Oan Tafel

A pleasant and informal restaurant where adventurous, high-level cooking is prepared using responsible ingredients. The chef pays close attention to a good balance between tangy, savory, and crunchy elements, as well as the visual presentation. From crisp-fresh ta...

Hospitality entrepreneur Geert-Jan Vaartjes has largely handed over the chef’s hat to Sanne Roorda, who ensures that Oan Tafel remains a standout gem in Friesland. As a result, the small but picturesque village of Wergea (known locally as Warga) has become a particularly notable dining destination among the region's restaurants. Upon entering, you are greeted by a long hallway with tables on the right and a long bar on the left where seventeen guests can sit with a clear view of the kitchen behind it. And there is plenty going on, as you can choose from four, six, or eight courses, each featuring distinctive dishes. Sanne calmly directs a team of young chefs in the kitchen and occasionally brings dishes to the table herself. She gladly explains how each plate is composed and how she has crafted unique ingredient pairings. The restaurant places a strong emphasis on minimizing food waste and aims for a menu composition of 80 percent vegetables and 20 percent fish or meat. The amuse-bouches are a true calling card. They include an eggshell filled with chawanmushi (Japanese custard), asparagus foam, and crispy potato cubes; a toast topped with carrot “filet americain,” peppery cress, and a crispy pani puri ball served with cumin cream, garam masala, yuzu, and pickled pumpkin cubes. Your taste buds are truly put to work. The accompanying wines are equally excellent. A prime example is the Boya Syrah from Chile’s Leyda Valley, which we enjoy alongside a lamb neck “tosti” served on milk bread with bean cooking liquid, apricot and tomato compote, white port jus, and garden peas. Before that, we had a superb starter: confit trout with soaked and grilled leek, vanilla, crispy radish seed pods, green apple, sorrel, nettle, and ponzu. Simply outstanding!

Right next to the Wergea lock you will find restaurant Oan Tafel. Upon arrival, the entire black brigade already welcomes you outside. In the long hall with an open kitchen stands a twelve-meter-long communal table for dining with a view of the passionate kitchen team. There are also separate tables available. The building is beautiful, and the setting is atmospheric and authentic. The energy of the young, enthusiastic team led by owner-chef Geert-Jan Vaartjes, who is given plenty of freedom to shine alongside the chef, is palpable. As an aperitif, we receive a sparkling quality wine made from the Johanniter grape variety, recommended by hostess Jeska van der Wal. De Brûswyn Johanniter is produced using the traditional classic method from grapes grown in the northernmost vineyard in the Netherlands: Frysling. The ever-cheerful hostess Jeska and her team guarantee authentic Frisian hospitality. Welcome bites called “amuses van de rest” are presented fairy-tale-like on an “amuse tree” crafted from brushwood. The name refers to the origin of the ingredients: they are made from leftovers from the previous evening, aligning with the zero-waste concept the restaurant strives for. Geert-Jan gives vegetables the starring role, sourcing them locally whenever possible. He also collaborates with gardener Tim from Faerie Tree Farm. The highlight of the evening is an incredible beetroot dish, featuring dry-aged beetroot with crispy buckwheat, kinnebak (chin bacon), leek, and beurre rouge. A perfect main course; you hardly notice you’re eating vegetables. The flavor is deep and intense, and the unique texture, complemented by a rich beet jus, elevates the dish to a higher level. Beyond being delicious, it’s also a real conversation piece, which enhances your appreciation for both the dish and the vegetable. Also worth mentioning: after coffee, we indulge in a delightful pastry treat made from cake batter, presented on decorative cards mounted on an oven wall, inspired by a fond childhood memory. Nostalgia in a new guise, so to speak. The portions are well-sized, and we look back on a lovely evening of relaxed, unpretentious dining. Nice touch that you get to take home the tasting menu card to read through at your leisure. A lovely detail: every team member’s name is featured on the menu card, which exudes confidence. Overnight stays are available at the nearby Oan Tafel Suites. Besides cooking at Oan Tafel, the team is also busy with their successful concept Bûten Oan Tafel, where they serve no fewer than fifteen culinary dishes from the Ofyr-BBQ in a pop-up tent set up in a meadow. They also cook on Vlieland during the Into The Great Wide Open festival. Speaking of entrepreneurship!

