De Tuinkamer

The pantries of chef Alwin Leemhuis are the Priona Gardens, where he and his small, dedicated team can pick to their heart's content. Flowers, (wild) plants, and fruits form the foundation of the dishes, which are prepared using organic, animal-friendly, artisanal, and sustainably produced ingredients. Juices, tea, liqueurs, oil, vinegar, and even confections are also crafted from them. This unique restaurant, owned by Gitta Luiten, has been housed in an old greenhouse since 2016, creating the feeling of dining right in the middle of nature. Alwin, who spent years as head chef at establishments including Librije’s Zusje (which later evolved into Spectrum), prepares a new seasonal menu every week. The 'pork cheek with beets' is grandiose. Ostensibly simple, but appearances are deceiving. Organic guanciale (pork jowl) is paired with beets that were first frozen, then thawed and slowly dried, served in a rich beet jus flavored with cherry blossom vinegar, alongside artfully sliced raw beet enriched with a magnolia sauce. Heavenly. Powerful and packed with umami is the plant-based dish featuring koji celery root broth with hazelnut foam, fried morels, and popped apple. We close with a crème Chiboust made from popped sweet potato and toasted cinnamon, accompanied by a sweet potato and red pepper crunch, and rose yogurt ice cream. We could happily enjoy this all year round. However, De Tuinkamer is open from April 1 through December 26, on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

From April 1 to December 26, this atmospheric restaurant by Gitta Luiten is housed in an old greenhouse, where guests can freely enjoy a cuisine that draws on flowers, plants, and herbs from the surrounding Priona Gardens. The creator of this culinary beauty, presented as a multi-course menu, is chef Alwin Leemhuis, who has already more than proven himself at the former Librije's Zusje. After a walk through the woods and meadows, we settle onto the terrace and listen to the song of chirping birds. With a Japanese beer in hand, we savor a tartlet of hard whey cheese with sunflower cream, accompanied by fried cauliflower with hop shoots, seaweed, and finger lime. Then the real tasting begins. The foie gras arrives with langoustine, Calvados-apples, pistachios, yellow beetroot, and bedstraw, though the langoustines somewhat overpower the delicate flavor of the foie gras. Next comes a fresh, creamy coconut soup with carrots pickled in orange and geranium, chorizo oil, and fingerroot. Our host, Rutger Hoogeveen, pairs it with a well-chosen glass of Les Secrets rosé from Saint-Chinian, France. The vegetarian course features radish with fermented birch sap and linden leaf, which is tableside dressed with a sauce of roasted wild yeast. A Priona dashi made from radish leaves gives the radish a surprising flavor, while the presentation—adorned with linden leaves, chervil, yeast flakes, and colorful flowers—creates a beautiful color palette. Alwin is unafraid to experiment, and the Simmentaler beef entrecôte cured with Japanese koji and served with a roasted buckwheat sauce is astonishingly tender. It is perfectly complemented by a side of white and green asparagus salad, black salsify kombu, and a fenugreek hollandaise. The dessert is equally inventive: a parsnip seed crèmeux with salted licorice, green strawberries with honey clover, and popcorn ice cream. An absolute hit.

Owner Gitta Luiten's De Tuinkamer is situated in an old, atmospheric greenhouse that you reach via a walk through the forest and meadows. Chef Alwin Leemhuis cooks here from April to December on weekends, using plants, flowers, and herbs from the surrounding Priona Gardens. There is a fixed menu that can be extended with cheese. A matching wine is recommended for each dish, and a homemade non-alcoholic juice pairing is also available to order. In this unique ambiance, a blend of industrial furnishings and Persian carpets, we marvel at such creativity and ingenuity, moving from one surprise to the next. We taste edible twigs with beetroot cream and magnolia leaves alongside a steamed savory custard (chawanmushi) of artichoke with pistachio pesto and verbena. And then the real work is yet to begin. It is safe to call it an 'experience' when dining at De Tuinkamer. Slow-cooked and richly marbled Ibérico secreto arrives on a silky celeriac purée, bedstraw, and silver onion. Accompanied by plenty of color and flair from herbs and flowers grown in their own garden. After the radishes in homemade dashi made from radish greens, we opt for the lamb neck with airy, crunchy blue cheese and lamb fillet 'with new wool', potato, and wild garlic. The lamb fillet is inoculated with koji, which grows over 36 hours into a kind of second coat on the lamb ('new wool'). The result is a beautiful, juicy piece of meat with a high umami content. Unfortunately, the accompanying Italian Corte Fiore Appassimento Montepulciano from 2021 is poured too warm. Out of curiosity, we also taste a homemade juice of elderberry, lavender, and oak with this dish. Well thought out, Bouke Grob!

The location alone is worth a visit. Owner Gitta Luiten’s De Tuinkamer is housed in a charmingly appointed greenhouse, nestled within the forty-year-old Priona Gardens. You reach it via a walking trail through meadows and woodland. Chef Alwin Leemhuis has previously cooked at a high level elsewhere and is once again letting his creativity run wild here. Inspired by vegetables, flowers, and herbs from the surrounding gardens, he presents dishes that are undeniably innovative and original. The set menu features five courses, which can optionally be extended with a cheese course. Matching wine or juice can be added for each course. The taste buds work overtime thanks to unique ingredient combinations, predominantly vegetarian. We try a buttermilk and pine tip soup with broccoli purée and horseradish, finished with broccoli florets and garnished with vibrant edible flowers. Then comes a flavor bomb: white bean cream set in a purslane jelly with beluga lentils, chorizo, and chive hollandaise, paired with a glass of Von Winning Riesling 2020 from the Palatinate. What a feast! The accompanying wines are flawlessly chosen across the board, creating a harmonious match with every dish. It is a pity that the intervals between some courses feel a bit long. Still, the extraordinary flavors more than make up for it: we have never before encountered a rhubarb root sauce served alongside sous-vide cooked polder chicken fillet, truffle potato, and fennel fronds. The young, casually dressed-in-black waitstaff are exceptionally friendly and clearly take genuine pleasure in their work. Practical information: De Tuinkamer has limited opening hours; please check the website for current days.

