Vista

High quality cooking

Restaurant Vista, run by SVH Master Chef Henri and hostess Ingrid van der Heijden, is situated by the water on the edge of the Willemstad fortress. On nice days, you can enjoy chic al fresco dining here on the covered terrace, elegantly adorned with beautiful lamps, fresh plants, and comfortable seating. We are greeted by sommelier Jörgen Beens, who serves us a non-alcoholic aperitif upon request. The delightful grapefruit and lavender mocktail pairs beautifully with a selection of amuse-bouches, including a crisp tuile with scallop mousse and passion fruit gel, and a tartelette featuring tomberry, basil foam, and gremolata. A wonderful start to our seven-course menu. We savor a marbled preparation of oxtail and foie gras, accompanied by piccalilli, pickled cucumber, mustard seeds, and a silver onion vinaigrette. An elegant dish that would have benefited from just a touch more salt to elevate it further. In contrast, the North Sea crab served with apple foam and fennel salad leans slightly toward the salty side. Before the main course arrives, the sommelier presents us with an African wine named Kottabos. This Grenache and Syrah blend pairs seamlessly with the duck breast, cooked to perfection and served with green asparagus, pea cream, morels, and an irresistible jus. The dessert also comes as a pleasant surprise: a white chocolate and raspberry mousse accompanied by financier cake, cardamom ice cream, and a red fruit vinaigrette. The accompanying Château d’Yquem, available by the glass at a reasonable price, provides the perfect finale to a successful evening. Its ranking has slipped to 41st place, largely due to new entries in the Top 100.

With a sweeping view over the waters of the Hollands Diep and the marina of Willemstad, restaurant Vista already stands out upon arrival. And that's before we've had anything to eat or drink. Fortunately, the welcome is entirely in line with...

Vista's location is excellent. Upon entering the chic restaurant, the expansive glass windows immediately catch your eye, offering a view of the busy Volkerak waterway where pleasure and workboats glide by. SVH Master Chef Henrie van der Heijden and his wife and hostess Ingrid have been running a solid establishment here for years, constantly working on further development and innovation. The cuisine is fundamentally French with a focus on local produce. We are welcomed and seated by hostess Kim van der Heijden at a table set with leather placemats. The atmosphere is informal and relaxed. Amuse-bouches quickly arrive, and we enjoy gambas with tzatziki and green herbs, a piccalilly bombe, and an artfully crafted cookie shaped like a fishbone topped with olive, tomato, and anchovy. The bread is served with salted butter and goat butter infused with wild garlic. Simply delicious. For the starter, a North Sea crab salad with green apple and avocado, accompanied by a crisp langoustine. A lovely, refreshing start. This is followed by a perfectly seasoned steak tartare, served with bread foam, a cylinder of brick pastry with beetroot, black truffle, and a ponzu vinaigrette. Truly a delightful dish. The 2022 Bourgogne Chardonnay from René Lequin-Colin, poured by the knowledgeable sommelier Jörgen Beens, pairs seamlessly. The main course features an excellently cooked tournedos with a velvety Madeira jus, accompanied by green asparagus, polenta, onion compote, and a generous slice of foie gras ordered as a supplement. With the coffee come no fewer than five friandises, and for the madeleine alone, we will return tomorrow. Moves up one spot to number 36.

With a soothing view of the Volkerak and the Hollands Diep, you sit comfortably in Vista, the charming restaurant of SVH Master Chef Henrie and Ingrid van der Heijden. Let’s be upfront: come hungry, as the chef’s dishes are meant for sharing and feature rich ingredients. Many guests here have moored their boats and are keen to enjoy a nice evening out. The menu offers à la carte dishes, and you’re expected to order at least three courses, excluding dessert. A daily menu is also available. Matching wines are plentiful. The amuse-bouche arrives quickly, and the pea cream with black olive, feta, and watermelon is a fairly bold but welcome start. The Oosterschelde shrimp is presented beautifully, shelled and served on a salad of its own claws. Surrounding it are white asparagus cooked just tender, morels, white strawberries, fresh herbs, and a cleverly shaped ring of foie gras mousse. The crisp 2015 Haart Riesling Grafenberg GG Trocken pairs nicely with it. Crispy sweetbread follows, resting on green asparagus and topped with a pickled onion ring, asparagus tip, and pumpkin purée. It is enveloped in a light foam made from sherry and aged balsamic vinegar. Jasmine and yogurt ice cream arrives atop a jasmine mousse, accompanied by a small almond tart, raspberry mousse, quenelles of raspberry purée, a sauce of oil and raspberry juice, cubes of chocolate cake, and a sprig of shortcrust pastry. It’s not particularly light, but very tasty. We do flinch a bit at the price of glasses of wine. They are truly on the high side. The rating drops by one point to 37.

