Vane

Located in the heart of Eindhoven, on the thirteenth floor of the NH Collection Hotel. The restaurant offers a panoramic view of the city thanks to its floor-to-ceiling windows. Executive chef Carlo Chantrel serves French-international cuisine here. The evening starts promisingly with an elegant Boschendal Brut Rosé, accompanied by refined amuse-bouches such as a churro with Asian spices and an olive cake with goat cheese cream. Next, creative and flavorful dishes are served, including white asparagus with piccalilli cream and roasted watermelon, mackerel ceviche with fresh gazpacho, and a refined lobster rouleau with tomato variations. The corvina with coconut onion foam and pistachio vinaigrette is a highlight, as is the main course: perfectly cooked saddle of lamb and lamb stew with – quite surprisingly – a legume hash and corn polenta. The accompanying wines are sometimes excellently paired, but not always entirely suitable. The Vigna di Pettineo Cerasuolo di Vittoria, an elegant organic red wine from Sicily, Italy, with aromas of ripe cherries and floral notes, gives off a very bitter taste when combined with the lamb. The dessert is fresh and fruity: strawberries, rhubarb, and pink peppercorn mousse. All in all, a beautiful culinary experience with original flavor combinations and stunning presentations. Nevertheless, there are still areas for improvement: the wine pairings could be more consistent, and the farewell could have been slightly more personal. Overall, a great spot in the heart of Eindhoven.

Located on the upper floors of the NH Collection Eindhoven Centre Hotel, VANE offers a fantastic view over the city of light. We feel transported to the atmosphere of a cosmopolitan metropolis, yet infused with the warmth of Brabant. The floor-to-ceiling windows only enhance that feeling. Executive chef Carlo Chantrel prepares classic French cuisine with international influences here. After an aperitif in the sky bar, we quickly move one floor down to enjoy delightful amuse-bouches, such as asparagus atop tomato, drizzled with hollandaise sauce and accompanied by a crispy piece of coppa di Parma. This is paired with a lovely South African brut rosé, selected from an antique beverage trolley. The trolley is presented with several options, including a non-alcoholic sparkling choice. For the first course, we have hand-cut salmon tartare served with oyster ice, a green salad, and pearls of dill and herring roe, all enveloped in a dill vinaigrette. It’s a stunning start featuring refined flavors that are impeccably balanced. Sommelier Ruud Verspaget accompanies it with a blend of loureiro and alvarinho by João Portugal Ramos. Moving along at a steady pace, the friendly black-clad service staff then brings out North Sea bisque with cod brandade, assorted sea vegetables, and raw shaved asparagus. Once again, exquisitely crafted by Carlo and his team. The pièce de résistance is roasted lamb loin served on celery purée alongside various jus-marinated vegetables like celery root and baby corn, sweet potato fries, and a rich lamb jus flavored with vadouvan. We gladly mop up every last drop with our bread. At VANE, you experience top-tier gastronomy elevated both literally and figuratively. Standing right on the threshold of this guide’s Top 100.

Classic French with international accents—that has been the culinary style here since the arrival of executive chef Carlo Chantrel. Following the forced closure of his acclaimed restaurant Tilia in Etten-Leur, he has been welcomed with open arms at Vane, and the team is truly fortunate to have secured such a top chef, given his unmatched gastronomic craftsmanship. Paired with the warm Brabantine hospitality of host and sommelier Ruud Verspaget, this creates a genuinely pleasant, high-caliber dining experience. And literally so, as the view over Eindhoven from the thirteenth floor of the NH Collection Hotel is simply fabulous. Starting with a glass of Antinori Franciacorta selected from the aperitif trolley, three refreshing amuse-bouches awaken the palate, with a dashi macaron topped with watermelon and green curry making a particularly strong impression. Our tasting menu features five courses out of a possible seven. The marinated salmon rouleau, accompanied by seaweed, sweet-and-sour vegetables, dill oil, and frozen oyster pearls, serves as a perfect opening: light, invigorating, and layered with wonderfully fresh flavor nuances. The main course presents four distinct preparations of lamb alongside green vegetables and a delightful potato gratin. Classic cooking with a capital C. The paired wines complement each dish beautifully. The recommended Albariño Castel de Fornos from Rías Baixas elegantly finishes the starters, while a glass of Sicilian Nero d'Avola elevates the lamb course to new heights. Should you wish for a digestif after such a feast, you can head one floor up to the skybar to linger and unwind. Vane is definitely a restaurant to watch, as Chantrel is fully committed to taking the entire experience to an even higher level.

