Ode

Contemporary interior with two cooking islands so you are treated all evening to the workings of the white brigade, good acoustics and plenty of privacy. Here, chef Liudger van der Meer prepares New Frisian cuisine with his team using seasonal ingredients sourced locally. He follows the Dutch Cuisine principle where 80 percent is plant-based and 20 percent animal-based. We begin with delicious oysters from the Wadden Sea with raspberry vinegar, shallot, ponzu and kimchi. Asparagus broth with morel oil then gently caresses the taste buds as a prelude to amuse-bouches, including meringue with natural duck liver and rhubarb, and tartelette with pike perch, wild garlic and Dutch sturgeon caviar. A truly beautiful welcome. There is no menu card here, but rather a multi-course experiential menu. Friendly host Folkert Groen presents Japanese radish and daikon atop soft-cooked trout. Beautifully seasoned with fermented broth, rapeseed oil and Dutch wasabi, and garnished with pearls of wasabi ice and rapeseed flowers. Knowledgeable sommelier Ryanne Rinsma has paired the fish course with Schouwen-Duiveland 2023, Auxerrois from Wijnhoeve De Kleine Schorre in Zeeland. The wine selection is largely Dutch, by the way. Sous-vide cooked fennel arrives surrounded by duck liver broth, sea buckthorn cream, onion and fennel seed cream. The white wine Hoeve Nekum Mergelland 2023, Rivaner by Math Bollen from Maastricht is dry and fruity with a muscat aroma, making it an excellent match for the fennel's flavors. A tartlet of dry-aged, cooked beetroot with plum mousse, XO foam and dried chard leaves is a standout dish. A sheep yogurt dessert with ice and 'sour mat' rhubarbon candies, flavored with sweet woodruff, completes the series of experiences. It is pleasing to see how much love and craftsmanship goes into preparing the most delicious and beautiful vegetable dishes here. Enters the Top 100 at number 95.

Friesland has gained another culinary pearl. In a fully restored historic building on the beautiful market square in Dokkum, restaurant Ode has opened. Guests can optionally stay overnight in one of the five luxury suites upstairs, accessed via an impressive, artistic steel staircase designed specifically for this purpose. The creative mind behind this concept is chef and hospitality entrepreneur Geert-Jan Vaartjes, who has established several restaurants in Friesland and drew inspiration from places including Vietnam. Inside, two large, elongated kitchen islands serve as the main eye-catchers. Chef Liudger van der Meer cooks the new Frisian cuisine here with his young team, utilizing as many ingredients as possible from their own Frisian region. The guiding principle is approximately 80 percent vegetables and 20 percent fish or meat. This approach consistently yields surprising dishes, often paired with wines from Dutch soil. And it works. This is a venture with high ambitions, yet everything is centered around the guest experience. The young service staff is enthusiastic, attentive, eager to learn, and highly competent. When we arrived, only an opening menu of six courses was available, though this will change in the future. Notably, no bread is served at the table. Instead, guests are presented with a trio of excellent amuse-bouches, followed by elegant starters. One example features fermented, drained cucumber using the hangop method alongside marinated cucumber, slices of fermented kingfish, wasabi leaves, and freshly grated wasabi. It is paired with the Cuvée XII from Apostelhoeve in Maastricht, a blend of Müller-Thurgau, Auxerrois, and Pinot Gris that promises a broad spectrum of aromas and flavors. Next comes a small dish aptly named weed due to its components: a nettle roll with buckwheat flour tempé and an oil-and-miso dressing, finished with crispy bits and delicate tufts of cream infused with various herbs and weeds. It melts on the tongue. The main course is slow-cooked prime rib of Frisian weiderund beef, glazed with plum and topped with crispy bits of dried broad beans. It is accompanied by multiple preparations of broad beans, each crafted with exceptional depth of flavor. We pair it with a powerhouse of a wine: the LingeRood Cuvée Barrique 2022 from Betuws Wijndomein, a robust red from our own country. It stands on the threshold of the Top 100. Welcome to Delicious!