Morris Clip directs the philharmonic’s ‘Tempo’
Morris Clip always knew that he would find himself working in a kitchen one day. His father was the director of the school of hotel management in Libramont. Further back, his grandfather had already bought a hotel there. ‘I believe that these things develop naturally. I’ve never asked myself too many questions,’ says Clip. ‘I’ve decided the kitchen is the place for me and I’m content with that: I make people happy.’
Since its opening in September 2017 he has been the„chef of the restaurant ‘Tempo’, which sits in the basement of the philharmonic hall. ‘Tempo’ sounds sporty and musical, which resonates in the restaurant’s unusual by-line: ‘Bar où manger’. Gault & Millau named it ‘Pop of the Year 2019’ – a new award for especially trendy and popular bars. ‘That was such a lovely surprise,’ says Clip (45). Yet, he is not looking for more awards, whether stars or chef hats: ‘I’m not the kind of chef who is obsessed with obtaining a star. You can run a restaurant without one.’
No question: The locality in Kirchberg defines the ‘Tempo’. The first customers stop to get a coffee and croissant on their way to work. The place is always packed for lunch: ‘This area is full of firms, you’ve got the European institutions; there’s plenty of infrastructure around us.’ The evenings in ‘Tempo’ begin as early as 5.30pm, even before the first concerts in the philharmonic hall. Often the restaurant stays open until midnight when the guests coming from a concert have finished eating too.
‘That’s always a long day,’ says Clip. Working hours such as those are always difficult in an industry that is struggling to find staff. ‘It takes a lot out of you,’ says Clip. Which is why he sees his co-workers as ‘humans with whom one shares a lot’. It’s ‘like you’re family, you become very close.’
‘Tempo’ is, however, not simply a watering hole for businesspeople, civil servants, and music lovers. ‘Even if all of these customers did not exist, many people simply come because they’ve heard of us through word of mouth,’ says Clip, and you can hear the surprise in his pleased voice. Last July, when the season at the philharmonic hall was over and the offices had emptied for the summer, ‘Tempo’ had one of its best months; a sign that the restaurant’s 80 seats inside and out appeal to a wider clientele than its immediate neighbourhood. These days you have to book if you want a table. ‘Even the customers coming from the philharmonic hall book their tables. It’s great.’
“I’ve decided the kitchen is the place for me and I’m content with that: I make people happy.”
An easy-going atmosphere and good food – that’s a recipe for success that Clip knows. He previously worked for a catering firm in Belgium, after that he was the chef in his family’s hotel for five years, and then he owned his own pub (‘La Bicoque’) in Transinne for nine years. In 2011, as he was playing with the idea of opening a restaurant in Marrakesh, he was offered the kitchen in Laurence Frank’s ‘Brasserie Schuman’. He stayed there for five years: ‘The brasserie was very important for my professional development.’
After a short intermezzo in‘Franz’,he was approached by Stéphanie Jauquet, owner of ‘Cocottes’, ‘Um Plateau’ and ‘A Table’, for her new project ‘Tempo.’ Clip says that for him it was important that he was not working for Jauquet but with her: ‘You’re very lucky if you get the chance to work with her.’
‘We are relying on a method that worked for us in ‘Um Plateau’, he says. Meals that you can share; an atmosphere in which you can talk. ‘A restaurant in which you can relax and where you can eat a little something,’ says Clip. He rejects the concept of ‘bistronomie’. ‘I do not like that term. We do not want to be better or worse than any others. We are who we are.’
Naturally, ‘Tempo’ also serves ‘Boulettes à la bière’ – a culinary composition, which has long accompanied him. ‘We make a huge amount every week. I’ve never been able to take that off the menu.’ Clip says he feels at home in ‘Tempo’: ‘I carry the consequences of the life I have decided to live. And I’m very happy with that.’
TEMPO BAR OÙ MANGER
1 Place de l’Europe
L– 1499 Luxembourg
Tel.: (+352) 27 99 06 66