RESTAURANT BLUE KLM CROWN LOUNGE

Airports are usually not the most pleasant places to spend your time. The KLM Lounge at Schiphol Airport changes that. Blue is the new fine dining restaurant in the Crown Lounge, serving a signature menu by star chef Joris Bijdendijk (RIJKS*) and created under the supervision of chef Jack Luteijn.

Airports are usually not the most pleasant locations to spend your time. The KLM Lounge at Schiphol Airport will change that. Blue is the new fine dining restaurant in the Crown Lounge that serves a signature menu by star chef Joris Bijdendijk (RIJKS*) and was created under the supervision of chef Jack Luteijn. The restaurant is now open to guests (7 days a week), but will hold an official grand opening in the fall after the lounge has been fully completed. We must have come to taste it. Text: Susan Poeder
Image: KLM & Susan Poeder

Hidden gem

With our passports ready, we gather between departure halls 2 and 3 after which we are guided to a hidden gem behind customs: the new KLM fine dining restaurant in the new Crown Lounge. Or hidden... The lounge itself is not difficult to find because you immediately recognize it from the thousands of Delft blue houses on Holland Boulevard. The lounge is exclusively accessible to KLM or Skyteam travelers (free with a Business Class ticket, or with a surcharge for regular ticket holders).

Personal touch

Even though this restaurant offers a unique view of the runway, you forget that you are at an airport. Upon arrival, guests are assigned a personal host who monitors your departure time and ensures that the meal can be served within the available time. Breakfast, lunch and dinner in luxurious atmosphere - including cheese cabinet, drinks room and private dining areas.

The outdoor terrace is also unique here, which cannot be found at an airport anywhere else in the world. “This was a major request from our travelers,” says Boet Kreiken, Executive Vice President Customer Experience at KLM, “and we listened to it. 'We are locked up in such a box for hours and it would be so nice to be able to enjoy the fresh air in the meantime' is what we heard a lot.” The restaurant not only caters to a wide range of culinary tastes, but also takes into account how people travel.

Small and local

During the press preview we receive a small three-course selection from the menu. We start with Joris' signature dish: a tartelette with a rendang of goat, Brussels sprouts, Granny Smith and ginger jelly pieces. This is followed by the millefeuille of beets, surrounded by a beurre blanc with a tomasu fermented for 24 months: the only soy sauce from Rotterdam brewed in Europe. Joris mainly works with local and authentic ingredients and prefers to work with small producers. The tomasu is an excellent example of this.

www.instagram.com/p/BysFItgozZP/?utm_source=ig_embedHow beautiful does this appetizer look?

The Mexican @gastronautadf – who flew from Italy especially for this press preview – goes wild on this dish with his vlogging camera. When Joris comes to our table, he points to his plate and says with a grin: “What kind of witchcraft is this?!” We finish with another millefeuille, but this one made from rhubarb with goat yoghurt and vanilla vinaigrette.

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Dutch glory

The menu is characterized by seasonal highlights, such as Oosterschelde lobster, white asparagus and Bergen anchovies. The dishes are supplemented with a wine list by young Dutch talent, Maître sommelier Terence Schenk. He enthusiastically tells you about nice little German wine farms, or about that one time he was in South Africa and fell in love with a new rosé. Finally, Terence takes us to the cheese cabinet to let us enjoy Dutch golden glory: from crispy old cheese with crystallized salt pieces to stinking cheese that smells like football socks - but oh so delicious. 

In short, you should not miss restaurant Blue when you are passing through non-Schengen travels at Schiphol. Whether you are embarking on the trip of a lifetime or transferring to the next meeting on the other side of the world, the restaurant almost becomes a destination in itself.