Restaurant Triptyque is heaven on earth for everyone who loves delicious vegetable dishes

Star chef Niven Kunz loves vegetables. You can feel it, see it and above all: taste it. Niven was performing magic with vegetables long before it became trendy. He doesn’t shy away from meat and fish either; he creates fantastic dishes with those too. But vegetables are in the spotlight—and how. Niven received the award for Best Vegetable Restaurant four years in a row and this year was rewarded with a green star as well as a high ranking on the list of the world’s best plant-based restaurants. In short, it was high time for a visit. Spoiler: it was one of the best restaurant experiences of the year.

Green star

A little more about that green star. Last year, the MICHELIN Guide introduced the green star to put sustainable gastronomy on the map. A green star is awarded to chefs who work extensively with seasonal products and ethical suppliers and who fight food waste. In its first year, the Netherlands had eight green stars. This year, three new green stars were added, including one for Triptyque.

And after just one bite at Triptyque, you understand why. What chef Niven and his team do with vegetables—in terms of preparation, flavor and presentation—is truly wonderful.

But let’s start at the beginning.

Vegetable chef Niven

Vegetable chef Niven worked at De Librije and De Bokkedoorns and earned his first Michelin star at the age of 24 at restaurant ‘t Raethuys in Wateringen. He received his second star at restaurant Niven in Rijswijk. There, he cooked with 80 percent vegetables and 20 percent meat or fish. It proved to be a hit; he received the award for Best Vegetable Restaurant four years in a row.

After restaurant Niven went bankrupt at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, Niven opened restaurant Triptyque in Wateringen on August 1, together with his wife Virginie and his former team. It is located in the former town hall on the Plein, where he once earned his first Michelin star.

He still applies his 80/20 principle in the kitchen. And how! The dishes that emerge from the Triptyque kitchen are just as beautiful in preparation and flavor as they are in presentation. MICHELIN was not the only one to reward Triptyque with a fine distinction; this year, Triptyque also made it into the top 100 of the best plant-based restaurants in the world—and ranked high, in 27th place. At restaurant LOCALS in Arnhem, where Niven is responsible for the menu, they also cook according to the 80/20 principle.

Beautiful setting

Triptyque is located in a beautiful spot, on the ground floor of the old town hall. The entrance is to the right of the stairs, which you reach by walking around the building. Once inside, a serene calm prevails. This is thanks to the stately building, the interior, the tableware and the tranquility exuded by the staff. Wonderful: the bustle of the city slips away from us, and before long we have relaxed too.

Triptyque menu

It is a familiar trend in the (better) hospitality industry: à la carte is increasingly being replaced by a set menu. The only choice you still have to make as a guest is the number of courses. At Triptyque, you can choose from four, six, eight or ten courses, with prices ranging from €75 to €150. And, in line with Dutch Cuisine, of which Niven is an ambassador, they cook with local seasonal products wherever possible.

Champagne with cheese biscuits

We start with a delicious cheese biscuit made from Reypenaer X.O Réserve and enhanced with fennel seeds. This is the finest of the Reypenaer cheeses, made from summer milk and aged for 2½ years in Reypenaer’s old warehouse in Woerden. Alongside it: a glass—read: beautiful coupe glass—of Telmont Réserve Brut Champagne. Fresh and fruity, and particularly special: all the proportions are listed on the label, from the composition of the grapes to the dosage (the small amount of sugar added that determines the champagne’s style). You rarely see such transparency in Champagne.

Picnic basket full of surprises

Next, a picnic basket filled with fresh products from the Westland is served at the table. Triptyque is surrounded by the Westland and Midden-Delfland, and they are happy to let guests taste the locally sourced products here. Each of the beautiful little dishes excels in flavor, texture and presentation. Take the zucchini pizza: a little work of art made from an ultra-thin cracker with small slices of zucchini, sheep’s cheese and smoked paprika. Very delicious!

