A chef the whole world knows II.

For a man so meticulous he famously transports his fish packed in the same direction as the river current flowed and peels his fava beans before blanching, Chef Keller seems very relaxed. Sitting upstairs at Ladurée, the lavish macaroon palace within Harrods, he is here to discuss his new pop-up restaurant in the Knightsbridge department store. Having consistently dazzled at Per Se, The French Laundry and Ad Hoc and devised the dish that won over Anton Ego in Ratatouille, Keller really can do no wrong. Here he talks to GQ.com about his favourite burger, the best “man-apé” and why you can’t be a picky eater at 30,000 feet…

You pledge allegiance to one particular fast food joint. What's so special about an In-N-Out burger?
There's a number of things that are special to me. Firstly, it's an iconic restaurant, especially in the west [of America]. It's been there for over 60 years and it hasn't really changed their menu. There are all these different terminologies for [the menu], but when you think about it is just hamburgers, cheeseburgers, French fries, Coca-Cola and milkshakes. In our society today, everyone is looking for what is the newest trend. In-N-Out has never been that guy. It has stuck to the same basic philosophy that it began with 70 years ago – and it's busier today than they've ever been. I really like that. It just goes to show you that if you are true to your beliefs and you continue to do a good job, you don't have to be different every other day. You don't have to find the latest craze that McDonald's or Burger King does, where it'll [try] salad bars one day, wraps tomorrow, tacos the next. I love the idea of being able to do one thing really well – and be satisfied with that. Also it's fresh, not frozen, so I like that. Even though the tomatoes aren't always as good as they should be, because it's January, the lettuce is always crisp and it's always very simple. The idea that they do their potatoes fresh even though you have to really order them well done to get them crispy because with French fries, the technique is that you have to fry them twice. You order them well done and they come out crispy. Those are little nuances that you learn.

What's your beer of choice?
Stella Artois. It's interesting because one of my philosophies was derived from drinking beer at a young age: it's the law of diminishing returns. That first beer on a hot day on a beach was so refreshing! The second one was OK, but wasn't quite as good. The third was meh. I realised then the more you have of something, the less you like it. That's how the whole philosophy and culture of the French Laundry has developed in the size of the food portions. For me it's just about that one ice-cold beer after a round of golf on a hot day. Stella seems to fit that profile of crispness, lightness and when it's really cold, it's so refreshing. But one and you're done. The second just doesn't hit it.

What service bugbear particularly gets to you?
I hate any kind of bad service. It really comes down to making your guest feel like you care about them, even if you're really busy. It only takes little things – even just a couple of words at the table. Somebody who makes you feel that they appreciate you being in the restaurant is important to me. The last time I got bad service? It's hard to say because it's interesting for me: I don't eat out a lot and typically when I do I'm at one of my colleague's restaurants. My experiences in restaurants are so much different from the common person's in restaurants. So really bad service? For me it was probably at a breakfast place that we tried when we just opened the restaurant in Beverly Hills. I took my wife Laura to have breakfast and it was one of those restaurants where you have to order your food at the counter, you get your beverage and then you go and sit down at a table with a number on it. They brought out her food not just first but so much so that she was done by the time I got mine. The way I ordered my eggs was not the way they served them. I was really upset. There was no apology – which really upsets me. You have to really take responsibility for what happens – whether it's caused by you or not, you're part of a group. If one person falls down, then the whole team falls down, so we all just support each other. When that happens in a restaurant, there's no excuse for it.

What would be a good Fashion Week survival dish?
So we're talking models? I have two different favourite salads – my go-to dish is a beautiful piece of salmon, either grilled or lightly sautéed, with great lettuce and beets, green beans and some light vinaigrette. What I cook at home a lot is either quinoa or broccoli with tuna fish – something that has some pure protein and vegetables with it. It's filling, it's quick and it's easy.

What's your favourite food film scene?
The scene in Goodfellas where they're all in jail making the pasta [click here to see it]. One of the mobsters Paulie is slicing the garlic with a razor blade and he talks about how important it is to make it thin – the sauce is not going to be the sauce that he wants if the garlic is not shaved just so. You think about that attention to detail – it's important in everything you do, but especially in cooking.

What's your favourite man canapé?
I would say quiche, but real men don't eat quiche do they? [laughs] We do one which we developed at Per Se when we first opened – it's called a BLT. The B part has become a beautiful slice of braised pork belly, the L part is a purée of Romaine lettuce or arugula greens and the T part is sliced truffles. We cook that on the griddle with a little bit of butter so it gets nice and crispy.

Source: gq.com