Restaurant élevé

Élevé is located on the eleventh floor of the WTC Hotel Leeuwarden with a beautiful view of the city. We also enjoy the comfortable and beautifully furnished interior. Chef Mike Kalkman prefers to work with local products e...

good quality, good value cooking

The top floor of the WestCord Hotel in Leeuwarden is divided into two sections by a large open kitchen. On one side, we find the spacious restaurant, while the other side simply has chairs and tables arranged. In the large open kitchen, under the direction of chef Mike Kalkman, dishes are prepared calmly and with concentration on a classical French foundation. Meanwhile, we enjoy the expansive view. Quality and freshness of ingredients are highly valued by Mike. He masters cooking techniques, is creative, and dares to experiment with flavors and products. However, he occasionally gets carried away by his enthusiasm, which means he uses a respectable number of ingredients in almost every dish. As a result, the intervals between courses are quite long, and the dishes are barely warm enough. That is a shame, because apart from their stunning presentation, the flavors are predominantly very good. With the aperitif, a full and elegant Chardonnay Les Grès from Les Vignerons de Puisserguier in the Languedoc, tasty bites are served, such as a small beetroot cake with pistachio cream and shaved duck liver. Quickly seared super-fresh tuna – glazed with sambal and accompanied by sambal balls – is served alongside tartare and a broth of watermelon and tomato, as well as a sesame cylinder filled with coconut yogurt. This is followed by perfectly roasted Anjou pigeon with pistachio crumble, a pigeon leg, smoked forest mushroom cream with hazelnut, chanterelles, and a peppery jus. We finish with lightly sweet lavender-yogurt and raspberry ice cream with rhubarb, ruby chocolate, and a raspberry cylinder with yogurt. With the thought that occasionally a bit less spectacle on the plate could yield equally good results, we head home satisfied.

The view of the city from the eleventh floor is unparalleled. Restaurant Élevé is part of the WestCord Hotel, offering a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere in its beautiful, spacious, and modernly designed setting. The acoustics are excellent, and the generously spaced tables provide plenty of privacy. Chef Mike Kalkman prepares a thoughtful cuisine here without complicated gimmicks, yet it remains innovative and surprising. There is a choice of several menus, and for groups of up to five guests, you can select from à la carte dishes. The evening begins with an amuse-bouche of Frisian cheese puffs served on black stones, followed by a pastrami roll presented inside a traditional wooden clog—a playful nod to the region. We pair it with a cocktail from the adjacent Skybar: the Stargazer, made with prosecco, gin, and elderflower. For the starter, there is barbecued watermelon with black onion sorbet, buffalo mozzarella, tomato, and lime leaf. We also order the house-made bread and are pleasantly surprised with brioche and flûte (a thicker loaf than a baguette), served with creamy chive butter and an avocado-ginger spread. However, complimentary bread is also served, which is rather excessive. It would have been nice to know that beforehand. The main course features perfectly cooked wild sea bass with a crispy crust, accompanied by broad beans, baked potato, and a creamy truffle hollandaise. The dessert, featuring honey, mascarpone, and peach, is sweet but well-balanced, especially when paired with the refreshing, tangy peach ice cream. A place you will want to return to often.

Chef Mike Kalkman literally cooks here high up, located on the eleventh floor of the WestCord Hotel. The view over the city of Leeuwarden is phenomenal. The seating is comfortable in the spacious and modernly designed dining room. The menu is extensive, offering set menus alongside à la carte dishes. Kalkman cooks innovatively without losing sight of pure flavors. We start with barbecue steak tartare from Frisian Black Angus cattle with duck liver ice cream, green and white asparagus in birch sap, wild garlic mayonnaise, and shavings of grated egg yolk. Simply delicious, that lightly smoky flavor that elevates the entire dish to a higher level. The 2019 Pinot Blanc/Auxerrois Vieilles Vignes has a lush sweetness and pairs excellently with the duck liver. We follow with lamb fillet and calf sweetbread with baby carrots, pistachio purée, snap peas, and morel jus. Nothing to fault. Incidentally, nothing to fault either when it comes to our host Diamantis Karagiaouris, who handles his duties skillfully and in a relaxed manner. The dessert is served by Evelien, the pastry chef from the kitchen. She presents us with the soufflé featuring strawberry, rhubarb, lime leaf, and crème crue. The soufflé has risen beautifully high, and a scoop of strawberry/rhubarb ice cream is placed on top at the table. The poured Grappoli Rossi Brachetto is lightly sparkling, boasts an invigorating taste of red fruit, and is therefore a perfect match. We finish with coffee and petits fours and are impressed by the warm, crispy churros with a smoked white chocolate dipping sauce. Upon settling the bill, we receive a small bag containing two vanilla macarons to enjoy at home. Class!

