't Ganzenest

Located in an elongated farmhouse, tucked away in a hidden green strip along the canal, with a stunning garden terrace overlooking the local golf course. The cuisine and impressive wine list are perfectly suited to this chic location and atmosp...

Here awaits an oasis of green with views of a cow pasture, the waters of the Vliet, and the Rijswijk golf course. The ambiance still retains features of the former old farmhouse with its beam ceiling, where the modern interior fits surprisingly well. A light herringbone parquet floor and tables dressed in white linen with comfortable bucket chairs that are generously spaced. Privacy is guaranteed. Chef patron Erik Tas prepares a light French cuisine using rich, high-quality ingredients. We taste this in the successful starter of raw langoustine tartare with ponzu gel, dollops of crème fraîche, and a kalamansi-based dressing. The grid of salted lemon gives the dish a sophisticated touch. Maître John Groeneveld pours a Kleine Zalze Chenin Blanc from Stellenbosch, Family Reserve, to accompany it. This wine has undergone slightly more oak aging while retaining fresh acidity and floral notes, making it a beautiful match for the kalamansi. The main course is a small piece of crispy-baked mullet wrapped in phyllo dough with green herbs, which is just slightly overcooked and therefore feels somewhat dry in the mouth. It comes with a highly flavorful classic béarnaise sauce, garnished with borage flowers, samphire, and sprigs of lemon thyme. The cheese plate is exemplary, featuring among others a triple-cream Fette Berta, a soft and full-flavored Italian goat cheese named Bianca Mora, and a German organic, raw-milk Deichkäse. Served at the ideal temperature alongside olive crackers, nut bread, fig jam, syrup, and an orange quenelle with paper-thin slices of red pepper. Much care has gone into this. The elderflower gel dessert with quark ice cream and honey, plus a vervain tea vinaigrette, unfortunately lacks subtlety as it is truly far too sweet. Given the high price tag, we should expect a bit more consistency. It drops two places to 60.

High quality cooking

We are welcomed with every courtesy in the former clubhouse of the Rijswijk Golf Club, boasting a chic ambiance and modern furnishings that create a striking contrast with the old farmhouse beams. The setting provides a serene backdrop for what will later prove to be an evening of pure perfection. As an aperitif, a champagne from the small house Hatt & Söner. A 2019 vintage: dry and refined. The accompanying trio of amuse-bouches is of exceptional quality. A sardine in mint oil on green tomato, a delightful soufflé filled with Parmesan, and a signature amuse from 't Ganzenest featuring eel on jelly with toast. We choose the three-course lunch menu. To start, langoustine tartare with calamansi vinaigrette and a salted lemon crisp. The chef’s masterful touch is evident in every detail. The matching crisp white wine from Fleur de Jacquère in Savoie complements it perfectly. Between courses, our hostess Denah de Roode, who is also the sommelier and cheesemonger, thoroughly explains the story behind each dish, and we hang on her every word. We continue our culinary feast with a beautiful classic: beef loin with veal jus and almonds. The pairing with a Pomerol from Château Changrolle is breathtaking. For dessert, a beautifully presented plate showcasing various strawberry preparations served with homemade vanilla ice cream and a basil sauce. In the meantime, we’ve caught sight of the cheese trolley in our peripheral vision and simply cannot resist it. From Dutch Leiden cheese to spoon cheese whose aroma reaches three tables away, every flavor on the spectrum is represented. We are served a dessert wine to accompany it: Ximénez-Spígnola Old Harvest sherry from Jerez, and it is an absolute revelation. It pairs exceptionally well with the cheese and the sweet raisin bread, which also carries subtle notes of speculaas. All this indulgence comes with a price tag, but it is more than worth it. Rises convincingly to number 58.

