Jeff's Farmhouse

A new name, a new chef, and a revised concept. Formerly ’t Nieuwe Diekhuus, it is now known as Jeff’s Farmhouse. Chef Ricardo Rozema (who has worked at establishments including ’t Nonnetje in Harderwijk) has taken over from Marco van Loohuizen, and the cooking style has shifted from fine dining to “cooking with the simplicity of yesteryear.” There are no more amuse-bouches, but rather a selection of bites and straightforward, flavorful dishes featuring local produce and ingredients from their own vegetable garden. We start with coarsely chopped steak tartare, served in bone marrow with marrow, shallot, gherkin, crispy potato, laver, and chives. The elegant white wine L'Arjolle Equinoxe Chardonnay 2023 from France’s Côtes de Thongue, with notes of raisins, adds a refreshing touch. Jeff's tournedos with Madeira jus comes with a side of green asparagus, baby carrots, and spinach. The meat is perfectly cooked medium-rare, and the jus is rich and flavorful. The red wine Bodega LAN Rioja Crianza 2021, with notes of red fruit, boasts a full body. The medium-rare grilled veal loin slices, featuring a crispy crust, red wine jus, and a side of kohlrabi and baby carrots, are flawlessly prepared, and you can truly taste the quality. We add romaine lettuce on the side. For dessert, we have lemon curd with raspberry, raspberry sorbet, verbena, and meringue. Light and airy with a fresh citrus aroma. Our verdict: welcome aboard this guide!

In this beautiful thatched-roof restaurant on the IJssel dike with a fabulous view over the water, consistently excellent standards are upheld. While the service pace has slowed slightly compared to previous years, the young, friendly, and above all passionate brigade remains far from idle. Head chef Marco van Lohuizen and his sous-chef Siebe Efdé prepare a French-international cuisine featuring seasonal produce, predominantly sourced from the region. This approach is highly appreciated, as the dining room is filled with cheerful guests eager to enjoy a well-crafted menu. Paired with a glass of fruity Crémant de Bourgogne boasting a lovely soft mousse, we order a Geay oyster Bloody Mary, served with tomato and celery brunoise and accompanied by a small carafe of vodka for those who prefer it stronger. Shortly after, no fewer than four thick slices of warm sourdough bread arrive, slathered with butter blended with green curry, olive oil, and coarse sea salt. For the starter, a beetroot gazpacho arrives, topped with shredded beetroot, shaved avocado and almonds, and finished with a smoked burrata foam. It is gently sweet and delightfully creamy. This is paired with a pour of white Johanniter Ludique, a Riesling-style wine sourced from their own vineyard. Next comes thinly sliced pastrami, accompanied by pumpkin chutney, celery leaf cream, and shaved summer truffle. A generous plate of pure bliss. We then move on to slow-braised lamb neck served with a rich and robust Provençal lamb jus. It may look simple at first glance, but the flavor is exceptionally delicate. The pairing is a Domaine de Marcoux Raisin de Loup 2021, a light, young, and slightly floral wine. The dessert offers a delightful surprise: a cardamom-infused mille-feuille filled with Olde Remeker cheese, shaved green apple, red onion chutney, parsnip ice cream, and Pedro Ximénez gel. Ingenious and a perfect conclusion to an exquisitely crafted dinner.

As last year, the pace here remains just as brisk, and we even have to ask for a brief pause to catch our breath. Otherwise, it’s all praise for this unpretentious, comfortably appointed restaurant by Jeffrey Fuhler, housed in a beautiful thatched-roof building on a lovely dike site. On fine days, the terrace offers expansive views over the IJssel River. Warm, freshly baked bread with caraway seeds arrives at the table, and you can immediately taste the care put into it. Chef Gijs Koopman serves dishes firmly rooted in French tradition, crafted with seasonal produce from the surrounding region. Several set menus are available alongside an à la carte selection. To start, there’s beef tartare served with an egg yolk cooked at 64°C, sweet-and-sour mustard seeds, chive cream, and Oud-Bokrijker grand cru cheese. Beautifully presented and exceptionally flavorful. The paired wine is the Révélation Chardonnay by Badet Clement—a wonderful selection! Not long after comes the duck breast from the Veluwe region. It is cooked to perfection and accompanied by kumquats, a sherry jus, and a side of pan-seared foie gras. Simply masterful. Our knowledgeable sommelier pairs it with the Carmuntum Rot by Weingut Pintauer, proving to be another excellent choice. Following our requested brief interlude, we finish with three cheeses that taste nearly identical. Kudos to the passionate black-clad service team who, despite not all being formally trained, radiate such genuine enjoyment in their work that it leaves you in high spirits.

