Have you lately eaten in a restaurant, and out of the blue become consumed with watching ships pass by on the water street next to your table? At the 1-Michelin star restaurant Aan de Zweth, this is a regular occurrence, both indoors as well as on their terrace. The picturesque white house hosting the restaurant could be on a Dutch postcard. It is located directly on a canal and offers typical lowlands scenery with plenty of different boats roaming by. The name of the restaurant actually comes from the toponym ‘zwet’, which in Dutch means border. The districts De Zweth and Zweth are located on the border between the community Midden-Delftland and Rotterdam district called Overschie.
Once inside, the elegant interior is welcoming, while the knowledgeable staff takes care of the guests professionally and amicably. A delicious amuse-bouche was served once we decided on and placed our order. The lunch menu was easily adjusted to my wishes to contain only vegetarian or fish dishes. The starter with smoked salmon arrived beautifully presented and accompanied by three preparations of cucumber: raw, as a mousse and in a paste. The main dishes, prepared with fresh ingredients, were followed by a lovely dessert – everyone with a sweet tooth will be well taken care of.
The menu card includes plenty of seafood (North Sea crab, scallops and fish) in addition to local meat (lamb from Zeeland). Creative combinations such as red mullet/lobster/old farmers cheese/curry or duck lever/fig/balsamic ‘dark cherry’/bastogne will surprise you and your taste buds.
It is not a surprise that the Michelin star arrived less than a year after chef Joris Peters took over. From the Dutch scene, the restaurant also received the award ‘Beste Nieuwkomer van Nederland 2016′ (Best newcomer in the Netherlands for 2016). And once you visit you can see for yourself that these accolades are well deserved. The lunch menu is set at 30 Euro and is served from 12:00-14.30. The dinner menu sets are in the range 45-85 Euro, while à la carte dishes are between 55-72 Euro. The evening opening times are 18:00-21:30. The restaurant is open from Wednesday to Monday, closed on Tuesdays.
Another lovely Dutch touch is the ‘Delfs blauw arrangement’, which offers a Royal menu set prepared by Aan de Zweth in cooperation with the Royal Delft factory. All dishes from this menu are served on beautiful blue Delft porcelain plates, and at the end of the meal those who choose this menu receive a coupon for a free visit to the factory.
Jana is a real fruit-junkie (watermelon being her favourite) and a big (goat-)cheese-lover. She speaks six languages next to her mother tongue Bulgarian and is in love with gourmet discoveries while travelling, diving and sunshine-catching.