The story
Morris Grimbergen shapes the French and international cuisine at Restobar Harvey in Rijswijk with a focus on seasonal ingredients and straightforward technique. The menu avoids heavy theatrics, favouring balanced combinations like rosé roasted lamb chops served with a pistachio crumble and ras el hanout sauce. A recent preparation of steak tartare pairs that same honesty with kimchi mayonaise and a soy glazed egg yolk, showing how French and international cooking can comfortably share the same pass. A ceviche featuring firm white fish, leche de tigre, and pomegranate seeds rounds out the starter selection.
Bas and Eline van Zuiden designed the interior around warmth and everyday ease, using wood paneling, brown accents, and deep green upholstery to create a relaxed setting. The layout centres on a bustling bar that invites guests to linger over conversation or watch the staff prepare orders. With capacity for roughly fifty covers, the room feels intimate without sacrificing energy during busy evening services. Coffee from Giraffe anchors the morning routine, while an outdoor terrace extends seating into warmer months.
Sommelier Sam Grimbergen curates a cellar that favours New World selections alongside European staples, encouraging diners to experiment with single glasses rather than committing to full bottles immediately. This grounded approach matches the relaxed spirit behind Restobar Harvey, which recently secured a place in the Lekker500 Top 500 guide for its distinct take on French and international fare. The listing recognises how the founding team transformed years of regional training into a consistently welcoming dining room. Visitors frequently book evenings specifically to explore the expanding list.
Recognition
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Details
History
A brother and sister plus two friends, along with a shared passion for the hospitality industry. This cocktail of enthusiasm and dedication, experience and craftsmanship has resulted in the young hospitality entrepreneurs hosts Sébastian and Eline van Zuiden (whose parents run Restaurant Savarin) and sommelier Sam and chef Morris Grimbergen (both former interns at Savarin) joining forces in early 2025 to open their Restobar Harvey in Oud Rijswijk. Following a thorough renovation of the picturesque building, where Restaurant Elea once launched its career, guests can enjoy coffee and pastries, a tasty lunch, drinks and bites at the bar, or a refined dinner throughout the day. Beneath the restaurant lies the wine cellar, featuring gems from both old and new wine regions across all price ranges, with many quality wines available by the glass. What immediately stands out is the relaxed atmosphere and cheerful approach of the quartet. After a glass of softly sparkling Sébastien Daviaux blanc de blancs, we indulge from the snack menu with a plate of freshly sliced Cecina de León and a bowl of deliciously meaty olives. The ceviche of harder fish strips is particularly exciting, featuring leche de tigre, hangover sauce with orange segments, pomegranate seeds, crispy quinoa, and green herb oil. Also beautifully presented is the coarsely chopped steak tartare with kimchi mayonnaise and a soy-caramelized egg yolk. We pair it with a golden, fruity South African Rijk’s Chenin Blanc ‘Private Cellar Barrel’. Just added to the menu—which offers several small starters that you can share or not, the same goes for mains and desserts—are the rosé-roasted lamb cutlets in a spice and pistachio crumble, served with a ras el hanout sauce and an artichoke heart stuffed with ratatouille. And all of this is brought to the table with great enthusiasm. We say: a resounding success! Welcome to Lekker.
Four young owners (Eline van Zuiden, Bas van Zuiden, Sam Grimbergen and Morris Grimbergen) shake up the sleepy Rijswijk with a fresh gastronomic concept. Chef Morris Grimbergen brings familiar flavors with a clever twist that...
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