CRU

In the Badhuisstraat in The Hague, in a former butcher shop, we find Restaurant Cru. The interior breathes nostalgia: tiles, antique details, meat hooks and knives on the ceiling, and old hunting rifles on the wall. Behind glass hang carcasses of meat or game, while on the other side the open kitchen is visible. A robust place. Chef and owner Alan de Vries cooks classic French, without frills. Everything revolves around meat and game, largely sourced from his own butcher shop or hunted by himself. Luxurious menus are not found here. Hearty dishes, large portions, and no-nonsense service. We start with a bottle of Priorat Vi de Villa, Cims de Porrera 2020. There is no amuse-bouche, but naturally we order charcuterie: Paleta Iberico Bellota, generously sliced and drizzled with olive oil, and Cecina de Leon Wagyu, thinly sliced with cheese and a fresh touch of lemon. Alongside it comes delicious sourdough bread from Meneer Leffers, with a crispy crust and plenty of butter. The starter is an ode to Iberico: three cuts of loin, chop, and shoulder, each juicy, tender, and topped with a crispy layer of fat. Beside it, a creamy La Ratte potato puree with wild foraged herbs. Next follows the côte de bœuf, served in an original style. The meat is juicy and full of flavor, accompanied by a vegetable medley. We pair it with a Château Croizet-Bages 2015 Grand Cru Classé Pauillac. This great classic is remarkably reasonably priced. The dessert consists of a cheese selection, properly brought to room temperature, and once again served with bread from Meneer Leffers. Accompanied by a glass of white Pineau des Charentes, which pairs beautifully. The service is welcoming, informal, and knowledgeable. Restaurant Cru is a robust place with just the right charm and unmatched meat dishes. You feel like you're in the French countryside. Chapeau!

Butcher and hunter Alan de Vries has set up a cozy eatery on Scheveningse Badhuisstraat where meat, game, and poultry take center stage. There’s no luxury interior here, just simply set tables with white tablecloths on a mosaic-tiled floor, meat-curing cabinets on the walls, and a view into a vast open kitchen behind glass, where skilled chef Niels Rosier prepares the most tender meat on a large rotisserie. It’s all served on grandmother’s china. While we enjoy a fine Priorat Porrera, we’re brought a generously portioned plate of freshly sliced Iberico bellota ham, chorizo, and coppa, listed as a bite on the menu. The menu is limited, changes weekly, and consists mainly of meat and game dishes featuring ingredients from local farmers, fishermen, and hunters. Vegetarian options are available upon request. The bread from Mr. Leffers Bakery, served with cultured butter, is delightful. For a starter, rich duck liver with bittersweet lemon marmalade. And a daring yet highly enjoyable combination of fried black pudding, chorizo, crispy octopus, grilled mini corn, and sweet grapes. The kitchen’s specialty is a côte de boeuf from Simmental cattle. Beautifully roasted pink on the bone, served on a platter with roasting jus. Accompanied by a simple green salad with lava dressing, alongside mashed potatoes topped with fried matchstick fries and chives. The dessert of rhubarb in whisky with Bastogne cookies provides a fresh, lightly sweet finish. Add to this a very reasonable bill and relaxed service, and you have a place we’d love to return to often.

In 2015, butcher, hunter, and chef Alan de Vries opened VleeschHouwerij Cru in a beautiful 19th-century neo-Renaissance building, supplying wild game, meat, and poultry to the hospitality industry in The Hague region ever since. Since 2019, he has also run a restaurant there, open from Wednesday through Saturday. Meat-loving guests have long found their way here without hesitation, as the quality is simply top-notch. Do not expect artistically plated dishes with balms, gels, and foams. Instead, expect generous, pure cuts of meat that are tenderly cooked on a large rotisserie behind a glass storefront by chef Niels Rosier and his team. The menu changes regularly and offers fish alongside the meat. We start with a glass of softly sparkling Vouvray and choose from the aperitif menu: Gillardeau oysters and divine mojama (paper-thin slices of air-dried tuna) sprinkled with chopped nuts, drizzled with olive oil, and finished with orange zest. Delicious in its simplicity. Next comes the Cecina de León. This traditionally aged, lightly spiced Spanish beef ham, bursting with flavor, is served with a 65-degree egg, slices of ricotta, and crispy croutons. A true feast on the plate. The main course is a perfectly cooked beef tenderloin, served in a 200-gram portion. No worries, though; if you are full, the remainder is neatly packed to take home. It comes with homemade fries with mustard mayonnaise and a large bowl of iceberg lettuce with lavash. In the glass, a slightly chilled 2021 Menetou-Salon Le Prieuré de Saint-Céols. Pure class.

You could easily walk right past it, as the storefront gives absolutely no indication that a high-class dining palace lies within: Cru. Once inside, you are left speechless with amazement. The interior of this 19th-century Neo-Renaissance building easily rivals that of a fine French brasserie. Set upon a beautifully inlaid tile floor, small tables are spotlessly dressed in white linen, offering a view into a large cold room where meat, game, and poultry hang to mature. Butcher, hunter, and chef Alan de Vries opened a butchery here in 2014, supplying the hospitality industry with high-quality artisanal meat, game, and poultry. It now operates as a restaurant from Thursday through Saturday. This is a feast for carnivores. In the spacious open kitchen with its glass front, Alan and his head chef, Niels Rosier, work in a relaxed manner while large cuts of meat are slowly roasted to tenderness on a massive rotisserie. The frequently rotating menu also features fish; after all, we are in Scheveningen. Paired with a glass of Leclerc Briant Reserve champagne, we indulge in Zeeland oysters, followed by a plate of crispy-fried octopus served with spicy chorizo, softly fried onion skins, mini peppers, a poached egg, and a rustic cream made from house-dried tomatoes. Absolutely divine! The Simmental côte de bœuf is a visual spectacle, but the generous portion of tender, roasted, juicy meat, served with a bowl of rich meat jus alongside our order of fries and a green salad with lavash, quickly disappears. We pair it with a full-bodied 2020 Stilio Primitivo di Manduria. We feel like gods in France. Welcome to Lekker!