Michelin has just published its 2014 guide Netherlands, an especially rich edition as this year it awards a third star to a new restaurant.
De Leest in Vaassen has obtained a three-star ranking for the first time. In commenting about the restaurant, the International Director of the MICHELIN guides Michael Ellis said: “Chef Jacob Jan Boerma offers a highly personalized style of cooking in which preparation and culinary techniques are perfectly mastered. His cuisine is creative and full of influences from the world. The elegant contrast of sweet, savoury and tangy flavours is truly amazing.”
This highest honour, presented to restaurants offering “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey,” has been awarded to only around one hundred restaurants worldwide. Following the closing of Oud Sluis, the Netherlands now has two three-star restaurants, since the distinction was once again awarded to De Librije in Zwolle.
Three restaurants received two stars:
Bord’Eau in Amsterdam, with its deliciously sophisticated cuisine; FG in Rotterdam, whose chef, François Geurds, mixes flavours brilliantly; and Fred, in Rotterdam’s Kralingen district, where chef Fred Mustert meticulously prepares refined yet contemporary dishes.
Throughout the country, the MICHELIN inspectors noted that Dutch chefs are fully leveraging their creativity while also focusing on the product itself rather than on side dishes or interior decoration. Today’s chefs are using simpler yet very high-quality ingredients, with the goal of drawing out all of their taste while remaining very attentive to prices.
Nine restaurants received their first star this year, including Raedthuys in Duiven, where the discreet Hans den Engelsen has amply demonstrated his consistency over the years as well as his know-how and subtle style, and Bridges in Amsterdam, which perfectly illustrates the current trend in Dutch gastronomy toward a tasty, urban culinary style that is refined yet full of surprises. Another restaurant that was awarded its first star this year, the chef Lucas Rive, in Hoom, who already had two stars at de Bokkedoorns, offers a culinary style based on creative combinations and delicate touches that make his dishes very flavourful.
The MICHELIN guide Netherlands will go on sale on November 28 for €19.95 in the Netherlands and Belgium. The new edition features 1,229 establishments, with 555 hotels (including 32 guesthouses) and 674 restaurants, of which
105 starred restaurants
2 - 3 star restaurants - 1 of which is new
19 - 2 star restaurants - 3 of which are new
84 - 1 star restaurants - 9 of which are new