Café Visscher

good quality, good value cooking

In 2023, chef Arie Visscher made his dream come true and opened the eponymous restaurant on Stationsweg to cook delicious food in a relaxed setting without unnecessary frills. With red velvet sofas, mosaic flooring, and plenty of mirrors, this could easily have been a brasserie in Montparnasse. The menu offers a wide range of choices, from elegantly presented sandwiches to refined fish and meat dishes. The steak tartare with homemade piccalilly and an egg yolk cooked at 63 degrees is heavenly, and the Grüner Veltliner from Rudolf Rabl from the Kamptal region pairs seamlessly. The brioche crab with jalapeño, avocado, and creamy crab mousse is an original dish that truly stimulates the taste buds. The service, unlike last year, exudes more calm and offers knowledgeable advice when choosing wine and food. The restaurant is nicely filled with guests, and we see both smaller groups and couples enjoying what the kitchen offers. We continue with skin-roasted sea bream, served with a classic Grenobloise sauce of beurre noisette, capers, and deglazed with lemon. We almost lick our plates clean. The specialty is entrecôte, cooked standard medium-rare, with chimichurri and Vadouvan spices for a light Indian twist. The entrecôte is butter-soft, the carving knife razor-sharp, and the recommended glass of Tuscan Il Bruciato from Antinori's Guado al Tasso estate ensures an optimal wine-and-food pairing. It is served with homemade fries and a bowl of Little Gem lettuce. Consistent with our previous visit, we are less enthusiastic about the desserts; the warm apricot cake with honey caramel and vanilla ice cream is delicious but messily presented, and with the amarena cherries accompanied by cherry crémeux, almond ice cream, and meringue, some of the cherries have been replaced by canned fruit. That is a pity. Otherwise, no complaints, as it is an El Dorado for the foodie who does not wish to pay top dollar yet still receives supreme quality. Superb!

At Café Visscher, Chef Arie Visscher serves a bistronomic cuisine featuring familiar flavors and seasonal ingredients that fit perfectly with the restaurant's accessible atmosphere. Watermelon with feta, tomato and shiso is fresh, exactly...

Located within walking distance of Leiden Central Station is Café Visscher, named after chef Arie Visscher, who has already earned his stripes at De Librije in Zwolle and Joelia in Rotterdam. His desire to cook in a more accessible way, “truly excellent but without any fuss,” as he puts it himself, is reflected in the offerings across two menus. A drinks-and-lunch menu featuring bites such as shrimp croquettes, sliced hams, olives, bread, and beverages, and an extensive dinner menu with à la carte options including various steaks and sides like fresh fries, green salad, and vegetables. We’ll just say it straight out: everything here is pricey. The venue is simply fantastic. You feel as though you’ve stepped into a large French brasserie with red velvet banquettes, mirrors, stained glass, intimate alcoves, colorful posters on the walls, and plenty of trinkets. A nice place to meet up. It’s busy and the atmosphere is cheerful. Paired with a flute of Vilarnau Reserva Rosé Cava, we order a salad of substantial chunks of raw salmon with beetroot cream, spiced with jalapeño peppers; a frothy lobster soup with shrimp, tarragon, and a generous dollop of crème fraîche; and pan-fried langoustine with pork belly, chorizo, and tomato. That last dish, in particular, earns applause. Beautifully seasoned and generously presented. The pike perch main course is flawlessly prepared, resting on gently braised sauerkraut and firm potato cubes, topped with a thick slice of melting lardo. The dessert falls somewhat short. The chocolate mousse is too dense, and the accompanying tonka bean ice cream could use more flavor. A tip for the staff: keep track and stay calm. Welcome to Lekker.