Héron Petit Restaurant

The website sets a cheerful tone right away: passionate stories and portraits of the enthusiastic team of Victor Stukker and Joyce Bielderman and their local suppliers. That warm atmosphere is just as palpable upon arrival in the picturesque little street near the Servaasbolwerk. Gifted chef Josephien Blom cooks – like a heron (Héron) fishing its meal from the wild – using whatever the season provides: freshly sourced from the market, straight from farmers and fishermen, or foraged herself from the Food Forest Haarzuilens. Plenty of fermenting, preserving, and drying takes place; the results are displayed throughout the restaurant and by the open kitchen, where guests can also take a seat. The interior is simple yet atmospheric, featuring abundant wood, natural tones, and minimalist touches. There’s no dedicated sommelier on staff – nor is one needed, as everyone happily and knowledgeably discusses the excellent European selections (including our delightful Friulano from I Clivi in Friuli), fresh juices, and non-alcoholic pairings. To start, there’s panisse: crispy fried chickpea sticks, creamy within, served with a wild garlic cream. Also delicious is the steamed wild flat oyster accompanied by spinach, a smoked fish rillette, and a frothy buttermilk sauce. This is followed by a millet risotto with rhubarb root oil, smoked egg yolk, leek chips, and fresh strawberry – just as delicious. The main course is flavorful but could use a touch more refinement: the tempura-fried cod cheeks feature a slightly heavy crust that somewhat overwhelms the delicate fish, and the pak choi portion is quite generous. On the plus side, lovely accompaniments include dried beans from the Noordoostpolder, a potato terrine, XO sauce, and a refreshing yogurt sauce with toasted yeast. For dessert, there’s an eclair filled with caramelized walnut cream and topped with a layer of ganache infused with a hint of pig’s blood. Yes, you read that correctly. What a fantastic evening.

Chef Josephien Blom has an impressive track record at top-tier establishments such as Choux, Mos, and De Treeswijkhoeve. She now wields the culinary scepter at Héron, owned by Joyce Bielderman and Victor Stukker. In this charming restaurant, which opened its doors in 2016, sustainability takes center stage, though it isn't loudly advertised. Here, guests dine at a tree-trunk table resting on reused marble tiles, seated on a chair that once belonged to a government ministry. Seasonal, from-scratch cooking is the standard, utilizing local produce; fermenting and preserving are frequently employed techniques, and every ingredient is picked, harvested, or sourced directly from organic farmers, growers, nurseries, and kitchen gardens. The result is a pure, honest, and above all creative cuisine. The menu offers generous à la carte selections alongside multi-course tasting menus. We sample steamed coalfish in an aromatic smoked beurre blanc and cockle XO sauce, brightened with a 'flower' of ribbon-cut pumpkin. We also savor kinnebak bacon served beneath pickled radicchio, parsnip, and spicy bay leaf capers. The flavors are complex yet remarkably harmonious. Self-proclaimed 'juice sommelier' Joyce pairs it with a beautifully complementary pumpkin kombucha brewed with kefir and wakatai (Peruvian black mint). We will definitely return for the rhubarb with soldier bean cream and black parsley sorbet—softly sweet, fresh, and refined. But also for the incredibly pleasant atmosphere and the attentive, welcoming service. They truly deserve every compliment.

Sustainable gastronomy is a top priority for owners Joyce Bielderman and Victor Stukker. Meals are prepared using produce from nearby suppliers, waste is managed creatively, ingredients are fermented and preserved, and some components are foraged in the natural surroundings of Utrecht. Joyce specializes in crafting non-alcoholic pairings that can be ordered alongside the dinner. We feel exceptionally welcome in the cozy, light-filled restaurant right in the heart of Utrecht. There is plenty to admire. Jars of fermentations line the shelves, cookbooks decorate the walls, there’s an open kitchen with a bar, and seating is available on both the ground floor and the mezzanine. We sample a fresh oyster and oyster cream wrapped in a steamed savoy cabbage leaf, accompanied by fried savoy cabbage cooked in smoked oil and sprinkled with douglas fir powder. We also try cockles with crisp kohlrabi cubes in a buttermilk and garlic chive sauce. The pig’s trotter has long since become a house classic. The trotters are braised until tender, after which the meat is removed, rolled, and served as a crispy fried sausage with remoulade and a sweet-and-sour accompaniment. Simply delicious! Chef Koen Hoonhorst and his team keep the taste buds delightfully engaged. A 2020 Cuvée Napoléon Touraine fills our glass. Paired with the roasted red beetroot and paper-thin slices of yellow beetroot jelly in a caramelized whey sauce and tarragon vinegar is a non-alcoholic elderberry, apple, and rosehip kombucha. Truly unique and refreshing. Bravo to the kitchen brigade. Under the guidance of host Victor, everything runs smoothly here in a warm and relaxed atmosphere. Héron rules!