Started in 2015 as a young and ambitious entrepreneur with three employees on his team, Erik Tas is now the owner and head chef of two restaurants, employing more than thirty staff members. He is making significant strides in the culinary world, and the horizon is still far from sight. Since 2020, ’t Ganzenest has been his fine dining establishment (alongside Bij Erik in Leidschendam), where food is prepared at a top gastronomic level. Maître and sommelier Kaj Velleman, sommelier John Groeneveld, and cheese specialist and sommelier Denah de Roode form his core team. They master the art of delighting guests to the fullest and expertly guiding them through wine and food pairings. We begin our lunch in the fully renovated former clubhouse of the golf course with a fruity Deutz champagne and enjoy appetizers such as carrot meringue with balsamic jelly and carrot salad, and brioche with an eel bonbon dipped in ponzu and a touch of celery root salve. Absolutely delightful starters. The langoustine arrives in two parts: baked atop a salad of papaya and coriander with eggplant cream and a gelée made from langoustine broth, finished with a generous dollop of caviar; accompanied by a salad of green apple and celery, cream of bergamot, crème fraîche and parsley, and a celery-based vinaigrette. Refined, full of flavor, and generously presented. Top-notch. Next comes crispy-fried sweetbread with rendered sweetbread trimmings, cauliflower couscous, radish, and bacon vinaigrette. Can we have another plate of that? But we haven’t even tasted the lobster tragout yet, served with lamb kidneys, soft-poached egg yolk, foam from round oxtail, and caviar. What a flavor explosion. Denah pairs it with a full, ripe South African Chenin Blanc Plat’bos from 2019, fermented and aged in old oak barrels. A dream duo. By the way, take your time to study the wine list because it’s enormous and packed with both well-known and hidden gems. It’s the chef’s hobby. The dessert presents a diptych of strawberries: one portion covered with strawberry mousse, white chocolate, a vanilla ice cream pastille, magnolia and basil vinaigrette, and drops of aged aceto balsamico. Alongside it, marinated strawberries with coconut foam and meringue. Served with a delicious, fluffy quark-based soufflé. ’t Ganzenest easily climbs to a score of 68.

Owner-chef Erik Tas, maître John Groeneveld, head chef Gavin Schippers, and sommelier Wessel Houben form the strong pillars upon which the fully renovated Ganzenest rests. Hailing from Parkheuvel, Wox, Niven, and Allemansgeest, they aim to make their Rijswijk hotel-restaurant the finest in the region. The venue itself will not be a drawback: from the former clubhouse on the local golf course, only the original farmhouse joists and beams remain; everything else is brand new, down to the hotel rooms. ’t Ganzenest is ready for the future, offering comfort, space, and tranquility. And top-tier cuisine, which we experience on a weekday afternoon, as birds sing around the terrace and the spacious grounds begin to bud. We enjoy a notable North Macedonian Chardonnay Venec from 2019 and sample delicacies such as eel with ponzu, shrimp with kimchi, and mackerel with salsa verde. This is followed by crushed raw langoustine with bergamot, celery, crème fraîche, and Perle caviar. A beauty, both in flavor and presentation. Wessel Houben pairs it with Saint-Péray (François Villard, 2019), a lush blend of Marsanne and Roussanne grapes from the Condrieu region. Juicy red mullet then arrives with artichoke and olive (all dishes are served on white porcelain), followed by beautifully prepared sweetbread with double-cooked peas, Comté cheese, and hollandaise. It is impressive how well the chosen Rhône wine holds its own against every dish on the menu. Even with the incredibly tender veal that follows. This is served with asparagus, morels, potato, and an intense jus made from veal and morels. Finally, a perfect quark soufflé with white chocolate, almond, and strawberry. Simply class! ’t Ganzenest enters the LekkerTop-100 at number 96.

Owner-chef Erik Tas sets a high bar with his new establishment located on the green fringe of Rijswijk. Where Niven Kunz previously stood behind the pans, the renovated and sleekly designed estate with its small hotel now houses Tas, who holds haute cuisine dear. His exceptionally friendly and highly skilled team is composed of industry top talents. Sommelier Sander van Emmerik earned his stripes at venues including WOX in The Hague, while maître John Groeneveld boasts an impressive CV featuring establishments such as De Librije, Inter Scaldes, and Joelia. Chef Gavin Schippers gained professional experience under the former chef at Niven. Regarding the offerings, we can be brief: everything excels across the board. The cooking is refined and intensely flavored, built around seasonal produce. A rotating monthly menu is available in multiple courses, alongside à la carte selections. The menu also features small indulgent treats, particularly the oysters, prepared in various styles, which come highly recommended. The wine list is downright impressive, showcasing both Old and New World selections. The recommended biodynamic Spanish white wine, Lagravera Cíclico 2010, full and rich in flavor, is a perfect match for dishes such as a crab quenelle with cucumber and lettuce elements, but also more than satisfies when paired with velvet-soft prepared pigeon in flaxseed, accompanied by crisp-tender green asparagus, a pumpkin cream bonbon, and a robust jus. Welcome to Lekker.