Restaurant Heimat in Utrecht has opened. Actually, I used to be there for the primary common evening, after a trial week. My principal objective to be there was to meet up with a pricey good friend, who lives across the nook from the restaurant. I wasn’t planning on doing a assessment because the night was to be targeted on our dialog relatively than meals and wine. However I made a decision to do a assessment in any case.
The title “Heimat” is German for “residence nation” and refers back to the native elements used within the dishes. The younger chef Niels van Zijl has labored at Librije*** and Kadeau** in Copenhagen, and the affect of nordic delicacies is evident. There is no such thing as a à la carte, solely an 8 course chef’s menu (meat&fish or vegan) for 79 euros. There may be an alcoholic beverage pairing or a reasonably first rate wine record to select from.
We began with a glass of glowing Vouvray, produced from Chenin, brut nature, and aged 9 months on the lees. I’m conversant in Crément de Loire, however don’t bear in mind a glowing Appellation Vouvray Contrôlée. A positive mouse and a properly fruity.
The amuses bouches consisted of three components. The primary half was a plâteau de crudité (uncooked greens and fruits) with a smoked cashew dip. It was a pleasant choice, however the cashew dip didn’t style smoky and never very very similar to cashew.
The second and third half had been a tartlet with cheese, lovage, and horseradish, and asparagus soup with grapefruit. I didn’t take care of the grapefruit within the asparagus soup, unsure what it added.
The sommelier Bas Janssen prompt a white wine would go nicely with the primary 4 programs, so I made a decision to order a pleasant bottle of Meursault relatively than going with the beverage pairing. With Meursault you don’t actually know what to anticipate when you don’t know the producer, however Bas was superb at describing the wine precisely because it was: not too wealthy and really balanced, with a pleasant minerality.
The primary course of the chef’s menu was smoked trout with chiogga beets, rhubarb, and seaweed. The rhubarb didn’t actually stand out, however I contemplate {that a} good factor. The trout was very good.
The second course was vegan ‘foie gras’ with roasted/dried carrots, and buckthorn sorbet. The vegan foie gras was very good and produced from mushrooms and nuts, with a texture very very similar to precise foie gras. The sorbet was fairly strongly flavored and took away the eye from the beautiful foie, nevertheless it was nonetheless a pleasant dish.
Subsequent was a bread course of rye bread and layered brioche with caramelized seeds and whipped goat butter. The brioche feuilleté was like a croissant and should be a variety of work to make. I appreciated the seeds.
The fourth course and ultimate course we loved with the Meursault was barbecued white asparagus with caremelized witlof (endives), ajo blanco, and kiwi berry. The white asparagus had been barbecued with out peeling them, after which peeled to serve. This removes the barbecue taste, and on a couple of items that also had a number of the charring, it tasted extra burnt than smoky. The asparagus with out charring had been positive, however hadn’t actually benefited from the barbecue. The caramelized witlof was sweetened with sugar. In line with the wait employees, the sugar was added as a result of in the course of the trial week company had complained concerning the bitterness of the witlof. It was nonetheless bitter with the sugar, and too sturdy a taste to go along with the elegant taste of the asparagus. This was our least favourite dish of the menu.
For the meat course we had a glass from the common wine pairing, a Garnacha from DO Méntrida in Spain. The Meursault was a troublesome act to observe.
The principle course was three completely different prepations of lamb: loin, stomach, and kebab with inexperienced sauce. The stomach was completely cooked and really flavorful. The kebab with the sauce was scrumptious, and the very best pairing with the Garnacha.
The wine pairing for dessert was a glowing Souvignier Gris from the South of France. It was offered to us as a glowing Gewurztraminer, however I couldn’t detect any of the attribute aromas. In line with the web site of the producer it’s a Souvignier Gris, which makes extra sense. It is sort of a lighter model (much less fruity, much less candy) of a Moscato d’Asti.
This was a great pairing for the sheep yogurt sorbet with cress. I appreciated the sorbet, however there was an excessive amount of cress; it tasted ‘too inexperienced’ for my liking.
Espresso or tea was accompanied by a doughnut in an unlucky form with a pumpkin and bearclaw dip. The doughnut was only a doughnut, and the dip didn’t style as fascinating because it sounds (and didn’t stick nicely to the doughnut).
We’ve had a really gratifying night. It was not noticeable in any respect that the restaurant had been open for per week solely. The very best half was the service, which was wonderful. Very attentive and paced excellent. We talked about we needed to drink the Meursault over 4 programs, and it was poured in precisely the correct tempo for that. The sommelier undoubtedly is aware of his wines (it was not the sommelier who introduced the glowing dessert wine as Gewurztraminer). The chef could be very artistic and has a variety of potential; he undoubtedly is aware of find out how to prepare dinner. As with many younger cooks, he but has to be taught that “much less is extra”. I feel the dishes would profit from utilizing fewer elements and fewer strategies. Why go to the difficulty of smoking cashews when you can’t style smoke within the consequence anyway? And if the restaurant is all about making the elements shine, then why add caramelized witlof that overpowers the asparagus, or a sorbet that outshines the fantastic vegan foie gras? I’m curious to see how this restaurant will develop.
