International Chef Exchange for Latest TV in Rotterdam
Ms Meijer
Andrew Kay returns from filming a new episode of International Chef Exchange for Latest TV in Rotterdam
Yes, that’s me, food writer, theatre critic and international jet-setter, well in part. I have to say that International Chef Exchange, or ICEx as we like to call it, is great fun. But make no mistake, it’s exhausting as our most recent trip proved.
Rotterdam is an amazing city, almost flattened in 1941, it has given rise, and I mean rise, to some rather incredible architecture. You could easily picture Dutch students of architecture being sat down and told that they could design what they liked but the only rule would be that they could not engage with the concept of right angles. Take a look on the world wide web and you will see what I mean.
Of course I exaggerate, there are a few, otherwise doors would not open. Speaking of doors opening, this current project was in desperate need of some very careful door opening. Since chef Pepijn Schmeink cooked a fabulous ICEx dinner at Hotel du Vin, things have changed. He has sold his restaurant and is building a new one to be called Diertien, or something like that. This left our event homeless, for a while. Fortunately doors were opened and we ended up in a very stylish hotel dining room not far away. Hotel Quartier du Port is a very beautiful venue and we were made more than welcome by the whole team there.
Logistically it was a bit of a nightmare though and lack of space meant that six Sussex pond puddings had to be cooked in one restaurant and ferried over by car to the hotel in time for dessert. How we laughed, well sort of. By this time I was feeling tired and fraught having spent much of the day chasing my tail and picking over five and a half kilos of spinach, yes, that’s a lot of the green stuff.
Hotel du Vin’s head chef, Rob Carr, did us proud though and his five-course dinner had our guests beaming with delight as they supped Hepworths ale, and Ridgeviews delicious world class sparkling wines.
The previous night Pepijn’s right hand man, Ward, took us to a stunning bistro in a suburb of the city that he described as being a bit down at heel. It looked pretty smart to us and the restaurant proved to be very smart indeed. Mevrouw Meijer is tiny and booking is essential so we were lucky to get a table. How few restaurants in the UK can boast being full on a midweek evening? They probably are because they don’t open at the weekend, it’s that relaxed Dutch way of life I guess!
The menu is small, as is the kitchen, but not in its ambition. I started with the boudin noir. Now regular readers will already know that I love black puddings and in fact grew up surrounded by them. And it is with the greatest respect to my butcher grandfather, that I take off my hat to this particular pud, because it knocked all others into a cocked hat. It was the sweetest, creamiest confection that ever bore the name and just writing about it is making my mouth water once again. Around the table my colleagues ate beetroot salads and gravlax with aubergine, but it was the black pud that stood out.
For my main course I chose turbot with a stunning citrus sauce. This was cooking of the very highest standard and the main dishes came with excellent side orders that hit the spot for a very hungry crew. Even Mr Camera, a hardened veggie, was served a delicious dinner that kept him sweet for many hours.
Much as I wanted a pudding I also wanted to sample an amazing selection of French cheeses, and I was not disappointed, they were absolutely in prime condition. Mevrouw Meijer is small but perfectly formed, a little patch of France in Holland that serves an amazing meal for 34 euros, which it has to be said is a real bargain when you see that the menu is full of expensive ingredients like turbot. If you happen to be in Rotterdam then do not miss this treat.
Mevrouw Meijer, Gerard Scholtenstraat 37B 3035 SC Rotterdam, Netherlands +31 10 466 3367 www.mevrouwmeijer.nu
Watch the International Chef Exchange Rotterdam Promo.
Do you love black pudding? andrew@thelatest.co.uk
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