Sad: Amsterdam restaurant closes its doors after receiving a Michelin star
At the end of April, the new Michelin stars for 2023 were announced. A celebration for restaurants that received their first (or second) star and for restaurants that managed to retain their star(s). Restaurant Vanderveen in Amsterdam could also raise the flag: they received their very first star. But the celebration was short-lived. Less than a month after the ceremony, the fine dining restaurant has to close its doors.
How bittersweet can it be? First you proudly accept your first Michelin star, only to announce shortly afterwards that you have to close. Very sad for the Vanderveen team, led by owner Thijs Koster, chef de cuisine George Kataras and sommelier Mohamed Aous.
Corona
The lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic made things incredibly difficult for many hospitality businesses. According to Koster, the coronavirus pandemic is one of the main reasons for Vanderveen’s closure. Although many guests found their way back to the restaurant after the pandemic, the restaurant can no longer stay afloat. This is partly due to deferred taxes and the financial coronavirus support that the restaurant now has to repay. Time has caught up with Vanderveen, Koster told AD. ‘We are all deeply disappointed. We worked incredibly hard, but were no longer able to turn the tide.’
Fine dining in a relaxed, funky setting
Vanderveen opened its doors in 2018. At the time, it was still a bar-bistro, with club sandwiches and Caesar salads on the menu. In 2019, Koster decided to change course. Together with chef Kataras in the kitchen, he turned it into a fine dining restaurant with a pleasant, informal atmosphere. Guests ate in a relaxed and ‘funky’ setting, with music from vinyl records playing in the background. In the kitchen, the focus was on purity, flavor and craftsmanship. The top quality of the dishes and the enjoyable atmosphere in the restaurant were noticed by Michelin. ‘Relaxed, vibrant and cool: Vanderveen has it all,’ read the review. And that was rewarded with a first Michelin star. Earlier, culinary critic Mara Grimm of Het Parool had already praised Vanderveen. She rated the restaurant an 8.5. Her conclusion: Vanderveen proves that fine dining is far from dead.
An artist without a stage
Koster and his team are incredibly proud of those wonderful reviews. Rightly so. But of course, they give Vanderveen’s closure an extra bitter edge. On Saturday, May 20, the restaurant’s doors will close for good. Guests who have a reservation after that date will be contacted personally. It is not yet entirely clear what Koster and Kataras will do next. As Kataras put it beautifully to Het Parool: ‘I see myself as an artist who performs, but now I no longer have a stage. That makes me sad.’ The two hope to be able to work together again and do beautiful things in the future. We hope so too.
Also read:
- These 15 restaurants were awarded a green Michelin star by Michelin
- Take your salad to Michelin-star level
- These lava cakes have a Michelin star and you can now buy them to enjoy at home
Sources: AD and Het Parool
Image credits: Restaurant Vanderveen
