The Red Sun

Japanese cuisine takes center stage at The Red Sun by Wimmy Hu and Pieter van den Ham, which has now been open for twenty years. This charming restaurant attracts many regular guests from the 't Gooi region, but visitors passing through also manage to find their way here. The dining room is elegantly furnished, and the kitchen team works with intense focus at the long counter. The atmosphere is pleasant and calming, even though the place is packed with diners. The acoustics are perfect. The menu offers several choices, including a multi-course experience menu, sushi and sashimi, signature dishes, and desserts. It also notes that vegetarian options can be requested. For an aperitif, we enjoy an aromatic Mas La Chevalière Chardonnay and savor various sushi, such as tempura shrimp with jalapeño and red pepper, and a wagyu yuzu hand roll with lightly tangy yuzu mayonnaise and a shiso leaf. The tone is set. From the signature dishes, we choose the Alaska king crab, featuring a whole king crab leg grilled on a Japanese Robata charcoal grill, harmonizing with a spicy paprika-shallot salsa and a fresh citrus ponzu soy sauce. Simply delicious. On the dessert menu, Japanese Water Stones catches our attention. It turns out to be a light passion fruit crèmeux with raspberries, lychee, yuzu, and vanilla. A perfect ending to a lovely, thoughtfully prepared evening in Blaricum.

The Red Sun, run by Wimmy Hu and Pieter van den Ham, is a regular haunt for both famous and lesser-known Dutch figures in 't Gooi. Pieter and Rogier van Asselt manage the venue with flair and oversee the service with professional precision. Our table in the luxuriously appointed restaurant overlooks the nine-meter-long counter, where chefs are busy crafting impressive Japanese dishes. The ambiance is pleasantly relaxed, almost lounge-like, with ample space between the tables. The lounge music plays at a fairly high volume, though we’d gladly have it turned down just a notch. We begin with a deliciously crisp glass of Ossian Quintaluna Verdejo, featuring subtle herbal notes and perfectly balanced acidity. It serves as a worthy companion to the tuna tartare sushi served on crispy rice with sesame, shallot, and spring onion, alongside the rock shrimp—a large prawn in tempura atop rice, accompanied by avocado, red pepper, and chili mayonnaise. The menu isn’t particularly extensive, but everything on it delivers. We savor the beef fillet cooked on the griddle, served with crispy garlic and tableside-shaved truffle. The tender, marinated squab—marinated for twenty-four hours, glazed with teriyaki, and grilled over Japanese charcoal—is equally outstanding. Succulent and bursting with flavor. Be sure to save room for dessert. The mochi (Japanese glutinous rice cake) topped with sesame, crumble, and caramel sauce is pure bliss. Such quality in 't Gooi naturally comes with a premium price tag. Yet it hardly deters diners. Booking a table is an absolute must.

Japanese fine dining is all the rage at the welcoming restaurant owned by Wimmy Hu and her partner Pieter van den Ham. Diners from Blaricum and the surrounding area navigate their way here effortlessly to savor the refined dishes. And perhaps a little to see and be seen, given the constant parade of celebrities. The menu offers a variety of tasting menus, an extensive selection of sushi and sashimi, and a modest à la carte list. The wine list is genuinely impressive, boasting an extensive sake selection and a wide array of wines available by the glass. We are warmly greeted by host and sommelier Rogier van Asselt, who, along with his professional and passionate team, ensures a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The first course is a cone of crispy phyllo dough filled with guacamole, exceptionally fresh salmon tartare, and mayonnaise, accompanied by a yuzu and jalapeño foam. A pleasant start. This is followed by a soft-shell crab tempura roll with Japanese mayonnaise and tobiko, alongside crispy tuna tartare with sesame, shallots, and spring onions. The quality is top-notch. The same goes for the poured Lergenmüller 2020 Weisser Burgunder Trocken from Germany’s Pfalz region. The donabe is a dish you absolutely must try. Slow-braised in a traditional Japanese clay pot, it is composed of rice, ribeye, shrimp, mushrooms, truffle, and Chinese sausage. Absolutely delicious. We are gradually filling up nicely. Still, we make room for dessert. Sesame ice cream with sesame crumble and caramel sauce makes a lovely end to an evening defined by craftsmanship and hospitality. It hardly surprises us that the bill is rather steep, nor does it seem to bother the other guests, given how consistently packed the place is. Reservations are essential.

In the center of Blaricum, on the main road, lies the Japanese fine dining restaurant by Wimmy Hu and his partner Pieter van den Ham. In this stylish and chic yet relaxed venue with an open kitchen, every effort is made to ensure you have a perfectly enjoyable experience. It is a favorite spot for regulars, including quite a few celebrities. No compromises are made on quality, which we notice right away with the amuse-bouches: fried squid with yuzu-jalapeño sauce and a horn filled with Wagyu beef mince that must be injected with teriyaki sauce using a pipette. From the extensive menu, we choose truffle scallops grilled on a Japanese robata charcoal grill, served with crispy lotus root chips, chives, garlic slivers, and truffle mayonnaise. This is followed by twenty-four-hour honey-marinated squab with spicy teriyaki sauce. The complimentary 1865 Carmenère red wine from Chile pairs excellently. The Black Angus entrecôte, rolled with green asparagus, is served on a warm Himalayan salt stone and accompanied by a fresh citrus ponzu-soy sauce and teriyaki. For dessert, there is a classic warm chocolate cake with a molten center, served with vanilla ice cream and raspberries. The coffee is not particularly hot, and the accompanying friandises are good but nothing extraordinary. Despite this, it is a lovely establishment where you should definitely make a reservation, as it is always busy. Just be sure to bring a well-stocked wallet.