Let it be clear. Joyce Bielderman and Victor Stukker have a mission. For them, Héron is more than just a restaurant. Here they can fully realize their vision of pure and honest food. Using exclusively products from Dutch soil and waters. Employing various techniques such as fermenting and preserving for later use. They forage in the immediate vicinity and practically gather their menu together. Just like a heron, hence the name Héron (French for heron). They are supported in this by an equally passionate team of dedicated staff. Chef Koen Hoonhorst, along with his sous-chefs Taco Koek, Ghubaib Verheijen, and Ferdi Konyali, ensures that all creativity is transformed into visually stunning dishes where nothing of the ingredient is wasted. Furthermore, many food and beverage specialists enthusiastically lend their expertise. Host Victor and hostess Marlous van den Engel master the art of making guests feel at ease and drawing them into their culinary journey. We taste braised then roasted oyster with pickled leek, bottarga cream, fishbone, and leek oil, and are outright flabbergasted. What a taste sensation this is! Next comes a sausage made from pork trotter served with remoulade and a sweet-and-sour kohlrabi relish. A Domaine Preys Touraine les Pillotiers is poured alongside it. Floral, succulent, and an excellent match for the sausage. The prune sorbet is accompanied by a quinoa crunch and lemon basil syrup. Absolutely delightful. The filter coffee could be better as it’s a bit weak, but that is indeed the only discordant note. This little restaurant could easily blossom into a grand finale!

Héron (French for heron) stands for heron, and that is exactly what owners Joyce Bielderman and Victor Stukker stand for: just like herons, they forage for their menu, drawing on what the Dutch soil and waters have to offer. Part of these ingredients is preserved for later use, while another portion is gathered themselves in the natural areas around Utrecht or in a food forest. Only European wines are consciously served. Victor: “We source our ingredients as directly from the producer as possible.” In this small and relaxed restaurant, the open kitchen is the focal point, and if you’re lucky, you can take a seat on one of the stools surrounding it, allowing you to follow the preparation of the dishes from start to finish. Chef Koen Hoonhorst draws plenty of inspiration from Nordic cuisine and loves fermenting, chef Taco Koek has a fascination with Japan, which yields all sorts of interesting misos, and chef Ghubaib Verheijen cooks inspired by the various soil types in the Netherlands. Joyce also contributes her share, as the delicious soda bread comes from her hand. Here you taste the devotion to pure ingredients and the belief in wonderful partnerships. Behind the scenes, hard work is being done to reduce plastic waste, so the takeaway meals offered during the corona period were based on BYOT (Bring Your Own Tupperware). Héron is future-proof: environmentally friendly and supportive of small, local producers. Top!

Pure and honest food is what owners Victor Stukker and Joyce Bielderman champion in this small, cozy restaurant with an open kitchen, right in the heart of the Museum Quarter. Here, cooking is done with local ingredients, some of which are picked on-site. That is why there are plenty of delicious vegetarian dishes on the menu. Chefs Jord Coree and Taco Koek have honed their skills at several renowned establishments, while hostesses Marlous van den Engel and Paulien Hijman are not only warm and attentive but also practically walking wine encyclopedias. Paired with our aperitif, a cava from Hoya de Cadenas in Valencia, come thick slices of bread baked by Joyce with stroopvet, a traditional mixture of lard and syrup. The bread disappears in no time. For the starter, a tatsoi salad with beautifully cooked sliced buck heart, garlic chives, and pommes paille. In the glass, a Les Pillotières Sauvignon 2019 by Jacky Preys. And a “little sausage” made from pork trotter, gently poached in broth, deboned, rolled into a sausage shape, and then lightly pan-fried, served with remoulade sauce and pickled kohlrabi. We pair it with an organic wine: a Weisser Burgunder 2017 from the Pfalz region by Koehler-Ruprecht. Also surprising is the dish of asparagus served roof-tile style with thin slices of kinnebakspek (cured pork belly) that are lightly warmed by the heat of the asparagus. The mashed potatoes with buttermilk and sour cream are highly flavorful. The dessert is simple yet excellent: delightfully sweet strawberries with pastry cream and crispy shards of puff and shortcrust pastry. Welcome to Lekker!