Vanille

Restaurant Vanille has been taken over by chef Jules Crousen and his hostess, Veronique. Both have long worked as sous-chef and hostess-sommelier at the stylish restaurant located in the historic village center of Eijsden. Those who missed the changeover will notice little: the concept, interior, and atmosphere have hardly changed. Guests continue to arrive not only from South Limburg, but also many French-speaking Walloons, who are warmly and effortlessly attended to in their native tongue. While Thursday and Sunday feature a fixed tasting menu complete with aperitif, wines, water, and coffee or tea, Monday offers the 'Vanille Surprise Menu'. An extra course is added to the five-course lineup: grenouilles—perfectly crispy frog legs in a shallot sauce with finely chopped chervil—prepared in the style of and as an ode to his late mentor, Toine Hermsen, who passed away in 2024. For the wine: a South African Chenin Blanc from Ladybird Vineyards, aged on lees, offering a creamy and rich profile with ample freshness. Starting with a crisp Prosecco as an aperitif, accompanied by house-made sourdough bread served with olive oil, butter, and sea salt. This is followed by thinly sliced hamachi dressed with passion fruit and dashi, then firm-tender asparagus served with morel sauce, an egg yolk cooked at 63 degrees, secreto ham, and crispy tripe. Roasted langoustine and belly pork are brought together in a Tom Kha Kai sauce, finished with a green juice foam and spicy Nduja oil. An impressive interplay of aromas that finds a fantastic counterbalance in the full-bodied Gewürztraminer-Riesling blend "Loss" by Stefan Meyer. The meal concludes with a strawberry and rhubarb mousse, paired with a fresh quenelle of yogurt and verbena sorbet. Continuing the Vanille concept as though little has changed is truly commendable.

He greets his guests, handles all the shopping himself, cooks at the stove, and serves: yet, this jack-of-all-trades owner-chef Peter van Rooij never misses an opportunity to give his guests his full attention and warmth. His sleekly designed restaurant, located on the outskirts of the historic village center, is consistently packed with guests from the village itself, Maastricht, the surrounding hill country, and, not least, his loyal following of French-speaking diners from Liège and the region. The blend of languages and intimate atmosphere turns Vanille into a place where you can almost feel like you're on holiday. There is no à la carte menu; instead, there are attractively priced set menus inspired by refined French-Mediterranean cuisine. Available on Thursdays and Sundays, these include an aperitif, generously poured wines, and coffee or tea. We are welcomed with a glass of prosecco, crispy arancini filled with risotto, parmesan, and truffle mayonnaise, and a basket of homemade sourdough bread. This is followed by two tuna preparations served with mille-feuille and Dutch prawns, along with gently poached, melt-in-your-mouth skrei cod accompanied by saffron purée, beurre blanc, and dill sauce. Next comes the incredibly crispy brisket with a morel mushroom sauce. Classic preparations, intense flavors, and every dish beautifully plated. Perfectly matched wines accompany each course. The selection ranges from a crisp Verdejo from Rueda and a distinctive barrel-aged Chardonnay from Puglia to an intensely rich, 100% Barbera from Piedmont, served alongside the main course of beef tenderloin with Madeira sauce and a goose liver fondue. It is no coincidence that the restaurant takes its name from vanilla, an ingredient that has earned Van Rooij numerous pastry awards over the years; the fermented vanilla pods are also incorporated into every dessert. A light vanilla sponge cake with luscious rhubarb-raspberry compote, silky-smooth and lightly torched meringue, freshly churned vanilla ice cream, and a refreshing sweet magnolia syrup make up not just the finale, but truly the crown jewel of what might be the country's southernmost restaurant.

Executive chef and owner Peter van Rooij has his hands full. Leading the kitchen, playing host, and switching between Dutch and French—which he does effortlessly, by the way—to accommodate the diverse clientele from Wallonia, inherent to the restaurant’s location just before the Belgian border. Maître d’ and sommelier Veronique Lahou supports him in this. The living-room-style restaurant is attractively furnished, but the tables are placed quite close together, so intimate conversations are out of the question. Alongside a glass of Lenoble champagne, we receive a barquette with artichoke, tomato, and salmon. A classic and flavorful starter. For the first course, there is grilled tuna with flavorful marinated tuna mousse and Dutch prawns. The dots of soy mayonnaise pair well with the Ihringer Winklerberg 2015, a Pinot Blanc served in a half bottle. Veronique follows a compact wine list with reasonable pricing. It also features hidden gems from older vintages that guests can order by the half bottle. The scallop is presented with a parade of accompaniments: fried shrimp, bulgur with raisins and peppers, squid krupuk, watermelon balls, mini peppadews, and orange gel. Served tableside with a jus of iceberg lettuce and coriander. It’s a bit too much of a good thing. In between comes veal sweetbread with pieces of popcorn on the outside. The morel and shredded cabbage jus alongside it is perfectly fine. For the main course, we take a wine excursion to the Kakheti region in eastern Georgia. From the Bedoba winery, we enjoy a red wine made from Saperavi grapes. Paired with it is perfectly grilled veal stir-fry, once again accompanied by an overwhelming amount of garnishes and a clear jus of pepper and kimchi. To conclude, we have camembert with banana bread and calvados raisins on one side, and pineapple and mango with vanilla parfait on the other. Our advice: practice the art of omission, because less is more in this case.