The Japanese fine dining restaurant The Red Sun by Wimmy Hu and her husband Pieter van den Ham has long been a fixture in this guide. You can take a seat at a nine-meter-long chef's table or dine in the charmingly decorated restaurant. Many regular guests, including well-known Dutch personalities, frequently come here to enjoy the exquisite dishes. The menu is extensive, featuring a tasting experience, exclusive dishes, an assortment of sushi, sashimi, and hangiri, à la carte options, and 'before dinner bites' to begin. Paired with the aperitif is a generous serving of tuna tartare with fried lotus root and wasabi. Maître Rogier van Asselt recommends the salmon sushi roll, lightly seared with spicy jalapeño sauce and avocado. In a word, delightful. The renowned pepper roll, built with crispy tempura prawns, Japanese sesame sauce, chives, cucumber, and a fresh sweet-and-sour ponzu dressing, is also incredibly tasty. We continue with beef tenderloin from the hot plate, served with crispy garlic chips, truffle, and a creamy onion sauce, accompanied by fried rice. In the glass, a lightly chilled Allegrini Valpolicella. A beautiful pairing. Reservations are a must here, and bring a well-stuffed wallet, as the bill is hefty.

Say Wimmy Hu and straight away comes: The Red Sun. Wimmy and the restaurant have been inextricably linked for years. Born in Eindhoven to Chinese parents, she was already running around her father’s restaurant with a server’s apron as a little girl. It’s hardly surprising, then, that Wimmy entered the hospitality industry. Since its founding in 2005, this Asian restaurant in the heart of Blaricum has been a huge success. All the big names can be found here, alongside other—often regular—guests who love to sample its Japanese fine dining. A few years ago, it underwent a major renovation, elevating its dining concept to an even higher level. A large team of experienced chefs works in the kitchen, while the restaurant staff, led by general manager Rogier van Hasselt, is trained to deliver highly personalized service. The wine list is impressive, as is the sake bar, which serves cold, warm, sparkling, and dessert sakes, alongside champagne, cocktails, and an extensive selection of fine wines. Such luxury certainly comes with a hefty bill.

Behind a quaint village facade in Blaricum lies The Red Sun, owned by Wimmy Hu. The interior is atmospheric, and the sushi bar is a focal point. We are warmly welcomed by host and sommelier Rogier van Hasselt, who, along with his team, ensures a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Here, Japanese fine dining and tasting experiences truly shine. The menu offers a variety of sushi and small dishes, alongside a generous selection of vegetarian options. All dishes are designed to be shared. Alongside a well-curated wine list featuring both Old and New World wines, there is an extensive sake menu. To start, we order the “tasty spoons,” five spoons topped with shrimp, salmon, scallop, king crab, and tuna, each prepared differently and offering a range of flavors from mild to spicy. We pair it with a Kikusari Junmai sake, which is rustic and rich in umami. This is followed by soft-shell crab tempura served as an “inside-out roll with tobiko,” which delights both the eye and the palate. The sizzling lamb rack with sansho pepper, grilled on the robata and served with ginger-sesame sauce, is cooked to perfection and of high quality. So too is the “by Han” squab, grilled over charcoal with honey and spicy teriyaki sauce. We enjoy it with a glass of Attitude Sauvignon Blanc by Pascal Jolivet 2017. The “Matcha Soba” dessert, built around a marzipan-chocolate mousse (made with cacao from Madagascar) and confit yuzu, is also excellent. One point of note concerns the music: it is too loud, which is distracting and completely unnecessary. Despite this, the atmosphere remains cozy in this establishment, which is packed to the brim with guests.

In the heart of the beautiful town of Blaricum lies THE RED SUN, owned by Wimmy Hu. In this atmospheric, somewhat mystical restaurant, Japanese cuisine is served, and the menu offers an abundance of exquisite small Japanese dishes. Here, there are no amuse-bouches, but rather predominantly pricey 'before dinner bites'. We sample crispy squid, tempura-fried and served with yuzu-jalapeño sauce, shichimi (Japanese seven-spice powder), and lime. This sets the tone. We begin the dinner with a platter of various sushi and sashimi. Thus, we enjoy pepper shrimp, followed by a wagyu carpaccio, for which host and sommelier Rogier van Asselt pours a fine Australian Sangiovese from Penfolds, vintage 2008. We continue the festive meal with tender duck that has been marinated for 24 hours in white miso. There is also truffle ossobuco, cooked on the robata grill, accompanied by truffle and sweet soy. The presentation is simply stunning. As are the desserts, incidentally: the Japanese water stone filled with raspberry and chocolate wasabi looks magnificent, and the flavor is sublime. We round off the meal with a cup of tea from the extensive Japanese tea menu. It is served in true Eastern fashion in a beautiful Japanese teapot by an impeccable black brigade. Accompanying the hefty bill comes a glass of soothing sake. An excellent establishment.