Ozzy goes Michelin
Michelin restaurant and country house hotel De Bloemenbeek
Only 12 weeks old, Oscar the little connoisseur in spe already visited his first Michelin star restaurant: De Bloemenbeek in our home country the Netherlands.
Dining at De Bloemenbeek means dining with a view over the elongated fields behind the country house. The hotel is over a century old and holds a long family history. Solely quietness and serenity when you walk around here.
Facial time
We settle ourselves in our giant suite. Oscar’s and our bed are both drawn up perfectly, ready to roll into after our dining experience later today. The hotel offers a luxury wellness area, where you can swim and get totally pampered with all kinds of body treatments. For me, a 90 minutes facial is scheduled, followed by a fancy glow-up right before dinner.
Dinner is served
All ready, glammy ánd full of cravings, we take place at our round, white clothed table. Menu ‘Alliance’, prepared by chef Michel van Riswijk, is awaiting us. A five course menu full of local ingredients. The menu kicks off really well, with a fine parade of amuses: merengue of mushroom, moss of pistachio; anything is possible. Our taste buds are woken up and curious about what’s more to come!
The menu consists of quite classic dishes. The first dish immediately is the signature dish of the chef: local ‘Dinkeldal’ beef served on ‘hay of the neighbors’. Such an intense, deep taste - and this is only the first course. Also loved the presentation: the meat is served on a natural wooden shelf, coming from a tree in the area that was hit by lightning. Awesome.
In the meantime, due to all good flavors, I almost forget there is a baby laying on my lap. Oscar is really relaxed and just being happy watching us eating. Keep up the good work, Oscar. This way, please come with us on our Michelin trips more often. At first, it can be a bit daunting to bring your baby into a (chic) restaurant, but actually: what is the worst that could happen? In case he gets restless or can’t sleep, we can leave. In my view - if you’re as much of a restaurant maniac as we are and want to take your kid with you sometimes - it’s best to just take him and just ‘take your loss’ if it doesn’t work out. Since Oscar was two weeks old, we took him with us to every restaurant. He just seem to find it normal to stay in such places and actually enjoyed himself (how could he not like it with these crazy food people as parents). If you never try, you would never know, right?
The rest of the gastronomic delights are just as refined as the first one. What I loved, is how the chef took us with him in his domain: the kitchen, where he has worked for over 35 years. While standing there, we enjoy our dish of cod fish and oxtail, while getting to know the chef and the experience he has build over the last decennia.
All dishes are so well-thought. Every ingredient is picked carefully and provide a certain function in the entire dish and menu. De Bloemenbeek is really worth a visit if you’re into fine dining, high-quality, classic wines and an informal atmosphere.
