After fifteen years of pioneering on the Zuidas, Bolenius is taking a new path – towards greenery. Chef Luc Kusters is opening his renovated restaurant right on the Rembrandtpark, where fine dining merges with sustainability, seasonal flavours and botanical cocktails. A culinary breeding ground in the heart of nature, where every course is an ode to Dutch soil. Bart-Jan Brouwer was allowed to taste it.p>
Text: Bart-Jan Brouwer
Image: Alek Bruessing
On April 17, Bolenius Rembrandtpark will open its doors at Nachtwachtlaan 20B, in the middle of Rembrandtpark. Chef Luc Kusters, founder of Dutch Cuisine, is opening a new chapter in his career, after fifteen years at the Zuidas. The star location there will continue to operate for the time being, but the heart of Bolenius will now beat greener than ever.
The new location offers space for growth – literally and figuratively. With a greenhouse, a vegetable garden that is two to three times as large as before and the opportunity to pick wild vegetables in the surrounding park, Bolenius is literally growing into a gastronomic ecosystem. “The possibilities here are much greater,” says Kusters. “With a terrace on the water, a private parking space and a setting that is less businesslike and more private, we now have the space to let Bolenius flourish further.”
The restaurant has the grandeur you would expect from a star restaurant. The interior exudes peace and elegance, with warm earth tones, high windows and four Koppert Cress trees growing pink peppercorns. In the heart of the space: the very first botanical cocktail bar in Amsterdam. “Fine dining and cocktails are increasingly reinforcing each other,” Kusters notes. “For example, Eleven Madison Park in New York has set up an entire floor with a cocktail bar. This also makes a restaurant much more dynamic. We are happy to join in.” The menu includes unique, à la minute botanical cocktails based on herbs from their own garden, combined with a carefully composed wine selection from small, sustainable wineries.
“Fine dining and cocktails are increasingly reinforcing each other”
Sustainability is the backbone of Bolenius. The architecture is local, circular and well thought-out. And the principles remain firmly in place in the kitchen: 95% plant-based, seasonal, local and surprising. For example, a new 'bread course' with a brioche, sourdough bread and a self-developed roll made from Dutch grains, ground in the mill of Jarno Eggen (De Groene Lantaarn). Served with herb oil, vegetable garden herb butter, caramelised goat butter and samphire salt. "That really offers a moment of relaxation, something I didn't dare to do in the Zuidas."
Perform at least as well as on the Zuidas
One of the signature dishes is 'Rembrandtpark Vegetable Garden', presented on specially designed plates that resemble a painter's palette – a subtle nod to the master himself. The flavours, like a painter's colours, shoot in all directions: from sweet and sour to the charred taste of endive. The dessert 'Ode to the Herb' was created due to a surplus of herbs in the vegetable garden and consists of sorrel ice cream, French bean jus, tarragon oil, lady's bedstraw, sour apple and celery.
With new facilities such as private dining and catering, Bolenius aims for a complete experience: culinary, sustainable and refined. The ambition? “To perform at least as well as on the Zuidas and to retain the Michelin star and green star in October.” The restaurant invites everyone to experience the process of renewal and growth week after week – because sustainability takes time, but yields something special.
Bolenius Rembrandtpark is open from Wednesday to Saturday, for lunch (12:00–14:30) and dinner (18:00–21:00). Reservations can be made here.