De Kromme Bistro

Little boys grow up, as is the case with the Vinke family. Where father Edwin wielded the scepter for years at the top restaurant De Kromme Watergang in Hoofdplaat, Zeeland, the roles have now somewhat reversed. Son Tom has over time developed his palate and culinary skills and now wields the culinary scepter. After all these years, we find father Edwin in the adjacent Bistro. He thrives in a compact kitchen equipped with a Basque grill. Over an open fire and using different grates, he prepares meat, fish, vegetables, and shellfish. From the restaurant, you can watch him at work. Edwin’s mission remains to please everyone and, together with his team, ensure tasty bites make their way to guests seated on comfortable chairs or long benches. There are just over twenty seats in De Kromme Bistro. The Spanish influences in Edwin’s kitchen come from the inspiration he gathers in Ibiza during the summer, where he runs Restaurant 1742. And of course, he steps in to help at Tom’s restaurant when needed. We enjoy the appetizer of hummus with coriander oil and flatbread roasted over a wood fire. This is followed by a plate of freshly sliced Jamón Ibérico Bellota accompanied by tomato salsa and warm pan de cristal with herb butter. Paired with it is a robust and fruity white Rioja, Larchago 2023. While waiting for the rib cut of Rubia Callega beef from Galicia, Edwin brings a bowl of soup to the table. “Made from celery,” he explains. The velvety, comforting, pale green soup is filled with thinly sliced zucchini, celery stalks, leek, and seasoned with jalapeño peppers. The bone-in rib arrives on a long platter, the bone sliced away and the meat cut into slices. Small bowls of pepper sauce accompany it, along with a container of crisp green lettuce with a delicious dressing plus marinated red onion rings. Golden-yellow fries fried in beef tallow round it off. That’s all it needs. There’s still just enough room for dessert. Warm tarte tatin, fresh out of the oven. Welcome to Delicious.

High quality cooking

On the menu, featuring tapas-style dishes made exclusively with fish and shellfish, we enjoy among other things sea bass ceviche with fennel, razor clams, and persillade, tom kha kai mussels in a beautiful jus, and on the barbecue, juicy grilled mullet and cuttlefish...