Chef Mateusz at Selamat Pagi. Photo via Matt Brown.
For our second piece in the Behind the Toque series (we last profiled Chef Eldad of Glasserie), we popped over to Selamat Pagi for a sunny Sunday brunch and chatted with Executive Chef Chef Mateusz (Matt) Wlodarski. Over a Bali Bowl and glass of rose, we talked experimentation, the exciting seasonal changes on the horizon, and the menu’s newest sambal, the recipe for which he shares below.
Selamat Pagi (pronounced “Sell-a-maht Pah-gee” and meaning “Good Morning” in Balinese) is the Indonesian brainchild of Peter and Ben Van Leeuwen and Laura O’Neill, also co-founders of Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream. Similar to Van Leeuwen, Selamat Pagi is a harbinger of creativity and a playful, exploratory take on an alt cuisine (for our neighborhood at least) that nails it every time.
Don’t be fooled by the small, quaint space, and its unassuming location right off McGolrick Park. Each dish on the menu is beautifully constructed, a nuanced layering of Southeast Asian ingredients into modern renditions of Balinese classics.
Welcome to our new Greenpointers food series called Behind the Toque.
Behind the Toque is where we’ll be featuring Greenpoint’s most talented chefs discussing their cooking philosophies, restaurant operations and community relationships. As a special treat, we’ll also feature a recipe pulled directly from their current menu, so you can enjoy Greenpoint’s favorite cult dishes in the comfort of your very own home.
Chef Eldad Shem Tov is the new chef at Glasserie, the chic, sophisticated Middle Eastern haven nestled in an old, repurposed glass factory at 95 Commercial Street. He welcomed us to his restaurant on a snowy Sunday evening with the perfect appetizer: luscious tahini and a heavenly housemade grilled flatbread.
Read on to find out how Chef Eldad is trying to reframe American notions of sharing food, to cook his delicious recipe, and to get one of the best dining deals in Brooklyn.
Chef Eldad, hard at work. Photo via Kimisa H. courtesy of BrunchWith.
