Lindehof

Restaurant de Lindehof - Nuenen

Suriname was once a colony of the Dutch and the English in South America.  Suriname's most famous export?  Try these world class football greats: Ryan Babel, Clarence Seedorf, Patrick Kluivert, Edgar Davids, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, among many others. 

Soenil Bahadoer runs Restaurant de Lindehof in sleepy Neunen, a village not far Eindhoven in the Netherlands.  While the exterior facade of the restaurant resembles a residence, the interiors showcase a modest but comfortable dining room and a sneak peak at a semi open kitchen behind glass doors.

Introductions were warm and curteous from restaurant staff and aperitif orders were taken swiftly.  Moments later, the glass doors opened once again to reveal a tall figure with a dark complexion.  He was none other than head chef, Soenil Bahadoer.  Dressed in his chef whites and Diesel Jeans, he personally greeted my wife and I to welcome us to his restaraunt.  A moment later he excused himself to attend to his duties.

AMUSE BOUCHE: Left: Various Vegetable Crisps Right: White Chocolate, Mascarpone, Basil with Chocolate Pearls

APPETIZER: Braised Octopus, Sole Sous Vide, Red Shiso, Oxtail, Shaved Beetroot

A pretty looking dish indeed.  The star of the dish for me was the shaved beetroot (only because I'm extremely partial to it).  The fish was fine too however lacking in that extra oomph to bring everything together.  What is it with chefs and oxtail???  I don't think I have been to one high end restaurant that doesn't have oxtail in a dish or on its menu!

MAIN COURSE: Caged 'Wild' Duck with Foie Gras, Port Jelly, Asparagus and Green Onion

When I was presented this dish, the waiter asked me to start with the foie gras 'bombe' atop of the jellied port biscuit.  Pure bliss.  The combination of the foie gras and port jelly was just a perfect match of gelatin and creaminess.  I was then instructed to eat the duck breast covered in a dry rub of five spice with spring onion and finally the duck with asparagus.  The version on the left, I suspect was Badahoer's interpretation of Peking Duck sans the hoisin sauce and the pancakes.  On the right, the meat was packed with flavour and well seasoned.  I'm positive the use of asparagus was to showcase the fact that it was a seasonal item.  Tasty as it was, I didn't get the combination of all the elements on the plate.  There was no sense of belonging other than the fact that the key of this dish was the delicious duck.

DESSERT: Peanut Butter Ice Cream and Cake, Carrot, and Garam Marsala and Cardamom

Be it the presentation or the taste of the dessert, there was something clearly lacking.  It seemed to have all the right ideas alas, it's a dish I wouldn't order again.  It's obvious that Chef Badahoer wanted to mold European and Surinamese tastes together but it just failed to work.

PETIT FOURS: Assorted Chocolates, Rum Sponge, Marshmallows, and Brownie

The last word:

Lunch at Restaurant de Lindehof was a pleasant experience to say the least.  There were two reasons we wanted to try de Lindehof. 1.) It was exactly half way from our home in Belgium enroute to Dusseldorf so it would have been a welcomed lunch break.  2.) I found the idea that of a Surinamese-Dutch chef with Hindustani roots would have put a cultural spin on a Michelin Star restaurant.  True, many of Chef Badahoer's dishes had elements of Indian herbs and spices and I think it's what makes his dishes standout whether they were perfect or mediocre.  Our time was well spent and I have to say that all the staff were very amicable.

Restaurant de Lindehof has a two course lunch meal at 32.50 Euro including coffee and petit fours or you could try the Soenil's Signature Menu (which I had) at 42.50 Euro including three of de Lindehof's favorite dishes.

*Side note: Towards the end of lunch service, we saw a truck pullling up to deliver some new plants for the restaurant.  None other than Chef Badahoer ran out to help the guy unload the plants and carry each heavy stump himself to his domain.  Kudos-not only is he a gastronomic chef but also a well rounded guy.  He could have asked any one of his staff to do it for him, but he chose to undertake the task himself. 

My Score: 16/20


Food: 4
Presentation: 4
Ambiance: 4
Staff: 4

Restaurant de Lindehof - Beekstraat 1, Nuenen CS 5671

http://www.restaurant-delindehof.nl/Dutch/Welkom-de-lindehof.html

Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire

Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire - Intercontinental Hotel @ Festival City, Dubai, UAE

 I usually don't dine by myself in a restaurant such as Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire but I was flying solo on this trip and wanted to celebrate a good business that I had done.  I picked up the phone in my hotel room at the Intercontinental Dubai - Festival city and rang Reflets for a table for one.

