De Jouster Toer

For nearly thirty years, this cozy restaurant, with its light and fresh décor, has consistently delivered excellent value for money. Chef Johan Schotanus increasingly leaves the kitchen in the hands of Nick Brink, who truly masters his craft. The menu offers a wide variety of options to suit every palate. Fresh fish changes daily, and you can dine à la carte or choose from various set menus. Additionally, as a winologist, Johan boasts an impressive selection of wines across all price ranges. It quickly becomes clear that many regulars frequent this place, including tourists from Germany. With the affordably priced and aromatic Horgelus Côtes de Gascogne Colombard-Sauvignon 2023, we indulge in the amuse-bouches: a cream puff filled with curry-cheese cream, and a meringue with wasabi and yuzu cream. This wine is truly a delight on the palate, offering fresh fruity notes of apple, green herbs, and white blossoms. It is hard not to order another glass, but we opt for Johan’s next recommendation. It must be something special, as it accompanies a generous slice of duck liver with roasted orange segments, orange peel sauce, small curls of five-spice cream, warm brioche, and a quenelle of whipped butter. The wine completes the pairing: a Gewürztraminer from Albert Schoech in Alsace. It strikes the perfect balance between sweet, sour, and spicy. The sweetbread side dish was upgraded to a main course at our request, and we have no regrets. Roasted to perfection and served at the ideal temperature, it comes with a morel mushroom sauce, black garlic cream, gratinated celeriac, beetroot, carrot, carrot purée, and a caramelized half onion. Johan lets us taste two different red wines with it. First, a lighter Garnacha from Familia Pacheco, followed by a fuller, slightly more robust Rioja from Hacienda el Ternero. It is a pleasure to experience how each wine responds to the sweetbread in its own way. Served alongside freshly fried skin-on fries and homemade mayonnaise. This is pure indulgence!

On Joure's main shopping street, Restaurant De Jouster Toer has been a local staple for years. Owner couple Diana Thijsseling and Johan Schotanus run the establishment beautifully and ensure their guests lack nothing. In the open kitchen eight...

De Jouster Toer in Joure staat al jaren garant voor een stabiel gastronomisch hoog niveau. Zowel de witte als de zwarte brigade laten weinig tot geen steekjes vallen. Tijdens ons bezoek staat eigenaar Johan Schotanus in de bediening en zwaait de jonge chef Nick Brink de scepter in de keuken. De sfeer is relaxed en we zitten fijn aan witlinnen-gedekte tafels. Achter in het langwerpige restaurant is de open keuken gevestigd. En hieruit komt een spannende amuse: een gitzwart hapje van houtskool gevuld met schorsenerencrème en vadouvan. Heerlijk! Op de menukaart à-la-cartekeuzes naast menu's. De wijnkaart is indrukwekkend, sympathiek geprijsd en ingedeeld op smaak. Verder nog wat wijnen uit de schatkamer van Johan. Voor de wijnliefhebber is er mogelijkheid om de gedronken wijn te kopen. Vooraf gemarineerde beekridder met espuma en ijs van rode biet en groene appel. Een mooie smaakbalans tussen vis en groente. We vervolgen met picanha en rendang, met een worteltaartje, bimi en jus van rozemarijn. De geschonken Australische Thorn-Clarke Shotfire GSM uit 2020 toont zich een topwijn en sluit naadloos aan bij de kruidige aspecten van het hoofdgerecht. Johan, die vinoloog is, heeft bij elke wijn een mooi verhaal. De wijnen smaken daardoor nog lekkerder. Als dessert staat er een diversiteit van appel op het menu. Appelcompote met harde wener en Italiaans schuim met kaneel, fris appelijs en gedroogde appel. Ook zijn we te spreken over het kaasplankje met vijf verschillende soorten Franse kaas. Applaus voor de bijlage van gefermenteerde walnoten. Een smaakbom pur sang. We besluiten dit culinaire feestje met heerlijke huisgemaakte friandises bij de koffie. De bijgaande limoncello wordt in een gekoeld glas geserveerd. Daar houden we van.