Located just before the Belgian border, Vanille also welcomes many French-speaking guests from the neighboring Liège region. Executive chef and proprietor Peter van Rooij and hostess Véronique Lahou switch effortlessly between languages. The interior is sleek, featuring custom-made bronze-green oak tables beneath designer lamps. We begin with a glass of crisp Prosecco. An amuse-bouche of tartelette with macadamia cream and shaved summer truffle follows, which, like all the subsequent dishes, is visually stunning and intensely flavorful. The starter features a langoustine jelly filled with a Dutch prawn rillette, accompanied by a fried, crispy langoustine and a lemon vinaigrette. A perfectly seared scallop with gamba and a yellow curry foam, along with a crispy ravioli stuffed with confit duck and mushrooms, precede the main course of summer venison served with its own divine jus, girolles—and, quite exceptionally—passion fruit pearls. The wine selection ranges from an Austrian Grüner Veltliner paired with the scallops to a smooth, full-bodied Primitivo from Puglia accompanying the summer venison. We appreciate the extra spoon provided at each course, ensuring not a drop of the divine sauces goes to waste. Van Rooij’s multiple awards in pastry competitions are evident in the elegant dessert and the friandises served with coffee. Reserve well in advance, as Vanille rightfully boasts a loyal following of regular patrons.

Peter van Rooij is not only the owner and chef, but now also the sommelier and host. New times, new insights. We raise our glasses to ‘Le Couchon’, a surprisingly good prosecco with a fine mousse. The bubbles pair excellently with both the crème soubise with egg yolk and za’atar oil and the marinated swordfish accompanied by a delicious salad of Dutch shrimp hidden inside a crispy potato ball. When the smoke clears from beneath the glass cloche, a beautifully presented dish of smoked paprika with halibut and various purées is revealed. In the glass, a ‘good old’ Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine. The 2019 vintage from Domaine de la Noë pairs seamlessly. The same applies to the 2017 ‘Edición Fábulas’ from Rioja. This wood-aged white blend of Viura and Malvasia stands up perfectly to the flavors of fried sweetbread, green asparagus, and raviolo with eggplant and ricotta. Beef tenderloin as the main course is classically excellent, just like the accompanying red wine sauce and crispy baked gnocchi. The closing camembert with apple fritter, boerenjongens with calvados, and a glass of Sicilian Marsala prove what we already knew. This most southern and cozy restaurant in our country is a wonderful place to dine. They certainly don’t do stingy portions here! Reservations are highly recommended.

A cozy, living-room-style restaurant in the heart of picturesque Eijsden, situated on the edge of the Belgian border and just a stone's throw from Maastricht. Vanille is housed in a building dating from 1910 and boasts a modern, sleek interior contrasted by a retro tiled floor—a surprisingly striking effect. Owner-chef Peter van Rooij has everything perfectly in order. Alongside his head chef Jerome Fleur, he crafts tasting menus inspired by French cuisine, using ingredients sourced fresh daily. “We will amuse you” is his slogan, and he executes it flawlessly. His years of craftsmanship are evident in every dish. Peter states, “We cook to a high standard using the very latest techniques and cater to all palates.” The flavors are refined, the cooking precise, and the plates beautifully presented. Maître Stef Cuypers gladly curates matching wines from an extensive wine list featuring a generous selection of house wines at very reasonable prices. The same holds true for the pricing of the menus. Interesting to note: during the coronavirus crisis, the Vanille team remained active. “We experimented with unique ingredients you don’t often see coming out of a restaurant kitchen, such as sourdough chocolate. We had regular customers taste the dishes so they wouldn’t forget us.

This cozy living-room restaurant is housed in a small but comfortable building near the Belgian border. Owner-chef Peter van Rooij walks through his kitchen and the dining area, while head chef Jerome Fleur runs the kitchen. There is no menu card, but the kitchen works with daily fresh ingredients. We opt for the six-course tasting menu. The amuse-bouche is a macaron filled with smoked poultry mousse. We then enjoy Amsterdam-style beef sausage with shrimp salad and cornichons, followed by a scallop with scrambled egg, artichoke, and truffle mayonnaise. We don't find the scrambled egg, but do spot a fried quail egg instead. It doesn't bother us, both dishes are delicious, and the 2017 Alvarinho from Portugal pairs perfectly with them. Next comes veal escalope with potato salad and smoked eel, followed by veal shoulder loin with rosemary sauce, parsnip purée, chunks of green asparagus, and mushroom duxelles. Delicious! With both meat dishes, we drink a glass of Villa de Adnos from Spain. The goat cheese on date cake with fudge is an outstanding dish, but we enjoy the chocolate mousse just as much, featuring raspberries pickled in Merlot vinegar served with vanilla ice cream. The well-known Pedro Ximénez might seem a bit plain, but it pairs excellently with the chocolate. The coffee is wonderful, though we would appreciate having the option to decline the petit fours. The service runs smoothly, but could certainly be a bit more personal. After all, we are out for a nice evening, aren't we?

In one of the southernmost villages in the Netherlands lies the restaurant of owner-chef Peter van Rooij. On the artistically plated dishes from the kitchen of head chef Jerome Fleur, you will find a collection of delicious ingredients. Such as salmon with sweet-and-sour gherkin, sweet-and-sour radish, textured pea elements, and panko-fried langoustine. Between courses, prawns with pumpkin cream, spinach, and smoked paprika foam. Followed by quail ragout with a crispy fried quail egg and grilled king oyster mushroom. Resting on the rim of the earthenware bowl is a ring of papadum topped with truffle mayonnaise and Italian bacon. Beautiful, and above all, delicious. The veal diamond steak is butter-soft and arrives with seasonal vegetables including asparagus. The velvety-tasting '8 Vites' 2014, crafted from eight grape varieties from Piedmont, pairs perfectly here. Accompaniments for the main course include green apple sorbet, cubes of Bleu d'Auvergne, salted almonds, and lardons fried in bacon fat served atop a fresh celery root salad. To finish, pistachio ice cream over pear brunoise, topped with coconut foam and garnished with shaved almonds and pistachio oil.