In culinary terms, the potato is an underrated ingredient. But not to chef-owner Henrie van der Heijden of restaurant Vista in Willemstad. The Hoeksche Rooie, coming from the salty polders of the Hoeksche Waard where he was born, features in a dish simply called 'potato'. The potato is lightly blanched, finely chopped, and worked into a salad with shallots and crème fraîche, seasoned with green asparagus, Comté cheese, and winter truffle. A delightful combination of earthy flavors. In 2016, Van der Heijden and his wife Ingrid settled on the outskirts of the fortress city, building Vista into a renowned destination complete with contemporary design, a spacious waterside terrace, and a large private parking area. Staffed by young, highly capable personnel. Everything in this gastronomic oasis just works. To accompany that potato dish, we sample excellent welcome bites such as a donut with pesto and chorizo cream, a dashi macaron with soy jelly and tuna cream, and chawanmushi with miso, foie gras, and crispy chicken skin. Alongside an amuse-bouche of hamachi with radish, kumquat, and lavash. In the glass: a straw-yellow Marsanne by Louis Chèze (2018). What fantastic flavors! Followed by a starter of tuna tartare and cream, peanut, leche de tigre, and lime leaf, next to a salad of the delicately briny flesh of North Sea crab with basil, avocado, apple, and langoustine in kataifi pastry. Then sea bass fillet, seared on the skin, with peas, razor clams, beurre blanc, and a dollop of Oscietra caviar. On the other plate: duck leg with duck liver, beets, lavash, aceto, dashi macaron, soy jelly, tuna cream, and lime leaf. And finally, a cheese course. Utterly delicious all around.

What a fantastic restaurant this is. Situated on the Hollandsch Diep, just outside the fortress walls of Willemstad, and blessed with a terrace overlooking marinas and the Haringvliet Bridge. Owner-chef Henrie and partner-hostess Ingrid van der Heijden took over the new-build project in mid-2016 when their first eatery in Heinenoord literally became too small for their ambitions. They now hold a Michelin star, Ingrid's daughter (hostess) and son-in-law (sous chef) are integral to the success, and Henrie was just inaugurated as an SVH Master Chef shortly before the pandemic closure. Following a warm welcome, we enjoy starters that immediately underscore the chef's talent: dashi meringue with fermented tuna, poultry bitterbal, salmon with mussel, celery and green bean foam—sublime. We begin with hamachi. The marinated fish is served alongside grilled baby squid, dill, and for freshness, pickled radish and cucumber. Equally delightful is the crab salad. The delicate shellfish meat is enhanced with basil cream, avocado, apple, and langoustine fried in shredded pastry. The friendly sommelier Jörgen Beens pairs it with a beautiful, ripe South African Chenin Blanc (Mason Road). Next comes steak tartare. The raw beef is rendered succulent with egg yolks, soy sauce and Thai vinaigrette, finished with lime leaf, pak choi and fried salsify. The quail is another masterful combination of subtle flavors and textures: a melt-in-the-mouth fillet in its own jus, accompanied by a stewed trotter, asparagus, duck liver, truffle and hazelnut. Simply top-class throughout. The pièce de résistance is the beef tenderloin. Served perfectly pink on a thyme jus, with braised beef cheeks, sweet peas, chanterelles and fried lotus flower. Paired with a magnificent Australian red wine (Riedl, Rolf Binder). The view is superb!

Since February 2020, Henrie van der Heijden has had the privilege of counting himself among the select group of SVH Master Chefs. The success story of Henrie and Ingrid reads like a gripping novel. They started by working together as hospitality colleagues in Scheveningen, then—now married—opened their own restaurant in Heinenoord, and for the past three years have been based in one of the most beautiful locations in the Netherlands, in a tastefully designed glass building on the Hollands Diep: their gastronomic paradise, Vista. The view is spectacular, offering sweeping vistas of the water from every angle. High-level cuisine is prepared here by the chef, who honed his skills at renowned establishments such as De Librije, Amarone, and Inter Scaldes. The modern, international menu evolves with the seasons, delivering surprising creations where craftsmanship shines through in every detail. All served in an atmosphere of approachability and warmth, thanks to hostess Ingrid and her team’s friendly welcome, blended with casual chic—and not to forget: outstanding value for money. Henrie really knows how to deliver!