In the center of Joure, directly opposite the monumental Jouster Toer, proprietor-chef and wine expert Johan Schotanus and hostess Diana Thijsseling have been running their cozy, home-style restaurant since 1996. Here, Frisian hospitality is second nature, and you are completely pampered during your visit. The dining room, featuring white tables and chairs against a soft gray backdrop, accommodates forty guests, and all tables are occupied, predominantly by slightly older couples. Behind the restaurant, in a former warehouse, space has been created for wine tastings, cooking classes, walking dinners, and more. Johan cooks with bold flavors, which we taste immediately with the amuse: a cream puff filled with mozzarella and basil, and a glass filled with asparagus foam, egg yolk cream, pickled yolk, and parsley oil. A great start! The chef personally serves the starter: hand-cut veal tenderloin served on brioche with olive tapenade, radish, and onion, alongside a quenelle of piccalilli ice cream. A colorful dish, beautifully presented on a black plate. Paired with a Ciari Friulano 2021 from Borgo Molino in Friuli, Italy. It offers a deliciously intense and delicate bouquet, fresh with hints of wildflowers and juicy yellow apple. On the finish, it also reveals the characteristic sweet-almond bitterness and fresh aromatic herbs. This is followed by baked lamb fillet with butter-tender lamb neck, thyme jus, pommes Anna, potato cream with chive oil, and zucchini. Just in case that isn't enough, there is also a paper cone of fries with homemade mayonnaise. Every bite is finished. The dessert is sublime: fresh rhubarb in rhubarb jus, accompanied by rhubarb compote, tarragon ice cream, tarragon meringues, and crumble. It is simply a joy, and a place you will definitely want to return to often.

If there were a ranking of restaurants with the optimal price-to-quality ratio, De Jouster Toer would score highly. The food here is excellent, and the wines selected by owner-chef and vinologist Johan Schotanus are certainly far from conventional. All of this comes at a highly competitive price. The restaurant’s interior, situated opposite the impressive De Jouster Toer tower, is bright and atmospheric, with white tables and chairs complemented by dark gray movable room dividers. We are treated to two little starters: a warm, frothy eel soup and a meringue infused with bergamot, ginger, and shichimi togarashi spices. Your taste buds are literally put to work. The generous serving of lightly smoked beef bavette tartare is enhanced with a crispy brioche-and-cheese crunch, chive cream, and raw mushroom slices. We enjoy it alongside a Côtes du Rhône Saint-Esprit 2020, a delightful, fresh blend of bourboulenc, clairette, grenache blanc, and viognier. The pan-fried turbot fillet with truffle foam and various cauliflower preparations is equally superb. And we haven’t even mentioned the super-tender veal loin in its own jus with veal sweetbread, accompanied by a generous portion of crispy fries and truffle mayonnaise. Pure indulgence! The organic Candoni Pinot Noir 2020 from Pavia, Italy, brings the meal to a perfect close. Alongside hostess Diana Thijsseling, Schotanus now also operates 'Achter de Toer', a historic warehouse that hosts a variety of culinary events, including cooking classes and wine tastings.

That owner-chef Johan Schotanus is also a wine expert becomes clear almost immediately upon opening the wine list. Many jewels are displayed there, categorized by taste and, moreover, reasonably priced. He and his partner, hostess Diana Thijsseling, have been guaranteeing a high-quality establishment for over twenty-five years now. And guests certainly appreciate this, as it is consistently packed. The restaurant is located directly opposite the distinctive landmark building, the Jouster Toer. The interior is contemporary and atmospheric, though the acoustics leave something to be desired when it gets busy. Johan cooks predominantly with regional ingredients, and everything is prepared in-house, from bread to bonbons. After two delightful amuse-bouches comes the starter: beef tartare with sweet-and-sour radish, cucumber, button mushrooms, and a flammkuchen crisp. A delicious classic, kept beautifully pure yet sufficiently seasoned by its garnishes. We continue with veal ribeye and veal cheek served with a rösti, kohlrabi, carrot, and thyme jus. For the heartier eater, there is also a paper cone of fresh fries and mayonnaise. The South African wine Thelema Mountain Red from 2016 pairs exceptionally well with the meal. The cheese board from Bourgondisch Lifestyle offers five premium Dutch cheeses accompanied by quince compote, fig bread, and raisin-nut crackers. The price-to-quality ratio here is outstanding. A highly recommended spot!

