De Bokkedoorns** – Overveen (Nov 2015)

As part of the “Heerlijk10Daagse” Restaurant Festival, we had a 4-course lunch at De Bokkedoorns 2 weeks ago.

Restaurant De Bokkedoorns is located in a unique dune area very close to the Bloemendaal aan Zee beach. As we had a window table, we were enjoying the autumn sun and the view on a dune lake during lunch.

Menno Post oversees the kitchen of De Bokkedoorns, where he succeeded Lucas Rive as head chef in 2013 – after having worked under Ron Blaauw for 13 years – and held its two Michelin star stature. The style of cooking of chef Menno Post is still the based classic French cuisine that the restaurant is known for, but with modern and seasonal touches.

Update: Menno Post started his own restaurant, Olivijn, in Haarlem in 2018 which was immediately awarded with 1 Michelin Star. New chef Roy Eijkelkamp maintained the 2 Michelin Stars for De Bokkedoorns

We had the specific 3-course Heerlijk10Daagse lunch and opted for 1 additional course (although expanding it to 5 with a selection from the cheese trolley was possible too). Chantal had an entirely vegetarian meal, and we each choose to have a “BOB” wine pairing arrangement (BOB is the Dutch acronym for designated drivers) as half quantities of wine are already enough for a weekday lunch.

mushroom cappuccino — Amuse: Mushroom cappuccino with white chocolate and goose liver served with a goose liver bonbon

cod terrine — Starter: Cod and kombu terrine with creme fraiche, pickled daikon, soba noodles, tempeh crisps served with an Asian seasoned oyster

grilled scallops — 2nd Starter: Grilled scallops and grilled chicory served with cheese sauce and flan made of chicory, ham, and cheese

veal loin — Mains: Veal loin with carrots, glazed barbecued Iberico pork and oloroso sherry sauce

berry dessert — Dessert: a white chocolate bombe filled with yogurt mousse and berry coulis, caramel ice cream, blackberries, and chocolate mousse balls

There were some minor things that were slightly “off”. We both found the oloroso sherry sauce quite acidic (Chantal also had it in her vegetarian course) and therefore overpowered our dishes, especially my veal loin. As you can see on the picture there was a watery liquid on the plate with the scallops (I suspect from the blanched and then grilled chicory). The service was correct, a bit formal, but didn’t always hit the mark. One of the waitresses – who later proclaimed that she had been a vegetarian for years(!) – amusingly described the tempeh crips as “Asian thingies”. It may seem a bit nitpicky, but it’s not something that you would expect at a restaurant at this level.

Nevertheless, the food itself was really delicious, beautifully plated, creative vegetarian courses and wine pairings. For me the cod terrine was the highlight of the day; very subtle yet harmonious flavors combined with impressive techniques; and to my surprise the combination of the chicory, ham and cheese flan with the grilled scallops was amazing. The desserts, however delicious they were, turned out very large portions and were heavy. Luckily, the friandises were 4 small jellies.😀