Kasteel TerWorm

In an atmospheric 14th-century castle, once owned by the Orange-Nassau mine and now managed by Van der Valk, we enjoy a distinctive dinner where history and modern gastronomy seamlessly merge. The castle’s authentic details add an extra dimension to the culinary experience. Chef Dave Beckers presents two flavorful amuse-bouches: a crisp with eggplant and spinach salad, and an ice cream of salsa verde topped with croutons, alongside a sunflower seed cookie with caramel, hummus, and a fresh pomegranate seed salad. A refined glass of Blanc de Blancs from Simonnet-Fèbvre from Burgundy – fresh, with notes of citrus and green apple – makes the welcome complete. From the multi-course menu, we taste beef tartare, subtly seasoned with Tomasu soy, potato crisps, smoked fish roe, and homemade fried yeast ice cream. A citrus hollandaise completes the dish. The accompanying gewürztraminer from Finca La Piedra, poured for us by hostess and sommelier Kiki Thewissen, adds elegance with its pronounced floral aroma. Next comes an original sunflower seed risotto, with glazed shortribs, broad beans, morels, and a rich mushroom sauce. The main course features succulently cooked lamb on Beluga lentils, with Limburg white asparagus, eggplant cream, and a salad of oyster leaf, zucchini, and seaweed butter. It is served with a lamb neck stew and a robust lamb-kombu jus. Finally, we enjoy a refreshing dessert featuring pickled rhubarb, chantilly cream, white chocolate ganache, and a strawberry and magnolia broth and ice cream. Castle Terworm has redeemed itself and is once again most welcome in this guide.

Beautifully nestled in a stunning setting, it is a pleasure to linger in this castle. A warm welcome in a pleasant and elegantly furnished interior further enhances the experience. Chef Dave Beckers offers both a menu selection and menus that can...

This hotel-restaurant is part of the Van der Valk group and can be classified under the luxury category. The well-maintained castle with its courtyard, cared for by Annie and Freek van der Valk, exudes elegance. The welcome is not very professional. We have to wait quite a while for hotel guests who are checking in. If there were a separate reception for restaurant guests, this problem would have been tackled. Executive Chef Dave Beckers has everything perfectly in order. His culinary style is classical French. Alongside a small à la carte menu, there is a multi-course tasting menu. The wine list is extensive, featuring international labels. The venue is packed, mostly with hotel guests, and the atmosphere is cozy and lively. The starter of pickled salmon with golden algae, shiso, and a cucumber jus is excellent. The salmon is buttery soft and bursting with flavor. The complimentary German Rheingau Riesling from Kaufmann pairs perfectly. Next comes perfectly cooked monkfish with a pearl barley risotto, mussels, and a whey and Herve cheese sauce. Despite the strong cheese aroma that greets you as soon as the dish arrives, none of it comes through in the first bite. What a delicious jus and how beautifully subtle the Herve cheese is. The venison with chopped green olives, Opperdoezer Ronde potato purée, celery, artichoke, and radish is served with a tarragon jus. The venison is expertly prepared and melts in the mouth. The olives add a lovely salty note, the jus is fantastic, making it another outstanding dish. The Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from Umani Ronchi complements it well due to its rich fruity profile. The service is just slightly less polished than the kitchen. Minor mistakes are made and items are occasionally forgotten. We also find it odd that a guest cannot order just one half glass of wine; this is only possible starting from two half glasses. We fail to see the logic behind this. The portions are good and the pacing is pleasant. A solid establishment.

The deluxe hotel version of Annie and Freek van der Valk is located on the eastern bank of the Geleenbeek, next to a 200-hectare protected nature park. Inside the classically furnished heritage-listed building, we see many hotel guests, making reservations from outside quite difficult. Head chef Christiaan Köster offers an extensive selection on his menu. To start, a beautiful Mediterranean salad with tomato, cucumber, feta, and breadcrumbs, alongside steak tartare featuring a 68-degree egg yolk, caramelized onion, and truffle. For the intermediate course, we have oxtail with risotto and morel jus. The other diner opts for tomato tea with goat cheese ravioli. The wine list features bottles that are nearly out of stock and are being offered as cellar remnants. Incredibly fresh fish takes center stage as the main course, cooked to perfection. The sole and cod fillets are served with accompaniments of sea aster, purple broccoli, fennel, and green asparagus. The accompanying hollandaise and anti-boise sauces remain on the table for guests to add themselves as a finishing touch. Host Coen Middeldorp still finds time to give his students a little cheese workshop. The delicious selections on the artisan cart prove rather difficult to describe. We are thoroughly delighted by the accompanying warm bread roll and the syrup and honey sourced directly from the estate.

