We do not mind driving a while for a good meal, but we have recently found that we don’t have to sit in the car for hours. Just a 15-minute drive from our home base, we have found a wonderful fine dining restaurant called “De Schans”. Located just outside the town of Montfoort, it is a bit in the middle of nowhere (as far as that can be the case in The Netherlands). The restaurant is far from large and formal, although the nice white table cloths may suggest otherwise when you enter. Soon after entering, we were greeted by a waiter, where we were happy to see that he was dressed nicely yet casually. Since the restaurant is located next to a dual carriageway, I was expecting at least some noise inside the restaurant, but it was not noticeable at all. We have been here on a nice and sunny day and were escorted through the restaurant to the back, where it turns out they have a nice terrace. As is the case with the inside space, you really don’t notice the road at all. What we did notice is the endless view across the meadows (although for most tables this view is obstructed by a neighbouring farm, at least partially). Regardless of the view, the terrace is great in summer.
Lunch started with some amuses even before the menu came: A bavarois of bell pepper, a bouillon of tomato and the chef’s take on tom kha kai (Asian chicken soup). Where we are not a big fan of bell pepper, the bavarois had a clear paprika flavour, which was not so strong that you don’t taste anything else the rest of the afternoon. The tube in the middle was the tomato bouillon; packed with flavour and slightly salty and simply delicious. The last of the amuses was served in a little piece of hollow bamboo. It is normally a real soup, chef Ries Verburgt made a foam out of it. What we will remember the most is that you got the coconut flavours first, followed by the warmth/kick that came from the ginger that was in it. These amuses gave us a chance to go over the menu, for which the chef himself stopped by the table to provide some insights into what was on the menu. In the end, we opted for seven courses for lunch….
We have great admiration for chefs who can trick guests into thinking that they are eating an original (meat) dish, where in reality they are vegetarian. In the case of the first dish on the menu, it is carpaccio. Usually made out of a filet of beef, today it was made out of marinated and vacuumed watermelon. Instead of the traditional pine nuts, this was served with cashew nuts. It still had the usual rocket, truffle mayonnaise, and capers, but on top, it was covered in shaved truffle. If the chef had not told me that this was watermelon, I would probably never have known. Because of the preparation, it really felt and tasted like beef carpaccio.
Sashimi was up next. A dish that we really were looking forward to, as we love (raw) tuna. The tuna was marinated in (amongst others) yuzu, soy and dashi. Where you sometimes don’t get all the flavours, all the flavours were there. Some saltiness from the soy and a bit of acidity from the yuzu. Add to this a mild kick from some foam of wasabi. A very well balanced dish. To top it off, it was served with different structures of cucumber. From thinly sliced to a gazpacho of cucumber. The combination of tuna with cucumber works really well as both have subtle flavours. The raw cucumber did bring a nice crunch to the dish that it does need. What we also liked about it is a little detail that more of the gazpacho was put on the table in a measuring cup that you normally expect to see in a laboratory.
Where the tuna with cucumber may not be a surprising combination, the next dish was more ‘adventurous’. This was not so much in the combination of a scallop with cauliflower, but it was in the sauce. The chef gave an explanation (in broad strokes) on how the sauce was made: fat was rendered out of some bacon and this was mixed with butter and cream. It was absolutely delicious, especially in combination with the other ingredients of the dish. We were expecting some rich sauce with perhaps some garlic or herbs, but the saltiness from the bacon was a nice surprise. Here too, a cup was put on the table with some extra sauce. This is where the bread that was on the table came in handy and we used it to soak-up (nearly) all the sauce. Also nice about the dish is the use of the plate. Black is definitely the right choice for a dish of scallop, cauliflower and creme, all of which are (off-)white.
Cod was on the menu next. Prepared in a way that we have not had before: Cooked in beurre blanc. It was super soft, flaky and juicy, yet rich without it being too much. Chantarelles were on the plate as well, which was yet again a perfect match for the fish. At this time, we started to realize that, in principle, all dishes are really simple. Key here are the words “in principle”. When dishes are made up out of so few ingredients, execution must be perfect. So far the execution has been perfect….
Lamb can be prepared in so many ways and can be combined with so many ingredients. Today, we have learnt that it can be turned into powder and in this form, it was served with the next dish. Braised neck of lamb with a sauce of onion and balsamico. Like with the scallop dish, the presentation was simple but well thought-through: A beautiful bright-red plate with the dark, perfectly round neck of lamb and the brownish sauce around it. What was noticeable over the last three dishes, was the gradual build-up of intensity of flavours. There was no overpowering taste of onion, but a nice mild sweetness with just a hint of onion. The balsamic, with the balanced sweet and sour, goes well with the onion. Individually, the components of the ‘sauce’ were not that exciting, but when combined, the flavour is transformed; it becomes a rich sort of gravy with an intense meat flavour and some sweet and sour tones.
Before moving on to dessert, there was a second meat course. In this case a stew and a roulade of veal. It came with a chefs take on a traditional Dutch peasant dish: hotchpot, which is a mix of potato, onion and carrot. Normally it is a mash of these ingredients, chef Ries Verburgt made a deconstructed version and added some leeks. We simply love stew with hotchpot. The stew was so soft that with a gentle push with a spoon, it was falling apart. So soft and juicy, with an intense meat flavour. Slightly more of a bite from the roulade and some of the veggies (potatoes and onions) and an almost crunch from the carrots. It felt like real comfort food…
Dessert reminded us a bit of dessert we had at Parkheuvel some time ago: Chocolate with passion fruit. The chocolate was prepared in different ways and also used different types of chocolate. WHite chocolate ice cream, with milk chocolate mousse and a dark chocolate ganache. Where chocolate can have the tendency to quickly make you feel like you’ve had enough, that is where the passion fruit comes in. The somewhat sweet acidity from the fruit seems to absorb the richness of the chocolate components of the dish, so you can eat and eat until there is no more. For this dish, it would have been nice to have a crunchy element (e.g. a macaroon) but even without this, it was delicious. Like all other dishes, it was presented beautifully and to have this on the terrace in the shade of a lovely sunny day is a perfect ending to a meal. The only thing left was a cup of tea before heading home to book my next visit…..
The menu at the restaurant is updated on a regular basis and, as is the case with many other restaurants, dished use seasonal ingredients. Apart from this being just a (very) short drive from our home base, the good thing about this restaurant is the relaxed atmosphere and the friendly pricing. For 4 courses you’ll pay around EUR 49 up to 7 courses for approx. EUR 75 (excluding drinks). Would we recommend this place to anyone? Well, a full-hearted “Yes” to this. Having 14.5 Gault & Millau points, they are close to the Michelin star-awarded restaurants De Burgemeester and De Gieser Wildeman who are not too far away. Whether it is for an anniversary dinner with your family or a business dinner with an important customer, you will be happy to have come to Restaurant De Schans.
Restaurant location: View on Google Maps
Restaurant website: http://www.restdeschans.nl
Note to the chef: Next time we’ll have the 7 courses again 😉