Vane is the English word for weather vane. We don’t see one on the roof, as we are situated in the gable of the NH Collection hotel, where this rooftop restaurant is located. We have pleasant seats next to the glass-rich facade, with lounge music playing in the background. And what a treat, as sommelier Lotte Bloem beams with joy when she wheels over her champagne cart, which offers not only champagne but also Franciacorta spumante. Alongside the bubbles, we enjoy refreshing starters such as watermelon on a crispy sesame cracker topped with citrus gel. Even more delicious is smoked curd cheese with a variety of salad greens, crispy amaranth, cucumber brunoise, and green bean jus. Executive chef Casimir Evens kicks off the adventurous and unconventional menu with an escabeche of sardines featuring roasted avocado, paper-thin sliced fennel, grilled peppers, and green herb oil. The Markus Molitor Mosel Riesling pairs seamlessly with it. Garam masala oil accompanies a crispy-fried ray wing served with chorizo and white beans. The lobster with eel and garnishes of red, yellow, and Chioggia beet, surrounded by a smoky eel jus, is elevated further with a glass of Fournier Sancerre Pinot Noir. The lamb rack takes center stage, presented as a modest portion alongside a selection of vegetable accompaniments. The lamb jus is seasoned with a Moroccan spice blend called gamsa medina. To finish, alongside excellent hot coffee, you can choose from a cart full of pastries. A lovely spot.

In the heart of Eindhoven, part of the NH Collection hotel, we enjoy ourselves at the rooftop restaurant VANE, literally high above the city, savoring the creative flavor combinations of Chef Casimir Evens. The modernly designed restaurant, featuring classic elements, offers a phenomenal view over the city. For the aperitif, Vilarnau Cava Barcelona Brut Reserva is served from a bubble cart, accompanied by four vegetarian amuse-bouches, among which the fried broccoli in pandan butter with pistachio leaves a particularly pleasant aftertaste. We are delighted by the chef’s signature dish: a cauliflower steak cooked in vadouvan and anise, served on roasted cauliflower, topped with cauliflower couscous and garnished with homemade pickled gherkins and a mango vinaigrette. Refined, creative, and perfectly balanced in flavor. Also excellent is the duck breast cooked to a perfect rosy pink, served with a gyoza stuffed with duck leg confit, alongside a puffed sweet potato glazed with sea buckthorn berries, while the salad of hemp, carrot, and chanterelles truly stands out. The enthusiastic and knowledgeable sommelier Lotte Bloem pairs this with a surprising and elegant red wine: a Kékfrankos from the Tüzkö estate in Hungary. Juicy and robust. The presentations are stunning and are excellently explained by a youthful and cheerful white brigade. If you wish to enjoy a fine cocktail before or after your meal, simply take the hotel elevator to the thirteenth floor, where the Skybar is located.

Featured here for the second consecutive time. Rooftop restaurant VANE (English for weathercock) is located atop De Groene Toren, which also houses a beautiful business hotel. The interior is glamorous and modern with classic elements, and the view through the floor-to-ceiling windows across the city is breathtaking. Chef Casimir Evens, who previously gained experience in renowned restaurants in the Netherlands and Belgium, is now in charge in the open kitchen of VANE, in his own city. He characterizes his cooking style as complex with considerable depth. This results in exciting yet pure and elegant dishes that are intensely flavorful and presented like little works of art. The atmosphere is wonderfully relaxed, making it a great spot for business guests staying at the hotel to dine. Want to enjoy a delicious cocktail before or after your meal? Take the elevator from the hotel lobby to the thirteenth floor and step out at the Skybar.

The Green Tower in the heart of the city has housed a stunning business hotel since 2017. The restaurant on the 13th floor, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, offers an unparalleled view. Here, Chef Casimir Evens prepares modern, internationally inspired dishes for predominantly hotel guests in his open kitchen. The aperitif, a Franciacorta from Marchesi Antinori, is accompanied by three amuse-bouches featuring exciting flavor combinations: watermelon and feta, popcorn and garam masala, squid and enoki mushrooms. The first course of our four-course surprise menu—various preparations of legumes—has, in our opinion, a bit too much crunch, although the flavors are spot on. Hostess and sommelier Lotte Bloem pours a glass of Grüner Veltliner from Zimmermann in Burgenland to accompany it; this pairing also works well. A tomato and bell pepper cream gives the following tomato dish a rich depth, enhanced by the herbaceous notes of the Scaia rosé from Veneto. The main course—rack of lamb, loin, chickpea cream, and roasted green asparagus—is perfectly balanced, as is the pairing with the Cabernet Sauvignon from Glen Carlou in South Africa. There are, however, some areas for improvement: the expertise of the service staff and the relatively high prices. Nevertheless: welcome to Lekker!