - attracted by the music - happened to wander into the interior design store 69m². Minty Vinyl is also in the store, and Günter Herke, the owner of the store, is right on my wavelength when it comes to music. We chatted for an hour or so. As I found a few gems in his shop and happened to have some records of my own, we swapped. You should know that my second hobby alongside gastronomy is music.  

You really celebrated Düsseldorf in your podcast. Which location is your secret favorite?

The Olio. When we were there, I met the owner, Roman Jasper, for the first time. He is considered media-shy, but I approached him anyway because I wanted to get him involved in my personal travel food project. I take something to eat or drink with me from every trip - something that a local gives me and that I document in pictures and text. On the next tour, I then swap this product for another local specialty. The idea is to connect people and places through these stories. Roman agreed to take part and he gave me a huge jar of homemade black walnuts boiled in sugar syrup. That made me very happy.

You say in the podcast that you have discovered the secret of Olio. What is behind the decades of success?

In my opinion, the secret is the timeless presentation and the constant development of the menu. This applies to the food as well as the wines. Olio always has its finger on the pulse. What's more, everyone is treated equally here, from footballers to neighbors. No one can make a reservation, no one is given preferential treatment. And that has been the case for decades. That's quite an art!

Do you have another tip for our readers that you didn't reveal in the podcast?

Try the papaya salad at Manima - the Laotian. And I would definitely recommend the fried chicken at Hitchcoq. Both are to die for!

Cover picture: © Extended weekend


Do you now want to listen to the full podcast episode? Then you can find all of Olaf and Matten's tips here.

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