AMUSE BOUCHE: Almond soup with Pomegranate, Ham and Bean Foccacia with Turkish Delight amongst other amuse dishes (sorry about that!)

Pierre Gagnaire is a gifted chef most would say I'm sure.  Almost all of the little amuse bouches were a delight in flavor especially the almond soup with pomegranate was a welcome choice to balance out the exhausting Dubai heat with a chilled soup like this one.

FIRST COURSE: Brittany Lobster with Avocado and Aloe Vera

Culinary greats worldwide have always stood by the phrase, ''make it simple, let the flavors speak for themselves, and the customer will recognize a beautiful plate of food''.  If that is what the direction behind Pierre Gagnaire's culinary team wanted, then this is the dish that would make it a prime example.  The Lobster (from Brittany, naturally) was amazing with a soft yet meaty texture.  This played ever so well against the smooth creaminess of the avocado.  The Aloe Vera?  Genius.  I know it's not the first ingredient most chefs would consider but in this dish it worked absolutely perfectly. 10/10.

MAIN COURSE: Banana Leaf Wrapped Sea Bass with Crab and Seafood Reduction *

The presentation of this dish did not come to my table as pictured.  Actually, it was brought by a waiter, tableside, wrapped in banana leaves.  As the young waiter carefully unrolled each banana leaf, I could smell the rich aromas penetrating from the banana leaves to reveal a beautiful piece of fish.  The reduction/bisque was poured on top of the fish and tasted wonderful.

DESSERT: Yuze Ice Cream, Shiso Leaf and Tapioca Pearls

Yet another fantastic dish.  The dessert reminded me of home and was remarkable.  (I've lived in both Japan and Hong Kong).  The yuzu and shiso leaf brough back memories of Japan which Mr. Gagnaire has strong roots in his restaurant(s) located in Japan.  I have a fondness for yuzu and shiso leaf.  I find it very underrated worldwide.   The tapioca pearls reminded me of Hong Kong in which he also has a restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel as well.  Like the amuse of the almond soup, I was ready for a cooling sensation to balance of the rich flavours of the seafood dish I had just finished.

PETIT FOURS: Macaroon , Jellied Pate de Fruits, Sesame Cracker/Mint Chocolate

All three are favorites of mine, especially the Jellied Pate de Fruits.  I love jelly and I love sugary fruit juices. 

For 150 Dirhams ( Approximately 40 USD) I had a spectacular lunch.  As voiced by other bloggers and food reviewers, should Michelin's Guide System be introduced to the United Arab Emirates, I could easily see this restaurant getting a solid 2 stars for its efforts and skills in the culinary scene.  I found the food tasty, explorative and reasonably priced.  Would I come back to this hotel to eat again?  Yes, I most likely would. 

However.

I had made a few remarks to the manager of the restaurant after I finished my meal.  Call it what you like but I had to comment on a few items in the restaurant that I found unsatisfactory.  One assistant manager kept staring at me as if 'what is a young guy doing here eating alone in such a famed restaurant'.  Perhaps he thought I was a critic, but nonetheless everytime a new plate of food arrived, he would stare at me which made the whole dining process very uncomfortable.  Secondly, I took a brief walk around the restaurant to find that many of the table cloths were not ironed or attended to.  Some of the linen was stained.  Other tables revealed obvious remnant marks of plates left overnight  and unattended to for the lunch service.  Last, there are two large chairs in the entrance of the restaurant which had large scratches as if a cat had clawed through them.  They, too, were left unattended as if people wouldn't notice.  If this was in Paris, where the Michelin's watchful eye has inspectors in numerous restaurants, I assure you these chairs would have been replaced immediately.

*Please excuse the two entries under Amuse Bouche and the Main Fish Course.  I remember the fish to be a Sea Bass however it probably could have been another fish as well.  Apologies!

My Score: 14/20


Food: 4.5
Presentation: 4.5
Ambiance: 3.5
Staff: 1.5

Reflets' Par Pierre Gagnaire - Intercontinental Dubai at Festival City

http://www.pierre-gagnaire.com/#/reflets/carte_reflets