In 2020, chef Geert-Jan Vaartjes and hostess Jeska van der Wal opened their restaurant Oan Tafel. The atmospheric and modern dining room is located in the former Bar De Smidse, where Vaartjes' parents used to work. At the specially designed luxury kitchen table, you have a view of the open kitchen, and the chef gladly shares insights into his cooking style, which is centered around Dutch Cuisine. Eighty percent of what is served here is made from regional products, and an equal percentage of the dishes consists of vegetables. Vaartjes is no ordinary chef, as he has gained experience at establishments such as De Librije, De Bokkedoorns, and De Heeren van Harinxma, as well as internationally at luxury resorts in Mauritius and Vietnam. His kitchen therefore offers a culinary world tour using local ingredients. The evening begins creatively with a wooden tiered stand shaped like a small tree standing in moss. Liquid nitrogen is added to it, releasing a smoky forest and moss aroma. Inside the tree are three amuse-bouches, among which the crispy baked crisp of picanha fat with cheese, peanuts, and passion fruit gel lingers pleasantly. Succulent anglerfish is served with ginger, Dutch pickles, green apple cubes, curry sauce with cape gooseberry, and sea samphire tempura. The dish is highly flavorful, and unfortunately, the poured Blanc de Noir from vineyard de Frysling in Twijzel completely gets lost alongside it. Vaartjes loves fermenting, and we taste that in the slow-cooked, butter-soft lamb neck from the tandoor, served on artichoke purée with a sauce of fermented yellow pepper and black garlic, red chili oil, pickled kohlrabi, potato crisps, and broad beans. Delicious. In Jeska's absence, young Erik Wijnja steps in as host, and he does so with great charm and calmness. One point for attention concerns the portion sizes. They are borderline skimpy.

The female stinging nettle decorates various items such as the placemat, coaster, and napkin in this cozy restaurant, serving as a symbol of the natural approach in the kitchen. Oan Tafel is affiliated with Dutch Cuisine, which among other things means that meat and fish make up a maximum of 20% of the menu. French cuisine forms the foundation, but many ingredients come from the Netherlands. Ingredients such as cauliflower, mustard seed, potato, parsnip, and savoy cabbage feature in the eight-course menu. You can also opt for four or six courses. Owner Geert-Jan Vaartjes and chef Tom Zwerver are happy to be watched at work from a long bar that spans almost the entire length of the restaurant. The cooking style can certainly be described as unconventional. After a slightly too salty tartare made from Frisian Weiderund beef, we enjoy a special, lukewarm potato salad with vadouvan, grated Belper Knolle (a hard Swiss cheese rolled in pepper), along with a passion fruit sauce. The friendly hostess Jeska van der Wal pours an equally special wine to accompany it: Carpinus Tokaji Furmint 2018 from Hungary. Slices of fried monkfish are accompanied by marinated strawberry pieces – and they are surprisingly delicious here, along with crispy mustard seeds, pea cream, and a beurre blanc with green herbs. The price-to-quality ratio here is excellent.

The focal point is the specially designed kitchen table created for owner-chef Geert-Jan Vaartjes and Hylke Tholen, which seats no fewer than 21 guests. From this vantage point, you can closely follow the kitchen team’s every move. At Oan Tafel, sustainable business practices are held in high regard, and the dining room is largely furnished with second-hand materials. Vaartjes, his chef Tom Zwerver, and the team work with Frisian seasonal produce and have made a conscious choice to offer a surprise menu based on these ingredients. We opt for the lazy Sunday lunch consisting of three courses paired with a matching wine arrangement. The amuse-bouches immediately set the tone: a steamed bread roll with wild mushrooms and za’atar, a lean cutlet with lavender, house-made gyoza with sesame seeds, and nori tempura served with a tapenade of peanuts, zucchini, and black garlic alongside a curry cream. The culinary craftsmanship and experience gained at top-tier restaurants are absolutely palpable in every bite. For the first course, bánh xèo, a Vietnamese rice flour pancake filled with sweet and sour vegetables, carrots, bean sprouts, cilantro, and a fantastic peanut dip. These delightful, fresh flavors pair seamlessly with the accompanying wine, an Austrian Grüner Veltliner Lössterrassen 2020 from Weingut Stadt Krems, poured for us by host Lammert Kalsbeek. This is followed by Dutch lamb neck wrapped in lardo and popcorn seasoned with tandoori spices. Served alongside is a highly flavorful lamb jus with squid ink, sweet potato purée, and a yogurt-lime sauce. The dessert featuring celery root, coconut, cherry, pecans, and grated smoked white chocolate is excellent, but unfortunately overwhelms the accompanying Austrian Riesling Wunderkammer 2020 from Weingut Ingrid Groiss. Nevertheless, Friesland now boasts one more culinary gem. One point of attention concerns the portion sizes, which are truly on the sparse side.