NOÏS

New in this guide last year and earning high praise once again this year. Located on the Oude Vismarkt in Zwolle, close to the Grote Kerk, NOÏS has established itself as one of the best restaurants in this already richly endowed capital of Overijssel. Chef Vincent van Benthem is a highly creative cook who works with original ingredients and does not confine himself to a fixed menu. Here you are served five, seven, or nine 'experiences' of your choice. The term might be somewhat open to interpretation, but your taste buds will truly experience something special. Hostess and sommelier Laura, together with her team, creates an almost homely atmosphere and regularly takes the time to provide more explanation at the table. At the same time, she has an impressive selection of distinctive wines at her disposal. This means that wine enthusiasts will also be thoroughly satisfied here. To start, a purple artichoke with deliciously spicy hummus and a drizzle of olive oil. Then a few amuse-bouches that beautifully contrast with each other while also complementing one another. The crispy pepper cylinder filled with pepper mousse and smoked pepper deserves special mention here. We opt for five experiences and cannot help but conclude that absolutely everything is prepared excellently, served at the perfect temperature, expertly seasoned, and accompanied by flawlessly chosen wines. We taste the most delicious pumpkin ever in the first course: small pieces of pumpkin with a lemongrass panna cotta, fennel and coriander seed cream, and fermented pumpkin foam. This is followed by lukewarm monkfish, popped and pickled beetroot, roasted duck breast, and finally a caramel flan with pomelo. Noïs enters the Top-100 at position 00.

Located at the old Vismarkt in Zwolle is a restaurant with its own distinct character, where meat and fish only occasionally take center stage. The interior is contemporary and warm, featuring an open kitchen that brings a sense of order and calm. This tranquility carries on...

Since 2021, Restaurant Noïs has been located at the Oude Vismarkt, named after a combination of the children's names of owners Vincent and Laura van Benthem. The slightly worn wooden floor, bearing the marks of frequent use, does not detract from the bright and modern decor. We are greeted warmly and informed that there is no à la carte menu, but rather a choice of a tasting menu featuring five, seven, or nine courses. Bread is not served here; instead, we begin with an artichoke dressed with hummus and Italian olive oil. After peeling away all the leaves, we clear out the tough inner fibers to savor the tenderly cooked heart. Next come the amuse-bouches: a pani puri with avocado, broccoli, and lava foam, alongside a surprisingly stuffed Mexican mini-taco that awakens our taste buds. Afterwards, it’s a pleasant touch to refresh our hands with warm, fragrant green towels served in a white bowl. Brunoise-cut watermelon is paired with feta, chiffonade of snap peas and sugar snaps, white radish, warm crispy-fried olives, and a dill and mint cream. At the table, Chef Vincent adds a scoop of watermelon granité to the dish. The unfiltered natural wine Clementine, poured by hostess and sommelier Laura and sourced from Australia, is fresh and fruity, perfectly complementing the crisp flavors of the watermelon. We then move on to lacquered corvina grilled on the Japanese Yakiniku barbecue, topped with sesame seeds and fermented bonito, and served with ribbon-cut pickled kohlrabi. At the table, it is finished with a dressing made from broth infused with dashi, bonito, and sorrel. Squab and new potatoes with a subtle smoky note, bimi, green asparagus, crispy chicken skin, and dollops of stroganoff cream are brought to the table and finished with their own jus. The light-bodied biodynamic red wine Thierry Germain 2022 from Domaine des Roches Neuves, Saumur-Champigny, produced in Varrains, is aged for six months in oak and possesses enough structure to stand up to the delicate flavors of the squab. Zwolle is once again enriched by another gem. Welcome to this guide!