The success story of Henrie and Ingrid van der Heijden is complete. They began as colleagues at Rederserf in Scheveningen, later became a couple, got married, opened their own restaurant in Heinenoord, and finally realized their biggest dream in 2016. A brand-new establishment on the Hollandsch Diep, right on the edge of Willemstad. The Top 100 ranking was secured. Meanwhile, everything has continued to grow even further. The service is more professional and warm than ever, and Henrie van der Heijden’s kitchen has become even more flavorful, playful, and artisanal. It is a delight to indulge here in delicacies such as a macaron with seaweed and cod liver; a brioche with duck liver, muesli, and sherry; a basil sponge with beet preparations. And for amuse-bouches like tuna with Dutch shrimp, buttermilk, and dashi, followed by the truly magnificent combination of king crab, caviar, and beurre blanc ice cream. Truly magnificent cooking is served here! We enjoy excellent Burgundy from the Rougeot Meursault estate, nibble on fresh bread with cultured butter, and let ourselves be surprised by the kitchen. It begins with thinly sliced raw scallops with endive, pumpkin, truffle, and foam made from scallop roe, followed by seared veal fillet with bouillabaisse, Parmesan, octopus, and fennel. Bravo! After a combination of fried langoustines, glazed pork belly, and carrot preparations, we move on to the main course: roasted tournedos with an earthy accompaniment of celeriac, artichoke, and kohlrabi. Plus Périgord jus. Finally, a dish featuring snap peas, basil, almond, and cucumber sorbet, followed by various preparations of blood orange and chocolate. Vista rises to 84.

They met at the Scheveningse Rederserf, launched a venture in Heinenoord near Rotterdam, and were so successful that they took on the adventure of a luxury new-build restaurant in Willemstad, right by the Hollandsch Diep. Now, three years on, Henrie and Ingrid van der Heijden feature in the Top-100 of Lekker, boast a Michelin star, and are voted the crowd favorite. An infectious success story. We settle into the warm blanket of hospitality, sip a delicious Aligoté Bouzeron 2017, nibble on a goat cheese lollipop as an amuse-bouche, and admire the brand-new floor of ceramic 'oak parquet'. The restaurant is packed, the chatter sounds like music, the young waitstaff dart in and out, and behind the illuminated glass wall we see the kitchen in full swing. What a dynamic, elegant, and inviting establishment, which also offers al fresco dining over the water in the summer. Our first dish is hamachi with Dutch prawns. The fish sliced thinly for ceviche, prawns scattered on top, with fresh flavor accents from cucumber and the spicy heat of jalapeño and curry. Sommelier Arne Maat pairs it with Santenay Les Charmes Dessus, 2013, De Bellène, a rustic Burgundian Chardonnay with toasted oak. Delicious. Scallops follow, roasted with cauliflower, walnut, nashi pear, and glazed pork belly. A beautiful flavor combination. Just like the Anjou squab from the main course, perfectly cooked and served with goose liver, beet preparations, endive, and house jus. In the glass, a dark red Barolo from Massolino Serralunga d'Alba, 2010, a medium-bodied, fruity, classically Piedmontese wine. Finally, a delightful bitterkoekje parfait with dulce de leche and advocaat. Vista is top! Rises five places to 90.

A spacious, unpretentious restaurant by the water, featuring a beautiful terrace with sweeping views—unless a massive cruise ship happens to dock, which was our bad luck during our visit. Owner-chef Henrie and his (guest) wife and sommelier, Ingrid van der Heijden, have established a wonderful place here, worked on with great dedication. The menu features dishes sized like appetizers, with a recommendation to order three for a complete meal. When we ordered tap water, a bottle of '0' sparkling water arrived, and we later noticed a small charge for it on the bill. We started with grilled tuna with a sesame crust, accompanied by tuna tartare with avocado cream and a cucumber sweet-and-sour sauce. Delicious. Next, we enjoyed crispy-fried sweetbread with black bean puree and chorizo cubes. The wines were presented and expertly explained by Ingrid. For the carpaccio with duck liver curls, we chose a Garzón Viognier from Uruguay, aged in oak—an excellent pairing. The complimentary bread and condiment arrangements are also generously provided. Furthermore, the dishes labeled as starters arrive quite generously on the plate, complete with extra fries and house-made mayonnaise. The service is exceptionally friendly, and we felt thoroughly pampered. A welcoming spot. It will rank at number 95 in the Top 100.