Culinary delights at Fouquet by Meere

On Friday, November 15, the time had come: Fouquet by Meere opened its doors for a small group to come and taste. We were there and I must say that we were quite pampered. Both culinary and a lot of fun. In this blog you can read all about the reopening of Restaurant Fouquet and how we experienced it.

Fouquet by Meere

Fouquet by Meere is located in the former Fouquet premises on Javastraat 31A in The Hague. The former Fouquet led by Sebastiaan de Bruijn closed its doors earlier. And you know what they say: where one door closes another reopens. The new owners are Raymond Meere and his sons Donovan and Ferri. Raymond and Donovan keep themselves busy running the kitchen, while Ferri and his sister Linsey keep everything on the floor under control. A real family business, in other words! We were enthusiastically welcomed by Ferri and were allowed to choose a table.

Culinary opening

It is always an honor to be present at the opening of a restaurant. Among the attendees were several influencers, but there were also family and friends, which gave the whole thing an informal and intimate atmosphere. We got a nice glass of wine from Linsey while waiting for the last guests to arrive. Then the culinary feast would begin!

New concept with an oriental touch

The former Fouquet mainly served refined French cuisine. Fouquet by Meere takes a slightly different approach. They focus mainly on lunch and drinks. Private dining is also possible. Their style is best described as “accessible chic”, combining classic and modern flavors with oriental influences. Raymond himself even calls it “(con)fusion kitchen”. Yes, maybe that’s the right description! By the way, Raymond is always in the kitchen without a plan. That sounds a bit irreverent, but when someone orders the 5-course chef’s choice, he happily improvises. The menu is then unknown even to the waiters. I think that’s really great: as far as I’m concerned, that shows real craftsmanship.

Craftsman in the kitchen

Raymond is incredibly experienced in the hospitality field. Originally from Scheveningen, the chef jumped into the world of flavors at the age of 15. Fouquet by Meere is his first own restaurant. To be able to do this together with your children is great, isn’t it!

Culinary indulgence

During the opening night, we were treated to no less than 8 different dishes. Many of these dishes indeed had oriental influences, but not all of them, which made us understand the concept of “confushion cooking” better and better. But that didn’t make it any less so! Among other things, we enjoyed a homemade shrimp bitterball, tuna tartare with soy beads and game stew with mashed potatoes and a stewing pear. The tiramisu à la Meere was the perfect ending to the evening.

Really enjoyed

We had a fantastic fun evening and enjoyed all the delicious dishes. It was nice to see the staff becoming more and more at ease. Such an opening is of course very exciting. We can truly say that we were pampered quite a bit. We will definitely go back to try the lunch menu! Good luck with your beautiful company!

Credits photos: OpstapmetLisa