La Cebolla

We visit La Cebolla on the first floor of De Witt in Dordrecht, above the city brasserie and cinema. The restaurant has a modern look with an artistic twist. Think wooden tables without tablecloths, but with white napkins, hard plastic bucket seats that are surprisingly comfortable, and spotlights interspersed with low-hanging designer lamps. Here, the kitchen focuses on Mediterranean-style cooking with strong Spanish influences. Alongside a four- to six-course chef’s menu, the menu offers an extensive à la carte selection. We start with a non-alcoholic German cider made from apple, rhubarb, and mustard leaf. Smoky broad beans and an appetizer of croquettes with olive mayonnaise and Ibérico ham arrive at the table: rich in flavor, yet slightly greasy. The starter is a tuna ceviche with green tomatillo salsa, beautifully balanced and elegantly presented on a wavy glass plate. We enjoy an Italian Chardonnay, Langhe, Montaribaldi, Stissa d’Le Favole 2023. A brioche with warm eel serves as a second appetizer, simple in presentation but a perfect hit in terms of flavor. This is followed by pan-fried scallops in poultry jus with chorizo and mushrooms, accompanied by a crispy onion crisp. A surprising and excellent combination. Next comes ribeye, medium-rare, served with potato, carrot, and confit onion, accompanied by a concentrated jus and a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2024. This too is spot on, both in flavor and presentation. The dessert is a nougat parfait with blackcurrant and amarena cherries, autumnal in flavor, though the parfait could have been a bit lighter. We end the evening with a cappuccino accompanied by four petit fours. Service is led by Esther Weber, who also acts as sommelier. She is welcoming and always allows us to sample the wines beforehand. We truly appreciate this. La Cebolla successfully combines Mediterranean refinement with Dordrecht hospitality. It is a charming venue where modern cuisine, attentive service, and a warm atmosphere come together to guarantee a top-notch evening.

Owner-chef Cees Timmerman and hostess and sommelier Ester Weber have created a wonderful setup in their stately 17th-century building in the heart of Dordrecht. Yet this grandeur is hardly apparent in their elegantly appointed living-room-style restaurant, as the atmosphere here is wonderfully relaxed—a direct reflection of the couple’s warm hospitality. Guests truly come for a lovely evening out, and the pleasant hum of conversation says it all. Cees prepares a pure, classically inspired cuisine, shaped by their many trips to Mediterranean countries. Multi-course menus are available, complete with tailored wine pairings served in full or half glasses. Esther also gladly recommends a fine wine from the impressive wine list. For our aperitif, we take a sip of the rich L. Bénard-Pitois Réserve Brut Champagne Premier Cru. Now the celebration can begin. Delicious and presented like a miniature painting, the lobster dish sits atop daikon and radish, accented with Turkish peppers and dill, and garnished with delicate dahlia petals. Paired with it is a beautiful dry 2023 Pflüger Riesling Buntsandstein. The highlight is the tender Wagyu A4 beef, perfectly cooked and served alongside a medley of fresh, seasonal vegetables. Kudos to the waitstaff—attentive, highly skilled, and radiating a genuine warmth that deserves to be emulated. No wonder DeliCees is always packed.

Although the 17th-century building at the foot of the Dordt Cathedral exudes grandeur, the atmosphere in the living-room-style restaurant is unpretentious and cozy. Chef-owner Cees Timmerman and hostess and sommelier Ester Weber have been running a successful restaurant here for several years now, where the love for beautiful cooking can be savored in every detail. The light, elegantly appointed dining room feels comfortable and is filled with regulars. Everyone is dressed up for a nice evening out, and a warm buzz of conversation fills the space. Cees prepares classic cuisine with strong Mediterranean influences from Spain and Italy, destinations they frequently visit to draw inspiration from local chefs. There are no à la carte options here, but rather a multi-course surprise menu. Ester gladly pairs each course with fine wines, though you can also browse an impressive wine list. We sample beetroot preparations that surprisingly complement velvety burrata and piquant anchovies, followed by a perfectly cooked entrecôte served with a beautifully reduced meat jus, enoki mushrooms, sweet soy sauce, and rendang spices. Be sure to leave room for the cheese board, which is generously portioned and features cheeses at precisely the right temperature. Kudos to the young waitstaff, who are attentive and highly knowledgeable about both wine and food. A delightful spot.

Cees Timmerman and Ester Weber will celebrate the tenth anniversary of their beautiful establishment at the foot of the Dordtse Dom next autumn. They were previously located elsewhere in the historic city center, and since then have won themselves a loyal following. Delicees-nu occupies two adjoining rooms in a 17th-century building at a marina, with a cobblestone terrace out front. We sample amuse-bouches such as a piece of lacquered eel in ajo blanco, pumpkin gazpacho, and duck rendang with seroendeng. The tone is set: Cees and his sous-chef Dylan van Ee know how to cook! The first course is called "The Beach," consisting of crustaceans and shellfish on a bed of white and black soy "sand." Mussel, cockle, and razor clam, respectively seasoned with smoked soy, ponzu, and garlic, alongside smoked sardine. Beautiful! Ester pairs it with a Jurançon from Domaine Cauhapé, 2016, made primarily from Manseng grapes: ripe, fresh, and well-rounded. This is followed by a vegetable dish: fried chanterelle bread with poached French onion on a cream of Comté and onion broth. Then comes a piece of monkfish, pan-fried in oil and served on cabbage dressed with tomasu and leek confit. The accompanying beurre blanc is not made with white wine but with dashi, a touch of miso, and yuzu. Delicious! Finally, excellent cheeses with date cream and fig crackers. A standout in Dordrecht.

