Hotspot: no-table restaurant Tres in Rotterdam
Yes! Restaurants are open again! That’s why we’re taking you along to the newest (corona-proof!) hotspots. This time, something special: no-table restaurant Tres in Rotterdam.
Uh, a no-table restaurant?
Absolutely! In this kind of restaurant, there are no ordinary tables; instead, you literally eat at the kitchen counter next to the chef. From here, you can see exactly how he prepares your dishes! A kind of theatre, then. In New York, there have been many small-scale restaurants like this for a long time. By now, you can find them in the Netherlands too. We already have a few, including: star restaurant 212* in Amsterdam (212 refers to New York’s area code, by the way), Kit 384 in The Dylan Hotel in Amsterdam and now Tres in Rotterdam. Tres opened at the end of last year, and since the hospitality industry reopened on 1 June, they’re back at it in full force!
What can you expect?
Tres is a small restaurant with room for a maximum of sixteen guests. Everyone orders the eighteen-course (!) ‘tasting menu’. Dutch produce takes centre stage, and the dishes are truly very special. Think: grilled bamboo from a Rotterdam food forest and tofu with Dutch almonds and North Sea crab. Or: asparagus with a red wood ant (which the chefs catch themselves). The asparagus is coated with a paste made from pine salt, ants and black garlic oil. Pretty experimental, right? And nice: you can choose not only matching wines, but also an alcohol-free pairing.
What is an evening at Tres like?
Since the hospitality industry reopened, dining at Tres has been slightly different from normal. Owners Emy Koster and Michael van der Kroft have now designed the concept so that they can comply with the 1.5-metre distancing rule. The first guests start with a few snacks in the entrance area. After forty-five minutes, they move to the wooden bar area with open kitchen for the next nine courses, while the next group arrives in the entrance. The third part of the evening (four courses and coffee) takes place downstairs in the lounge, which stands out for its original steel structural beams, black wall panels and antique velvet furniture. This way, there are never too many guests in the spaces and the required distance can be maintained.
Where can you find Tres?
In the monumental Entrepotgebouw on Rotterdam’s Kop van Zuid, in a former jazz cellar. The restaurant is not noticeable from the outside, and guests ring the bell to get inside. A special evening guaranteed!
Tres, Vijf Werelddelen 25, Rotterdam
The restaurant is open on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Iris Kranenburg is editor-in-chief of hospitality trade magazine Entree Magazine and chair of the jury for the annual Entree Awards (industry awards for the best new bars, restaurants and hotels in the Netherlands).
Also read:
- Bigger, better & bolder: The Harbour Club in The Hague (go!)
- Amsterdam Noord has a new hotspot: Sammie Sangria (psssstt… on a boat!)
- Rotterdam has gained a new hotspot: Rooftop Restaurant Fontein
Images: Adinda de Boer (food), Sophia van den Hoek, Sanne Cogenbach