On the eleventh floor of the WestCord Hotel in Leeuwarden, Mike Kalkman wields the culinary scepter at the spacious and modernly designed restaurant Élevé. Numerous tables are situated by the windows, offering spectacular views of the city. Mike crafts a balanced contemporary cuisine using fresh, predominantly local ingredients, always keeping pure flavor at the forefront. To complement each dish, the amiable host and sommelier Afif Boughammoura gladly pours perfectly matched wines. We sample mackerel smoked à la minute and marinated in tandoori spices, elegantly presented under a glass cloche. It is accompanied by pleated cherry tomatoes, a farmer’s yogurt dressing, and slices of ramsons. Simply delicious! Paired with a crisp Le Dropt Sauvignon Blanc from Terre de Vignerons in the Sud-Ouest region of France. The main course features a lamb fillet with a shank, beautifully plated with perfectly medium-rare meat resting in a robust house jus alongside peas and fennel. The plate is quickly cleared. The “Turkish Coffee” dessert is also highly recommended. Particularly delightful is the accompanying chocolate pomegranate sphere filled with rich, syrupy pomegranate juice. And what a thoughtful gesture: upon settling the bill, we receive two homemade vanilla macarons to savor later at home. Now that is something I’ll certainly look forward to!

A visit to restaurant élevé is worthwhile solely for the phenomenal view. But that’s not all. Excellent classic cuisine is prepared by head chef Mike Kalkman and his team on the ninth floor of the WTC Hotel in Leeuwarden. The restaurant is spacious and modernly designed, with many tables arranged along the windows. We are warmly welcomed by host-sommelier Afif Boughammoura and escorted to our table. The menu offers a wonderful selection of à la carte options. We savor a perfectly prepared duck liver with brioche, accompanied by apple, hazelnut, and calvados. The veal escalope with smoked forest carrot, lavash, and Frisian apple syrup is also excellent. For the main course comes a perfectly cooked farm chicken with a confit leg and chanterelle jus, although the corn garnish doesn’t add much. The vegetarian dish—a velouté with artichoke, peas, broad beans, tomato, gremolata, and mozzarella—is exceptionally good. It features a beautiful balance of flavors, and the vegetables are cooked to a fine al dente texture. We pair it with a deep dark red, full-bodied, and elegant 2018 Fabre Montmayou Malbec Reservado. On the same floor, you can enjoy delicious cocktails in the Skybar before or after dinner. Tip: élevé appreciates smart casual attire. Shorts and sportswear are not permitted.

This upscale restaurant literally aims high, thanks to its pleasant and spacious location on the eleventh floor of the WTC Hotel in Leeuwarden. The panoramic view over the city is therefore phenomenal. The kitchen team, led by chef Mike Kalkman, delivers consistently high-quality cuisine, blending regional and national influences. Dishes can be ordered as various (surprise) menus or à la carte. Specialties such as lobster and classic meat dishes are also available. Also located on the same floor is the Skybar, a place where you can enjoy a wide variety of (sparkling) wines alongside family or friends, and browse a diverse cocktail list. There is also a generous selection of gin-and-tonics. A nice bonus is that you don't necessarily need to head home in the evening, as culinary packages with an included overnight stay can be booked. Beautiful Friesland has plenty to offer.