Kasteel TerWorm is the luxury castle hotel of the Van der Valk empire. Situated right in the center of the similarly named estate lies the intimate castle, featuring a charming courtyard and an authentic moat. In addition to the castle restaurant, the castle and the adjacent farmstead house 40 luxury hotel rooms and suites. The classically decorated restaurant, spread across several salons, welcomes not only regional guests but also many hotel visitors. We are greeted by maître d' Coen Middeldorp with a glass of Ophrys Brut Classique from the nearby Fromberg vineyard, along with various crispy appetizers to start. A silky-smooth goat cheese panna cotta with a pepper gel follows as an amuse-bouche, finished with a drizzle of honey from the estate itself. The starter is veal roulade with arugula and shaved summer truffle. It is flavorful and generously portioned, allowing the full-bodied Delbaux Viognier to hold its own impressively. The main course is once again classic but expertly prepared and intensely flavored: rose-seared duck breast fillet and butter-poached confit leg served with sweet potato purée and chanterelles. A divine traditional bramensaus arrives in a separate jug. The elegant, fresh-sweet dessert brings a pleasant surprise: quenelles of panna cotta and pumpkin ice cream with pickled fennel, accompanied by an elderflower and blood orange gel. Even more impressive is the pairing with Traditional Toucan, a lightly sweet beer with a hint of apricot, brewed by one of the Van der Valk nephews. Spot on! After the reservations expressed in previous editions, Kasteel TerWorm is firmly back, thanks to Chef de Cuisine Chris Köster in the kitchen.

SVH Master Chef and Executive Chef Andy Brauwer holds the culinary reins in the chic and stylishly appointed restaurant of the impressive and exclusive Kasteel TerWorm, part of the Van der Valk empire. The tables are neatly set, the armchairs are classic and upholstered in moss-green fabric, large chandeliers hang from paneled ceilings, and portraits by old masters gaze down benevolently from the walls. Together with chefs de cuisine Chris Köster and Kilian Anders, Andy crafts a classic-modern cuisine based on regional and seasonal ingredients. As the castle also offers luxury hotel rooms and suites, many guests frequent the dining room to sample the culinary creations. Dining packages are also available for booking. The wine list is extensive, offering excellent selections across various price ranges. On pleasant days, the spacious terrace is highly recommended. You dine in luxury with a view over the large pond.

Castle TerWorm is part of the Van der Valk empire. The interior is exactly as you would expect in a castle: chic and stylish. The kitchen, led by SVH Master Chef Andy Braers, is only partially convincing. The amuse-bouche of broccoli and feta is tasty but served too cold. Our starter, which was supposed to be a salmon and mango terrine, turns out to be a salmon and mackerel terrine and is somewhat flat in flavor. The mango, yellow zucchini, and peas are delicious, but we miss a dressing. The Grauburgunder from Ellermann-Spiegel, Germany, is a good choice. The sea bass for the main course is cooked to perfection, the skin is lightly seared, and it comes with seasonal vegetables and a rich saffron sauce, the small jug of which stays nicely on the table. We pour it all out. The dessert is a Jaffa cake with chocolate sorbet. Good! The late harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Chilean producer Errazuriz pairs excellently. Coffee arrives uninvited along with petit fours, but we enjoy them nonetheless. The bill is reasonable. Both the kitchen and the service are not flawless today; we know it can be better. Given the benefit of the doubt, it earns a spot in Lekker.

Thanks to its location and appearance, the historic Castle TerWorm is the most evocative Van der Valk hotel in the country; tightly run by Freek and Annie van der Valk and managed by a team of well-mannered and well-dressed staff. You can stay in beautifully restored (tower) rooms and (farmhouse) suites, and the kitchen under SVH Master Chef Andy Brauers is classic, tasteful, and reliable. No wonder it is always busy in the adjacent romantic dining rooms featuring herringbone parquet, thick masonry walls, white tablecloths, and fresh flower bouquets. After a delicious starter of Livarrot cheese with cranberries and a glass of crisp Figuerette from the Pays d’Oc (Clapière, 2017), we taste smoked veal cheek with green asparagus and pear (highly flavored but delicious), alongside a delicious asparagus soup with pieces of 'crispy' brill. Master sommelier Pascal Gulpen pairs it with a Saint-Véran Deux Roches (Terrier/Collovray, vieilles vignes, 2014): round, toasty, with subtle acidity, a true Burgundy. The main course is grilled halibut with tom kha kai sausage. A fine combination of flavors, much like the lobster and celeriac duo on the other plate. Perfectly cooked and served with a beautiful garnish including crispy potatoes. To finish, roasted apricots with pistachio ice cream and vanilla foam: not mind-blowing, but very tasty. Castle TerWorm combines culinary excellence with a lively social atmosphere.