Fris

Fris is a restaurant where fresh energy and serious expertise meet at a brisk pace. The young and ambitious owner-chef Eddie Meijboom and his equally youthful brigade cook with flair, nerve, and precision, without becoming overambitious. The atmosphere is modern yet relaxed, featuring comfortable chairs, a fresh interior, and staff who truly know their craft. The kitchen serves bold dishes that nevertheless remain well-balanced. Such as artichoke tempura with lemon and chipotle, or a sophisticated endive dish with pommes mousseline and grape crunch. This extends seamlessly to the meat and fish selections. The fish and meat menu also delivers contrast and depth, ranging from salmon trout with eel from Nieuw-Vennep in a passion fruit sauce to a classic poulet noir with an intense albufera sauce. Subtle luxury lies in the details: a brioche served just before the main course, light and fresh, leaves a lasting impression. The extensive wine list is a treat for enthusiasts, but the wine pairing also surprises with its elegant progression. Especially the orange wine from Georgia paired perfectly with the vegetarian menu. A bold yet successful choice. Fris manages to do something rare: deliver high quality without stiffness. The creative dishes, thoughtful wines, and youthful enthusiasm make this a place where both connoisseurs and curious newcomers feel right at home.

In the middle of a Haarlem residential neighborhood, we find restaurant Fris by chef Eddie Meijboom. He draws inspiration from Asian flavors and combines them with classical French training. We taste his approach right away with amuse-bouches such as in ee...

Net buiten het centrum van Haarlem ligt het etablissement van Eddie Meijboom en maître Julius Wever. Eddie kookt de Franse keuken met Aziatische invloeden. Op de menukaart à la carte naast menu's inclusief bites, amuses, brood en boter. Het is gezellig druk in het informeel ingerichte restaurant en de tafels staan lekker ruim opgesteld waardoor privacy gewaarborgd is. We starten met een parade van doperwten. Een mousse, een salade en gebakken doperwten met daarbij zilte groente als zeekraal en lamsoor en een saus van umeboshi. Doperwten proeven zoet, maar de saus van umeboshi en de in het gerecht verwerkte yuzu bieden mooi tegenwicht. De chenin blanc van Domaine de Cray Montlouis sec smaakt wat bitter bij deze gang. Applaus voor het brood. De geserveerde brioche afgelakt met honing en tijm is ongeëvenaard lekker. Coquille met bloemkool en hazelnootmousse volgt. De coquilles zijn goudbruin in de boter gebakken. De bloemkool is verwerkt als een salade en is heerlijk knapperig. Het besluit om een ander dessert te reizen dan op het menu staat komt ons een beetje duur te staan. De meerprijs is niet mals. Maar de dame blanche met van huisgemaakt vanille-ijs, met halfstijf-geslagen slagroom, vloeibare 80%-chocolade uit Ecuador en royaal geschaafde verse truffel is weergaloos goed. Dit moet een chef's special worden. In het glas een bijpassende Sauternes uit 2020 van Le Tertre Du Lys D'Or. Aandachtspuntje betreft de vakkennis van de jonge bediening. Daar mag aan gesleuteld worden. Overall: een zaak met potentie!

The table linen has been removed, the logo updated, and the menu refreshed. Since March 2023, SVH partner Master Chef Eddie Meijboom and maître Julius Wever have been running Restaurant Fris, where healthy ambition is certainly not lacking. A relaxed atmosphere fills the spacious dining room, which is stylishly and modernly furnished with square tables, dark grey comfortable armchairs, and matching walls adorned with modern art. Eddie cooks French cuisine with Asian influences, and the first course serves as a perfectly crafted calling card for his kitchen. Carrot arrives prepared as a tartare topped with a miso croquant, surrounded by carrot crèmeux and a broth enriched with miso and lemongrass. Light, playful, with delicate textures and intense flavors. The main course features duck roasted on the bone, presented in two generous portions. It comes with a robust house jus, enriched with blood orange, alongside sweet potato gnocchi topped with a crunchy element and gels of blood orange and black garlic. In the glass, a fruity Chilean Carménère Reserva Premier 1850, pleasantly smoky from its maturation in wooden barrels. The pacing of service is pleasant, the approach unpretentious and professional. And for all this pleasantness, you certainly do not pay a premium price. That is almost unique in the Randstad.

