Michelin Guide Netherlands adds nine restaurants before the gala

The Michelin Guide Netherlands has added nine restaurants to its Dutch selection, the last monthly batch before the star ceremony in Maastricht on Monday 5 October, trade site Chefs Friends reported on 17 September. An entry is not a star: it means the inspectors have eaten there, and the stars are only handed out at the ceremony.

Two of the nine arrive with a track record. Erik van Loo and his son Juliën, the chefs behind Parkheuvel, run EVE Paleisstraat in The Hague, set in the boutique hotel ADAM + EVE opposite Noordeinde Palace. According to the guide's inspectors, diners choose the size of each portion and build their own menu from the à la carte list.

In Veeningen, in Drenthe, Jarno Eggen opened Le Epifaan this year with hostess Amanda Rixtum in the former Poortman premises, after more than 17 years at De Groene Lantaarn, the food site Lekker reported in May.

An entry in the guide records a visit. The stars are handed out in Maastricht.

Nine Michelin Guide Netherlands entries, from Grave to Groningen

In Amsterdam, Dennis Huwaë has taken Daalder back to Lindengracht in the Jordaan, the building where he ran the restaurant until 2021, Chefs Friends reported. The inspectors single out a prawn bao, a stroopwafel and lamb rib with a char siu glaze. Across town, Restobar Massalia, named after the Greek word for Marseille, pairs Greek and French cooking with wines from both countries.

Maastricht gets its own entry: Le Philippe on Havenstraat, where Belgian chef Danny Vanderhoven cooks bistro classics such as hand-cut steak tartare. In Grave, Maikel van Veen runs Ovum inside the Nidum boutique hotel in the old Arsenaal building; the inspectors mention a chawanmushi with lobster.

Petite in Sint-Oedenrode pairs chef Tijn van Es with sommelier Marly Sauer and gives French classics small updates, according to Chefs Friends. Restaurant Luwte in Groningen works with an open kitchen, produce from the north of the country and a set menu without meat or fish.

The ninth is Wijn Boer in Zwolle, a wine bar from the De Librije stable run by Isabelle Boer, daughter of Jonnie and Thérèse Boer, built around Dutch terroir. It is a new stop for anyone working through what to eat in Zwolle.

The last batch before the Maastricht ceremony

The list follows the eight restaurants the Michelin Guide Netherlands added in August. The ceremony starts at 11:00 at MECC Maastricht and runs alongside the BBB Maastricht hospitality fair, which lasts until 7 October, according to the venue.

Stars, Bib Gourmands and Green Stars will all be announced there. For the nine newcomers, the listing is the easy part; the question for 5 October is whether any of them climbs higher within weeks of arriving.