When we arrive around 6:30 PM for dinner, most guests are already on their main courses. Throughout the evening, we find ourselves playing catch-up, and by 9:30 PM we are having coffee, which is already being offered to us alongside the dessert. By then, the dining room is nearly empty. Jeffrey Fuhler owns this beautiful thatched-roof restaurant, comfortably furnished and situated on a unique dike location, right beside the IJssel River with stunning views of the water and Deventer. Chef Gijs Koopman’s kitchen produces truly beautiful dishes, largely prepared with regional ingredients. We decide to dine à la carte, and when we request wine pairings, the wine list is brought to us. We opt for a Saint Peyre Chardonnay from the Languedoc, featuring exotic fruit notes and bright acidity. The first course is a beautifully presented tower of steak tartare with an egg yolk cooked at 64°C, herbs, and shaved aged Remeker cheese. It is well-seasoned, and the tartare boasts a refined texture. A crisp flammkuchen is topped with pea mousse and anchovy cream, draped with thin slices of lamb leg pastrami. The meat has a clean, natural flavor that pairs excellently with the accompanying elements, all of which serve to complement the lamb. The tournedos arrives (without being asked for) medium rare, delivering a solid cut of quality meat accompanied by a robust red wine jus. We opted for an additional serving of pan-seared duck liver. The team, led by SVH Master Host Said Maher, works in a disciplined manner, but as noted: the pace feels unnecessarily rushed. This can surely be done better.

New in this guide last year. Stef and Irma Fuhler run the establishment here, together with their son Jeffrey. They purchased the building in late 2018, completely renovated it, furnished it in a modern and comfortable style, and hired head chef Gijs Koopman. Gijs cooks purely, without any frills, but serves beautifully balanced dishes of the highest quality. The foundation is French, but it is enriched with influences from around the world. Jeffrey Fuhler says: “We are perfectly situated on the IJssel river, with the Veluwe as our hinterland. The animals live well here. Additionally, we have another hectare of garden. On this plot, we cultivate roughly 3,000 square meters of grapevines, 25 fruit trees, and a vegetable and herb garden. We have recently brought on board Marco van Lohuizen (who worked at De Leest for ten years) and Arthus Oost (former owner of restaurant Marlin in Deventer). With them, we have strengthened our team and are better than ever. We prefer organic and biodynamic wines. Our goal is to have 70% of our wine list consist of these varieties by the end of this year.” Many ingredients come from our own kitchen garden, and we source products from the surrounding region. If they cannot find exactly what they are looking for, they simply look a little further afield. You can visit ’t Nieuwe Diekhuus for coffee and cake from the local bakery, a fine glass of spirits optionally accompanied by a snack, for lunch featuring among others the finest croquettes you will find anywhere, and for an elaborate dinner. Restaurant manager and SVH Master Host Said Maher ensures that guests lack nothing. When the weather is nice, the terrace beckons with a fabulous view over the IJssel, the floodplains, and the city of Deventer. A true pampering destination.

Stef and Irma Fuhler, together with their son Jeffrey, are the new owners of the fully renovated 't Nieuwe Diekhuus, where guests can enjoy a cup of coffee with a tasty treat alongside it, such as cake from the local bakery, an apéritif – whether dressed up or casual – lunch, and dinner. The eye-catcher is the beautiful terrace with fantastic views of the IJssel river, the floodplains, and the city of Deventer. Beneath the establishment lies an extensive wine cellar housing some special 'cellar treasures', while some of the vegetables, fruit, and herbs are even sourced directly from the enormous garden. Chef Gijs Koopman serves a well-prepared veal tartare starter featuring oyster, cucumber, chive oil, watercress, and potato crisp, alongside a Twente-style burrata with olives, mint, roasted avocado, and pleated tomato. Both dishes are exquisitely plated and generously portioned. This is followed by skin-on pan-fried corvina with sweet-and-sour beet compote, smoked eel foam, fennel, and purée. Paired with a Peter Zemmer Lagrein rosé from Alto Adige. Delicious. The pan-seared duck breast with kumquat cream, pak choi, a potato cylinder, and béarnaise sauce also wins over the palate. The duck meat is incredibly tender, and the tartness of the kumquat completes the dish perfectly. We wrap up with a modern take on the classic 'viennetta'. Homemade ice cream layered with fermented ruby chocolate, Greek yogurt, lychee foam, raspberry, and meringue dusted with beetroot powder looks not only magical but is, in one word, delightful. One point for improvement: the wine service could use a bit more refinement. Empty glasses remain on the table too long, and the wine descriptions are rather sparse. Nevertheless: welcome to Lekker!