Fris has become a wonderful establishment: once a neighborhood restaurant in the Haarlemmerhoutkwartier, now with its spacious table setting and a gold-orange floor-to-ceiling wall covering, a design jewel. Rick May is the owner and Eddie Meijboom the head chef, awaiting Yorick de Groot from De Bokkedoorns, who will take over around the publication of this edition. On the evening we sit down, Eddie is the kitchen master, and even at the amuse-bouches we know it: they cook fantastically here. A horn of puff pastry filled with eel tartare, potato foam, and herring roe, alongside a coffee macaron with duck liver and wild peach: what delicacies; balanced, highly flavorful, and appetite-stimulating. Maître-sommelier Michelle Leone pours a dark yellow Costières de Nîmes made from Roussanne and Viognier grapes (Château de Carlot, 2017) alongside it: ripe, fragrant, mineral, and oak-aged. A jewel. Next, beef steak tartare, Korean-style dressed, with spring onion and nori, drizzled with ponzu tableside, reaches us. Delicious! The croissant on the other plate (a signature dish) also deserves mention: filled with pan-fried duck liver, savory mustard, and fig sorbet. The accompanying quenelle of liver cream is too fridge-cold, but it is a brilliant composition that pairs effortlessly with the Rhône wine. Tortellini next, filled with ricotta, egg yolk, laver, truffle sauce, and shaved with truffle tableside, is delicious, just like the corvina on the other plate. Perfectly cooked with a flavorful lobster bisque and a side of zucchini and popped rice. Far too expensive, but delicious.

Owner Rick May and his chef Danny Biesot serve French cuisine with international influences in this atmospheric restaurant located just outside the center of Haarlem. The interior is warm, featuring lacquered cream-colored tables, white tablecloths, comfortable brown upholstered chairs, indirect lighting, and excellent acoustics. It’s suitable for a romantic dinner for two, but also offers a pleasant atmosphere for dining out with a group of friends. We were impressed by the amuse-bouches, including a macaron with Japanese herbs, Dutch herring with cucumber, and a crispy pillow filled with lobster and citrus. A lovely glass of South African First Lady wine accompanied the starter of North Sea crab with celery, fennel, and vadouvan. We continued with a beautiful vegetarian roll of savoy cabbage filled with grilled eggplant and topped with tom kha gai foam. Excellent! The wood-aged Australian Sunburnt complements the fighting-fresh turbot paired with perfectly grilled octopus. It’s a pity that the accompanying anchovy and chorizo quenelles are a bit too overpowering in flavor. The chocolate tartlet served with homemade whisky liqueur ice cream makes for a fitting finale. A wonderful spot, though the bill is quite steep.

After gaining years of experience at renowned restaurants, including Castell d’Empordà in La Bisbal, Spain, and De Leuf in Ubachsberg, chef Rick May, a native of Haarlem, took over the kitchen at Fris in 2014. Since 2016, he has been the owner of this beautiful establishment with a contemporary interior, located in the heart of an affluent Haarlem residential neighborhood. Rick has developed his own signature style, crafting pure flavors rooted in classical French cuisine with seasonal Southeast Asian influences, all without excessive flourish. This approach yields exciting creations, enhanced by the skillful blending of local herbs and spices with Dutch produce. The wine list features selections from both the Old and New Worlds, each expertly detailed by the master sommelier. On pleasant days, small tables are set up outside the restaurant where guests can enjoy the sunshine. A charming spot.

Tonight, this recently renovated restaurant in an affluent Haarlem residential neighborhood is full and bustling. Chef and owner Rick May is undoubtedly an excellent cook, and his five-course surprise menu provides several fine examples of his talent tonight. Drawing on classical French cuisine, he experiments with Eastern ingredients and cooking techniques. The starter features a steak tartare prepared with sambal and curry, yielding a flavorful result. The vegetarian intermezzo of celeriac is excellent, although the portions are quite small. Neither the cod nor the beef main course is particularly groundbreaking. While the meat and fish are of good quality, they are simply served with a mousseline and some seasonal vegetables, which is about all there is to them. The cheese course goes wrong. Instead of a portion of Black Betty, two dry rinds are placed on our board. Apparently no one noticed, and when we mention it, it takes a while before apologies are offered. We are proactively offered coffee and tea, which is a gracious touch. It fits the Fris category in this guide, but at this price point, such mistakes should not be made.

What a pleasant spot this is, all the more so following the beautiful renovation this spring. At the entrance stands a striking red plastic lamp shaped like a female figure. Another eye-catcher is the atmospheric lamp fitted with LED lighting, constructed from linen cloths. On the walls hang paintings featuring culinary scenes alongside a portrait of Rick May. The owner-chef clearly knows his way around the kitchen, although we only reach true culinary seventh heaven on one occasion. This refers to the amuse-bouche: gado gado with cauliflower mousse, egg yolk, peanuts, sugar snaps, pandan, and lime. The combination of fresh, spicy, and sweet elements creates a downright divine little delight for the palate. The starters, main courses, and desserts all earn solid marks, but they don’t really surprise. The presentation of the mains (wagyu versus cauliflower steak) is fairly straightforward, and could certainly use a bit more drama. The service team is pleasant and considerate, and sommelier Jane Lasschuit excels at her craft: she combines solid expertise with an enthusiastic explanation. The Dehesa La Granja pairs beautifully with both main dishes. She also demonstrates excellent judgment when selecting wines for the desserts: a Sauternes (Château Grand-Jauga) accompanies the pineapple course, while a sweet sherry (Valdespino Moscatel Promesa) complements the chocolate dessert. Class!