Dinner with

Hajar Scholten

Hajar is also known as Kiki's other half. She is an absolute foodie, as all she does is spend hours in the kitchen. She has written for the Eating and Drinking section on NU.nl, and has now started her own site (together with Kiki) Tête-à-Tête, where she fully immerses herself in recipes and restaurant reviews. Nice job, I thought. Additionally, she runs a web series on LINDA.tv where she creates a dish with just 100 calories each time. Yes, it’s possible. Well, enough reason to ask her for a Dinner with. Hajar, take it away!

Where in the world is your favorite restaurant?

‘In Marrakech, I ate with friends at the Lebanese restaurant Azar. The food there is so unbelievably delicious that we even ordered extra to take back to our apartment. Also in Italy, there is a very nice restaurant on the Amalfi Coast: Eolo. Okay, I had just been proposed to by Wouter an hour before I joined him here... Maybe that’s why everything tasted divine. Currently, Choux in Amsterdam is number 1 for me.’

And who would you really like to have dinner with? It can be anyone.

‘With Zlatan Ibrahimović. I am an Ajax fan and often stood fascinated along the sidelines watching the training sessions when he played for Ajax. Now, years later, I still find him so interesting. He is both very confident and very vulnerable. Yes, Zlatan then.’

Where do you prefer to sit in a restaurant?

‘As close to the kitchen as possible and in a spot where I can see the place instead of the wall. I have never worked in the hospitality industry, but I always find it super interesting to see how everything and everyone works.’

What do you always hope is on a menu?

‘I don’t eat meat, so I always check the vegetarian options on the menu. Often before I even decide where to eat. There’s really nothing worse than a restaurant that looks good ‘on paper’ that offers only a goat cheese tart as the sole vegetarian option. Where did the idea come from that vegetarians only eat goat cheese? Are there other veggies who feel the same way? Let me know! Haha.’

And is there something you really dislike? Tell me.

‘I do eat fish, but I really can’t stand octopus. I also don’t understand why people like it, it’s like chewing on rubber. And don’t say that I apparently haven’t tasted well-prepared octopus, because I’ve tried it at various Michelin-starred restaurants. Still rubbery. But to each their own.’

Do you find your way on the wine list?

‘To be honest: no. But I can pretend very well. Isn’t that what eighty percent of people do anyway?’

Starter or dessert?

‘Dessert. A thousand times dessert. My eyes always wander to the last pages of the menu, because then I already know what I can look forward to. Really very bad.’

And, let’s say, you’re cooking for a date for the first time. What’s on the table?

‘At least a three-course dinner. I’m all about the ‘go hard or go home’ tactic. Bruschettas with homemade tomato salsa and dips as a starter, homemade pumpkin ravioli with sage butter as the main course, and a cake with figs, honey, and Greek yogurt for dessert. I’m really happy if he doesn’t realize that there was absolutely no meat in it.’

What fun project are you currently working on?

‘Together with Kiki, I started the lifestyle website Tête-à-Tête over half a year ago. I’m very happily working on it every day. Additionally, I’m thoroughly enjoying my freelance life. With fun gigs like my recipe column on LINDA.tv as the cherry on top.’