Zenith

Zenith is a pure, intimate but above all cozy restaurant with a charming ambiance, located on the edge of the city center in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods of Apeldoorn. Chef-owner Joey Stinissen opts for a classic culinary style where...

High quality cooking

In the contemporary and stylishly furnished spacious living-room-style restaurant of owner-chef Joey Stinissen and hostess and sommelier Jody de Widt, we are warmly welcomed and take a seat at one of the square tables, atmospherically lit by designer lamps. Water is poured immediately, followed by the non-alcoholic aperitif, a pear juice-based mocktail with cardamom foam. Tasty, but slightly on the sweet side. Joey cooks a surprising cuisine with distinctive ingredients, and the amuse of silken tofu combined with apple salad and dill ice paste makes a strong impression. The varying temperatures in the mouth add an extra dimension to the experience of this amuse. We start with an oyster parade featuring oysters topped in six different ways: gratinated, with sea buckthorn juice, with gin-and-tonic and cucumber, with truffle, with crème fraîche and chives, and with caviar. A feast for the taste buds. Pike perch tartare is elegantly paired with turnip, beurre blanc ice, crispy skin, and foam of Balinese bumbu spices. The daring dish is the oak fillet glazed with its own jus, offering a satisfying bite, hazelnut crunch, sourdough crumb, truffle, and vadouvan foam. Rich and rounded in flavor, and the house’s North Spanish white wine, JAG, pairs seamlessly. Prime beef cheek is served with blackberry sauce and various preparations of beet. Well prepared and beautifully presented, but this dish lacks excitement. Perhaps it should come from the ball of fried kataifi pastry, but in terms of flavor, that’s simply fried dough. The slight disappointment is heightened because the non-meat eater receives exactly the same plating alongside two pieces of otherwise perfectly cooked cod. The cheese cart deserves applause as the selection is very generous with no fewer than 25 varieties. For the goat cheese from the Achterhoek region ripened like Camembert, we will have to come back tomorrow. Despite the minor criticisms, a visit is absolutely worth repeating.

Chef Joey Stinissen and hostess and sommelier Jody de Widt have set up a beautiful establishment on the edge of Apeldoorn's city center, in one of the city's most beautiful neighborhoods. After gaining experience at renowned restaurants, they took the leap over four years ago to start their own place, and it has certainly paid off. Zenith is almost always fully booked. The dining room is intimate and welcoming, decorated with wood and gold tones, and the tables are spaced out nicely and generously. Joey cooks a natural cuisine featuring many ingredients from his own garden or the local area. Guests can order a multi-course surprise menu, an exclusive seven-course 'Zeniths' Culmination Menu', and à la carte options. The welcome is friendly, and table service remains consistently high-level. The first course is an immediate hit: trout with tangerine ice cream and gel, a fermented kohlrabi vinaigrette, topped with chicken croquant. And something that must not go unmentioned: the presentation is stunningly beautiful. The same goes for the slices of perfectly cooked Anjou squab, served with red cabbage, orange, seeds and kernels, and a foamy beurre blanc. Make room for treats from the cheese cart, as the selection is generous and excellent. Finally: the price-to-quality ratio is exemplary. Zenith rules!

Talented and ambitious. Things are going well for Jody de Widt and Joey Stinissen, both of whom completed their training at top establishments in the hospitality industry. Since opening their own Zenith, it has been packed night after night. Not surprising, given that Joey cooks fantastically and there is absolutely nothing to fault about Jody’s hosting and sommelier skills. A welcoming atmosphere fills the chic yet approachable dining room, where tables are generously spaced to ensure privacy. The amuse-bouches convince right away; the steamed eel roll is delightful. The menu offers a concise selection of à la carte dishes and surprise menus, available in various courses. For the starter: trout with tom kha gai foam and beurre blanc sauce. Rich flavors revolve around extremely gently pan-fried, almost tender fish flesh, accompanied by a chicken skin crisp for crunch. The mineral Arabako Txakolina from the house winery Tantaka pairs excellently. Next comes a portion of pan-fried red mullet with macadamia nut sauce, topped with a seaweed crisp. Once again, a rich dish, bursting with flavor. A Portuguese Touriga Nacional is served with the various main courses. Barbecued chicken breast, smoked tableside, sits alongside pan-fried plaice with vadouvan and lime. Both plates are presented with the same accompaniment: asparagus with smoked hazelnuts and beurre noisette. Good, but it could have been more imaginative. We wrap up with coffee and delightful sweets such as caramel with salt flakes, a milk chocolate and red fruit candy lollipop, and a madeleine. We say: keep it up!

Featured in this guide last year and back again this year. We’ll say it upfront: book in advance, as this modern, light, and atmospheric restaurant by Jody de With and Joey Stinissen is invariably full. Upon entering, we are warmly welcomed from the partially open kitchen by the white brigade under Joey’s leadership. While enjoying the house aperitif of strawberry, basil, and champagne, we are served a boemboe tartlet, a steamed eel roll, and kombucha; a feast for the eyes but even more so for the palate—what a welcome. The surprise menu begins with a perfectly prepared turbot fillet accompanied by caramelized nuts, a potato croquant, and vadouvan foam. Sommelier Ivar Roerink pairs it with a Belgian wine, the Souvignier Gris from Petrushoeve. A particularly special find. We continue with juicy duck breast seasoned with thyme, rosemary, and garlic, along with preparations of carrot and eggplant, and a mandarin crème jus. This course hits the mark, as not long after, the cheese board arrives featuring no fewer than five varieties, all served at the perfect temperature and arranged to build in flavor intensity. The fig compote and green olive chutney that accompany it are delicious, though it’s a slight pity that we only receive a tiny portion of each. The bill also follows promptly. The value for money is excellent. However, a bit more tranquility would be appreciated.