Chef-owner and oenologist Johan Schotanus and hostess Diana Thijsseling have been ensuring an evening of fine dining since 1996, always accompanied by the utmost hospitality. In their atmospheric and contemporary restaurant, they serve dishes inspired by French and Frisian cuisine. From bread to ice cream and bonbons: everything is prepared in-house, and the ingredients used are sourced primarily from the region. Pure, honest, and creative are the key words defining the menu. Johan’s passion for wine and his preference for unconventional routes are reflected in unique and particularly harmonious wine-and-food pairings, each accompanied by expert insights delivered in a highly engaging manner. This makes dining at De Jouster Toer all the more surprising. Behind the restaurant, housed in a former warehouse, is “Achter de Toer.” This venue hosts cooking classes, walking dinners, wine tastings, meetings, staff outings, and presentations. A wonderful spot!

The restaurant run by Johan Schotanus and Diana Thijsseling has been refreshed. The black-and-white interior now features touches of green, and the artwork has been updated. Johan warmly welcomes us and leads us to our table, where the first amuse is already waiting: carrot gel and foam. The next amuse offers cucumber and gin sorbet alongside cucumber pickles with goat yogurt mousse. This refreshing quality carries over into the starter: pollock ceviche served with a yuzu jelly, cucumber, samphire, and fennel. It pairs perfectly with the white Saint-Chinian Château Viranel Cuvée Tradition Blanc. Although Johan Schotanus is the head chef, he primarily focuses on the front of house. He greets guests, takes orders, and acts as the sommelier—and he does it exceptionally well. His wine and food pairings are outstanding, and his willingness to steer clear of conventional routes makes for a delightful surprise. The main course features veal shank and braised veal cheek served with sage jus, smoked mashed potatoes, carrots, and yellow onion. The cooking is flawless and the portions generous. Those with bigger appetites can also order homemade fries with mayonnaise. To finish, we have apricot ice cream, apricot and mocha gel, and hazelnut mousse. It pairs beautifully with the crisp, sweet Austrian Beerenauslese PMC made from Welschriesling and Chardonnay. Guests at the table across from us are enjoying a generously filled cheese board, which can be substituted in the menu at no additional charge. The bill leaves us completely satisfied. See you next year!

Good cooking is highly valued in Friesland, and De Jouster Toer is a prime example. Since Johan Schotanus and Diana Thijsseling opened here in 1996, the quality seems to improve each year. With Schotanus serving as both owner-chef and wine specialist, the wine and food pairings are outstanding. The wine list features distinctive labels and is regularly refreshed. The wine pairing menu also brings some wonderful discoveries. The house dry white is a Côtes de Gascogne Colombard-Sauvignon from Domaine Horgelus: pleasantly fresh with green apple notes. Following two amuse-bouches—a fried wonton tuile with mustard mayonnaise, and a chicken liver cream with a strip of oyster mushroom and a vermicelli curl—we are served beef carpaccio with duck liver shavings and truffle mayonnaise, paired with a glass of Gustave Lorentz Pinot Gris ‘Evidence’ from Alsace. This is followed by sea bass marinated in orange and dill with beetroot elements. Delicate in flavor, and superbly complemented by a glass of Domaine de Grangeneuve ‘Les dames blanches du sud’ Viognier-Marsanne. Next comes expertly cooked crispy pan-fried veal escalope with baby carrots, artichoke barigoule, and a veal cheek lasagna finished with parmesan cheese foam. Paired with: Josten Klein Pinot Noir ‘Glanzstück’ 2015 from the Ahr, Germany. Another delightful combination. To finish, a selection of fine cheeses including Zwaluwgekwetter and Schapenrond, matched with a robust wine: el Perdiguero Barrica Tempranillo 2014 from Cigales, Spain. A genuinely pleasant establishment.