A walking path across the meadow and through the forest (less suitable for heels) leads you to this hidden gem, owned by Gitta Luiten. An old and atmospherically furnished greenhouse nestled among the Prionatuinen. You can visit here on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Chef Alwin Leemhuis prepares a fixed menu, primarily featuring ingredients from the gardens and the surrounding area. Seasonal plants, herbs, tubers, mushrooms, and flowers dictate what ends up on the plate. We taste kohlrabi with cauliflower cream and a buttermilk and cabbage leaf oil vinaigrette. And red mullet with strawberry, blue clover cheese, tomato juice, piment powder, and fennel fronds. Everything is equally delicious. The freshness and love for the ingredients leap off the plate. Host Bouke Grob pours generous glasses of wine and also offers a matching alcohol-free homemade juice with every dish. For example, broad bean and chrysanthemum soup is paired with a particularly surprising chrysanthemum juice. The main course features koji-cured Simmentaler beef tenderloin, served with magnolia buds, baked buckwheat porridge, and a lapsang souchong tea jus. Unconventional, rich in flavor, and a compelling reason to return. On the threshold of the Top-100.

This old, atmospherically decorated greenhouse by Gitta Luiten is open on Friday evenings, Saturday afternoons and evenings, and Sunday afternoons, from April through November and during the Christmas holidays. Executive chef Alwin Leemhuis, formerly of De Librije, prepares a set menu during these periods. He uses flowers, plants, and herbs from the lush Priona Gardens, where the greenhouse is situated. The menu changes constantly, depending on what the gardens have to offer. Each dish is delicious and elegant. Nature on your plate. A matching (half) glass of wine is served with each course upon request, but you can of course also make your own selection from the wine list. Host Bouke Grob will gladly assist you if you wish. The Priona Gardens were designed by Henk Gerritsen and are internationally renowned as an example of the Dutch Wave, a movement in landscape architecture that makes extensive use of wild plants. This unique location attracts many guests, so booking in advance is recommended.

The Tuinkamer by Gitta Luiten and Jorn Konijn is housed in an old greenhouse, nestled within the lush Priona Gardens. Chef Alwin Leemhuis, formerly of De Librije, crafts a fixed menu that evolves constantly, drawing on fresh ingredients from the gardens and surrounding region. He frequently ventures out to discover new pairings of plants, flowers, tubers, and mushrooms, which he incorporates into his creations. The ambiance is warm and relaxed, and service is provided by a highly enthusiastic team under the guidance of Rutger Hoogeveen. Paired with the aperitif, a sparkling Idilicum Brut cava, we are presented with amuse-bouches including beetroot purée with puffed rice and magnolia, and goat yogurt with Amsterdam onion powder and roasted okra. A promising start. For the starter, we sample reefilet accompanied by herb-infused potato mousse, linden leaves, and wild garlic blossoms. This is elegantly matched with a glass of Flamingo rosé made from Grenache Gris. The main course features gently cooked partridge breast alongside a 'bouquet' of white and green asparagus infused with fresh green herbs, finished with morels and hollandaise sauce. An exceptionally flavorful dish, boasting perfect doneness and a harmonious balance of tastes. The Bulgarian red Mavrud complements it beautifully. The dessert—a crumble of peanuts, cake, and white chocolate paired with a pepper and blood orange mousse and fennel fronds—offers a surprising and deeply flavorful finale to a flawlessly prepared meal. A delightful venue! Right on the cusp of the Top 100.

The Priona Gardens in Schuinesloot were designed in the 1970s by two artists. A wild garden within a clear structure. Amidst this fairy-tale setting lies the summer restaurant De Tuinkamer, where head chef Alwin Leemhuis creates exceptional dishes using plenty of produce from his own garden. On the table sits a thick branch filled with freeze-dried shiitake and broccoli. We assume it is for decoration, but the filling is actually edible. Quite special. Next come three preparations of tomato with cream of cheese and lavender flowers. A promising start. The starter consists of lightly smoked loin with red onion and beetroot, accompanied by two sauces featuring white and red magnolia. We pair it with a glass of Riesling from Weingut Knewitz in Appenheim, which pairs seamlessly with the magnolia. Pure and crisp, with a hint of sweetness. Then comes an asparagus soup with elderflower, puffed buckwheat, and a purple geranium. Just as beautiful. For the main course, there is baked quail with a lapsang souchong sauce and an Atari Goma cream, served with a nettle cracker, broad beans, and vegetables from their own garden. What inventive cooking this is, I must say! The dessert consists of two parts: cucumber rice with yogurt and sweet woodruff cream. On another plate appears a creation featuring pomegranate, raspberry, strawberry, white chocolate, pomelo, and rhubarb. We love that, beautiful light and fresh finales. Compliments to the black brigade. Bouke Grob and Jelle Mooij, who possess remarkable expertise at such a young age. Welcome to Lekker!