Richard van Oostenbrugge, Jannis Brevet, Michel van der Kroft, Jacob Jan Boerma

Restaurant Ikarus welcomes a quartet of distinguished guest chefs from the Netherlands in November 2018 and with 9 Michelin stars between them they bring a wealth of experience and flair to the table. Exquisite seafood, fresh lamb, seasonal vegetable and exotic international flavour combinations await our guests when they venture to out to savour the culinary arts prepared by Richard van Oostenbrugge from 212, Jannis Brevet from Inter Scaldes, Michel van der Kroft from ’t Nonnetje and Jacob Jan Boerma from De Leest. Each has carved out his own niche in Dutch cuisine and continues to evolve his own inimitable style with the best ingredients the Netherlands has to offer. Find out for yourself what “going Dutch” really means!

Richard van Oostenbrugge and Thomas Groot will open Amsterdam’s first no-table restaurant 212 in early January 2018. The restaurant takes its name from the address at Amstel 212, the former Breitner, with tickets for seat reservations already on sale similar to booking for the theatre. 212 has just one big chef’s table and every evening 24 guests sit at the bar which surrounds the kitchen. From there they move directly to the kitchen counter for a communal dining experience featuring the exquisite cuisine of chefs Oostenbrugge and Groot. Their famous culinary signature remains the same: ingenious creativity from classic French techniques. This time the creativity appears not only in the dishes since the chefs and waiting staff will also be choreographed to provide a show that appeals to all the senses.

There are no wine arrangements, no chef’s menu but five days a week there is good food, good music and good company. Oostenbrugge says, “I’ve known for a long time that if I opened my own business it must be something like Brooklyn Fare, The Table and DiverXo. It must be possible to go out for a ridiculously delicious meal that’s fun. We don’t want to do it according to the rules.” Thomas Groot adds,“We have not lost our Michelin ambitions but above all we want to take full advantage of the freedom to create what we think works.”

Oysters, lobsters, winkles, meadow lamb and sea lavender are the stock in trade of Jannis Brevet at his 3-Michelin-starred Manoir Restaurant Inter Scaldes in Kruiningen, Zeeland. After many years of wandering early in his career, working at Tantris in Munich under Heinz Winkler and in the Schweizer Stuben under Dieter Müller before taking charge himself of Le Marron in Bonn and Alb 31 in Ettlingen, he returned to his roots where, surrounded by endless fields and a stunning shoreline, he runs his famous restaurant with his wife Claudia.

An admirer of the modernism of the 1950s, Brevet is fascinated by the synaesthesia between art and cooking which is reflected in his dishes that are simplistic works of art where colours, lines and shapes inspire his cooking and influence his choice of ingredients or the way the food is arranged on the plate. The goal is an explosion of flavours and aromas – a balanced composition which appeals to all the senses.

As head chef of ’t Nonnetje in Harderwijk, Michel van der Kroft first earned the restaurant its two Michelin stars in 2015, retaining them in 2016 and 2017. His passion combined with enthusiasm can be tasted in every dish, and Portuguese influences inspire some of his dishes through his marriage to Maria do Céu from Portugal.

The passionate chef for whom cooking is a way of life takes strong and refined flavours as the basis of his cuisine, using wholesome, recognisable ingredients which are complemented to enhance the taste of his signature dishes. He cooks from his heart and guest can see and taste that on their plates.

Austrian-born Jacob Jan Boerma is the co-owner, with his wife Kim Veldeman, of the 3-Michelin-starred De Leest restaurant in Vaassen which opened its doors in 2002. After holding positions at exclusive restaurants in Germany, England and Belgium, he became head chef of Restaurant de Nederlanden which soon earned a second Michelin-star.

He is renowned for his use of seasonal and regional products and he learned the latest and best cooking techniques all over the world. His dishes are brimming with Asian, Spanish, southern European and North American influences. Boerma translates all his experiences into cosmopolitan and creative dishes for his sophisticated clientele. His perfectionism is evident and has been acknowledged throughout his career. His culinary philosophy is that a chef can never lie about the quality of his product. He is inspired by the nature around his restaurant and the products available in the Netherlands which translate into culinary art of the very highest standard.

There will be every chance to “go Dutch” in November 2018 when these four chefs will be cooking up a storm at Restaurant Ikarus.