Ships from Gelderland once docked here to have their cargo unloaded; just as historic is the little building opposite, at the foot of the cathedral tower of the Dordrecht Great Church. Cees Timmerman and Ester Weber housed their Delicees there a few years ago, and now it seems as though they’ve been there for centuries. The charming little establishment reveals itself behind basalt bollards, a few steps up to a massive door, and suddenly you find yourself in a marble corridor, where you can pull up to tables in rooms featuring an ornate decor of carefully restored chic details. We sample several pleasant amuse-bouches, including a mini gazpacho made from strained tomato pulp with a slice of chorizo, accompanied by a Spanish Verdejo (Cantayano, 2019). You cannot order à la carte here; instead, you are left to the chef’s surprises. This time, it’s a vegetarian starter billed as “beetroot carpaccio.” We weren’t thrilled with it, but moving on: it tastes fine, well, like beetroot. Fortunately, the main course is a lovely piece of beef, tenderly roasted, carved into slices, and served with onion compote and artichoke. The dessert is a delightful combination of cherry ice cream, blackberries, and young mozzarella. Despite an overly expensive wine list, Delicees is a definite keeper.

Chef-owner Cees Timmerman presents dishes with a Dutch take on Mediterranean cuisine. Together with his wife, maître sommelier Ester Weber, Cees travels to Spain and Italy as often as possible whenever he gets the chance, drawing inspiration from local chefs and culture. The experience they gather there is evident in every bite at their charming home-style restaurant, housed in a former vicarage. This stately historic building stands beneath the tower of Dordrecht's Great Church, where the kitchen focuses on seasonal delicacies. “We prefer to use the finest products, both local and international, such as those from several special suppliers in Spain. In our own garden, we mainly cultivate edible flowers. We run a kitchen where a genuine love for the product comes first,” says Cees. A warm atmosphere fills the space, complemented by pleasant acoustics in the meticulously appointed dining room. Tables are dressed in linen, the decor is fairly classic, and the well-dressed guests are truly out for a nice evening. There is no à la carte menu, but you can choose how many courses you wish to order from Cees’ tasting menu. Every dish is exquisitely presented and served on elegant tableware. The service, led by maître sommelier Ester, is highly knowledgeable yet effortlessly relaxed. Highly recommended!

Owner-chef Cees Timmerman and his wife Ester Weber welcome their guests in a historic building beneath the tower of Dordrecht's Grote Kerk. The kitchen focuses on bold flavors and the service is warm and welcoming—no wonder this spot is always packed, especially on weekends. From the well-stocked wine list, we choose a white Rioja blend of Viura, Malvasia, and white Grenache (Murua), notably buttery from aging in American oak. Accompanying amuse-bouches feature watermelon cured in soy sauce and shaved with a straight razor; avocado cream with tuna belly (toro); and a clear tomato broth finished with Thai basil oil. Next comes a salad of white beetroot and smoked halibut, dressed with a beetroot vinaigrette and an enoki sweet-and-sour relish. A perfect balance of texture, the interplay of sweet, sour, salty, and savory notes, and elegant plating. Absolutely delicious, even in its vegetarian version. The mid-course offering is a seared langoustine with a vinaigrette of cherry tomatoes, spring onions, jalapeño, and aged balsamic vinegar. Yet another flavor bomb: the chef truly has his craft down pat. The pièce de résistance is beef fillet from Dutch dairy cattle. Grilled to a crisp crust while staying tender within, it is incredibly flavorful. The accompanying sauce is a veal jus lightly enhanced with oyster sauce, chive oil, and fermented soy. The side dish consists of a compote of slow-cooked shiitake mushrooms and onions. We wrap up with a strawberry sorbet paired with liquid cheesecake, plus a macaron filled with aged balsamic vinegar. Simply excellent across the board.

Located in the center of Dordrecht at the foot of the Our Lady's Church is restaurant DeliCees by Cees Timmerman and Ester Weber. It was fully booked during our visit, and there is a cozy and lively atmosphere in the sleekly designed restaurant. Accompanying a full-bodied and refined rosé from Provence, a Rimauresq from 2016, come some modest aperitif bites such as a crouton with goat cheese mousse, popped white beans, and a tomato and eggplant gazpacho. Timmerman cooks Mediterranean cuisine, and the tuna ceviche with tomatillo salsa, slices of oca, an Andean tuber, and cucumber is light and beautifully seasoned. The second starter of warm roasted langoustine, crispy bacon, and a warm vinaigrette with organic vine tomatoes tastes divine. The highlight of the evening is gently cooked beef brisket and juicy grilled steak served with asparagus, carrots, fresh peas, an aromatic onion compote, and a miso sauce. The generously filled cheese board is presented at an excellent temperature and includes among others robiola tre latte from Northern Italy (made from cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk), brebis napoleon, a sheep's cheese from the French Pyrenees, pont-l'évêque from Normandy, Gouda cheese, and a roquefort. Served with date cream and nut bread. The portions are generous and the price-to-quality ratio is excellent as well. A wonderful spot!