Chef Gilbert van der Heide’s brigade cooks well, but we miss enthusiasm. The service is somewhat routine and adds nothing personal. Moreover, on the 11th floor of the WTC building, only a few tables are occupied, making it feel empty and somewhat cold. Fortunately, the quality of the dishes makes up for it somewhat. With the surprise menu, we are literally surprised (though pleasantly so) with a vegetarian starter: pumpkin gyoza pickled in ginger sweet-and-sour sauce, miso panna cotta, porcini bread, and a thousand-day broth. In the glass alongside it is the rarely seen but excellent Schoffit Sylvaner Tradition 2016 from Alsace. Slow-cooked and then grilled beef neck is served with duck liver, sauerkraut, mushrooms, and leek. Separately alongside it comes a marbled preparation of duck liver cream and beef. Well-flavored, though a bit too dry. Fortunately, no gimmicks like those accompanying the third amuse, presented as a little experience: forest mushroom krupuk, wild boar rillette, and beet atjar, served on a halved hollow reed tube with moss smoked by liquid nitrogen. Cleverly conceived, but we would rather see that energy channeled into the service’s enthusiasm and the quality of the dishes. élevé is being overtaken left and right by emerging talent, so something must happen here! élevé drops to 85th place on the Lekker Top-100.

While we enjoy the view of the illuminated Frisian capital, an amuse-bouche arrives alongside a pleasant glass of Grès Chardonnay from the Pays d'Oc: mussel tartare with a verbena fond, vadouvan-flavored cream pearls, and lime. This is immediately followed by a little masterpiece featuring pumpkin and scallop with salted caramel jelly, presented in a scallop shell. These are tasty calling cards from the kitchen brigade of head chef Gilbert van der Heide. Next comes the delicious starter of sea bass and Wadden oyster. The dish offers briny and fresh sweet-and-sour flavors that are excellently balanced. The fish is raw-marinated in fennel, the oyster is served in its own foamed juice, and the contrasting element comes from lime sorbet. The Rueda Verdejo poured by the server (Oro de Castilla, 2016) provides a reasonable counterbalance, but the choice of the deep red and full-bodied Argentine Malbec from Mendoza (Fabre Montmayou 2015) for the main course is better. The combination of the cherry notes with the robust flavors of the rosé-roasted loin chop from Scottish Highland cattle is exemplary. Juicy meat accompanied by carrots, fried onion rings, mini leeks, and potato croquant. Seasoned with garam masala and vadouvan, and finished tableside with its own jus. The apple and caramel dessert is a feast for the eyes: apple slices topped with layers of caramel parfait and apple jelly, surrounded by spheres of apple, citrus, and anise crunch. Beautifully harmonized fresh flavors. Unfortunately, both the host, the sommelier, and the chef are off tonight, but they are well replaced if we overlook a few minor mistakes. Nevertheless, élevé drops a few places to 58.

You can never get enough of the fantastic view over the Frisian capital from this modern, atmospherically designed restaurant on the 11th floor of the WTC Hotel. Executive Chef Gilbert van der Heide is a creative who enjoys working with innovative techniques and draws inspiration from distant cuisines. For the first amuse-bouche, he impresses with a display of molecular gastronomy: a pulled pork bonbon on a quinoa crisp. Spectacular theater with white vapor. We pair it with a fresh, dry Sauvignon Blanc from Le Dropt in Southwest France (2016). This is followed by a successful house specialty: raw-marinated mackerel garnished with a quinoa and wild rice crumble. Accompanied by ‘jus Americain’ and watercress cream with sweet-and-sour pearls. In the glass, a rosé made from Cinsault and Grenache grapes from the Côtes de Provence (Château Paquette). Fruity and fresh in both aroma and flavor. We are equally pleased with the main course of seared veal with a veal tongue carpaccio, morels, legumes, and house jus. Beautifully tender roasted meat, a picture on the plate. Host Afif Boughammoura pours a dark red New Zealand Pinot Noir Reserve (Wairau River, Marlborough, 2014), a beautiful and complex wine that is not too heavy for the meat. To finish, mango mousse with toasted chocolate and a fresh lime and mint sorbet, served as a sphere and cylinder and finished with gold leaf spray. Mango rolls accompany it, along with white chocolate sponge and lime and mint sorbet. Plus a glass of Beaumes-de-Venise from Domaine de Coyeux. Everything is excellent. Élevé rises six places to 53.