The crispy tartelette filled with steak tartare made from red carrot and truffle is at least as good: prepared like a classic steak tartare, meaty in flavor but vegetarian, and finished with truffle. Especially with the crunchy base, this is a top-notch little dish with everything: rich flavor, lovely texture and a pleasant mouthfeel. Finally, there is a seed cracker topped with a relish of pointed pepper. Again, that rich, beautiful flavor combined with something crunchy—delicious.

Triptyque cocktail

The Triptyque cocktail is prepared at the table with jasmine tea, sake, citrus and various herbs, including the small, fragrant Greek basil. It is served with a tempura-fried shiso leaf—a mint-like plant—with a dollop of Japanese ponzu sauce. A very refined and subtle interlude.

Oh, that brioche…

Simply irresistible is Triptyque’s famous brioche, covered with honey, salt flakes and lavender. Soft, sweet and glossy; brioche is as decadent as bread can be. Light and tender inside, and then that aroma… Heavenly! A piece like this is already deliciously rich on its own, but even better with a smear of butter. Of course, we tell each other that we won’t eat it all, knowing that several courses are still to come. But try staying away from it. Impossible, so it disappears completely, crumbs and all.

Perfectly cooked egg

The brioche is accompanied by a soft and refined carrot dish with a perfectly cooked egg yolk. That perfection comes from cooking the egg sous vide at 63 degrees. This gives it an incredibly soft, almost sensual texture. Divine!

The dishes on the menu change at least four times a year, but some remain, such as the signature dish of pickled eggplant with goat’s cheese and fig compote. Pickling makes the eggplant quite sour; the fresh goat’s cheese and sweet figs bring the dish perfectly into balance.

Delicious morels

The pointed cabbage dish with mustard and zolderspek is also remarkably good. Niven comes to the table himself to pour the morel sauce over the dish. And honestly, I have never eaten such delicious morels before—the distinctive mushrooms with their spicy flavor and strikingly sponge-like caps. Sommelier Leroy Pechler pours a delicious white Portuguese wine from Casa Ferreinha to accompany it: Vinha Grande from the Douro. He effortlessly lists the grapes in this blend. For enthusiasts: arinto, codega, gouveio, rabigato and viosinho.

Tonburi

At Triptyque, they love vegetables—you can see it, smell it and taste it. Every plate that arrives at the table releases huge aromas immediately. Such as the dish of leek with chimichurri and tonburi: tiny eggs that look like caviar. They are actually the seeds of summer cypress. Tonburi is a typically subtle little Japanese product that has a major impact on the flavor of a dish. Its crunch and flavor are somewhat reminiscent of artichoke. This distinctive seed is also used at Eleven Madison Park, New York’s most famous restaurant, which has served a fully vegan menu since last year. Niven is very taken with the cooking style of chef Daniel Humm. Like Daniel, Niven creates beautiful vegetable dishes with few ingredients, of which this leek dish is an ultimate example. We drink a white wine from Spain alongside it: a Garnacha Blanca called Botijo Blanco, from Bodegas Frontonio in Valdejalòn.

Duck with chicory

Then a ‘20% dish’ arrives at the table: duck with chicory. The duck is roasted medium-rare, exactly how we like it. But honestly, here too most of the shine goes to the vegetable—in this case, the chicory. The wine chosen by Leroy, a Barbera d’Asti from Italy by Cossetti, is a perfect match.

Parsnip crème caramel

Triptyque at Christmas

Got the taste for it? In the wonderful cookbook Vegetable menus by Niven and Virginie, you’ll find the most enjoyable starters, main courses and desserts with a star-chef touch to cook at home yourself. At Christmas, for example. The dishes are surprisingly easy and special at the same time. For friends, or for the two of you, for moments when you want to make an occasion of it. Not vegetarian (though it can be), but with vegetables as the absolute star. Want to make it even easier on yourself? Order Triptyque’s Christmas menu to enjoy at home. Available to order via the Triptique website: five courses for 85 euros, including that divine brioche. Pick-up is available on December 24 and 25. Enjoy!