Fine dining from our own garden at organic restaurant De Dyck

We were recently invited to lunch at Restaurant De Dyck in Woubrugge. A beautiful restaurant on a unique location. But even more special is their concept; fine dining with products from their own (vegetable) garden. We were given a tour by chef Martijn and owner Reinier over the land, in the greenhouse and at the storage, cooling and fermentation rooms. To then enjoy the artistry of Martijn and his team. I’d like to take you through our visit in this blog.

A visit to De Dyck

Before the Corona lockdown, I had Restaurant de Dyck on my list to visit. The concept of eating from their own vegetable garden really appealed to me. Unfortunately, it didn’t come about at the time. So you can imagine I was very excited when I received the invitation to come for lunch. When making the reservation, I was asked if we wanted to come half an hour early so we could have a tour of the vegetable garden. Very nice!

The start of restaurant De Dyck

Upon arrival, we were hospitably welcomed by maître Danny, owner Reinier and Chef Martijn. Martijn and Reinier on our behalf took us to the vegetable garden. There both enthusiastically told us about their work and their mission to be completely self-sufficient in the ingredients they use for the dishes in the restaurant. Reinier turns out to be a farmer who has been growing crops all his life. In 2012 he started his catering business alongside his farming business. In the following years he developed step by step his passion to bring his agricultural background further into the restaurant while making the overall business more and more sustainable.

The cooperation between Reinier and Martijn

Chef Martijn joined De Dyck in 2020, having previously worked here. In the intervening years, he gained a lot of experience in fine dining and starred restaurants. And then the Corona crisis began. This was a major setback. But the men did not sit back, but seized this moment to further develop their ambitions.

They expanded the vegetable garden, sought local suppliers for the products they did not yet grow themselves and, with the help of the team, mastered fermentation techniques. This allows them to cook with their own produce not only in the growing season, but also in the winter. The dishes Martijn and his team prepare are mainly vegetarian. They only put in meat or fish if, in their opinion, it really adds something. Meanwhile, this makes me very curious about the menu waiting for us.

From the vegetable garden to the greenhouses, pigs and fermentation rooms

As Martijn and Reinier enthusiastically tell their story, they lead us through the vegetable garden, which by now has more than 100 different types of crops. Martijn also occasionally lets us taste something from the garden, including the leaf of the cassis berry. We took a look at the greenhouse where different types of lettuce are grown, a greenhouse where rows full of tomato plants had just been planted, and went to say hello to the little pigs. Then we were explained about fermenting products so they can be used all year round and eventually De Dyck wants to be self-sufficient in their products even in winter.

We ended the tour in the main building, which not only houses the restaurant, but also 2 meeting rooms and a party room. And everything looks beautiful and stylish.

Once at the table, it turned out that we were so caught up in Martijn and Reinier’s enthusiasm and passionate stories that it was already 1 p.m.! The tour did not last half an hour, but an hour and a half. That’s how infectious the men’s stories were.

At the table

But now we got to enjoy the cooking skills of Martijn and his team. We started with some artful and delicious amuses and delicious bread, with Green Heart butter and particularly delicious smoked goat butter. After that, we were surprised with course after course of dishes that all looked like little works of art and also all had a very special taste due to the combination of fresh, AND fermented vegetables. Because of this you do not miss the addition of meat or fish in the dish at all.

The menu

The menu, which incidentally changes every 2 months because they are guided in the kitchen by the products the land gives them, included: fresh potato with hay, pickle and lemon thyme, leeks with strawberry, ramson ash and cypress oil, asparagus with lady’s bedstraw and lemon basil and a bush mushroom with koji, turnip and blackberry. And to top it off, Martijn still served us a piece of meat: the bbq Berkshire with cassis berry, oyster mushroom and habanero. This meat came one of their own pigs and tasted really delicious!

Our lunch was rounded out with no less than 2 desserts and delicious friandises for coffee. Fortunately, I had already factored in an extended lunch, so I had a light dinner planned ;-).

Our visit to Restaurant de Dyck surprised us very much. A beautiful location, delicious food and a team full of passionate people who together pursue a wonderful goal “conscious enjoyment – good for nature and good for each other”.

Access

Restaurant De Dyck is centrally located in the middle of the Randstad and close to the A4 motorway. This makes them easily accessible for people from the regions of Amsterdam, Alpen aan den Rijn, The Hague and Leiden. And for all people looking for a unique place to enjoy a delicious dinner or lunch with respect for nature. But also for people coming from further away, a visit to Restaurant De Dyck is definitely worth the trip!

Credits photos: www.canva.com

This blog was created from a collaboration with Restaurant De Dyck. Would you like to be kept up to date with our blogs and contests? Then sign up for our newslettertoday or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.