This summer I graduated from my bachelor’s degree as a Food Innovator. To celebrate, my mother wanted to take me on a culinary trip. The plan was to stay in a Bed & Breakfast and eat all sorts of foods from our self made list. This list included: pastry, a picnic, cocktails, seafood, real good french fries, and dinner in a star restaurant. So we reserved a room for two days at B&B ‘in de Morelleput’ and a table for two at Michelin star restaurant Pure-C, Because the dinner at restaurant Pure-C was the highlight of our trip I will tell you some more about our experience in this blog post.
A table with a view
We thought it would be a good idea to go to the restaurant by bicycle. But apart from the 10-kilometer bike ride the wind force was so strong at the coastline that we barely got ahead. And if we were to arrive 15 minutes late at the restaurant, our reservation would be canceled… So totally overheated we arrived at restaurant Pure-C. The exterior of the building looked far from impressive. It was an old brown building, surrounded by building gates. My mother was totally flabbergasted while we looked at the new luxurious building plans.. But we should not judge a book by its cover. Soon as we entered the restaurant the whole ambiance was stunning. We got a table with a beautiful view of the beach.
Amuses
The five-course dinner started off with an assortment of amuses. A Gazpacho with olive, mixed vegetables, and foam of yogurt. This ‘shot’ of Gazpacho was very strong in flavor and sharpened our senses. Alongside with some delicate North sea charcuterie and a bundle of finely cut vegetables with a nice balance of sour and freshness. I leave these first two amuses to your imagination since I was too overwhelmed to capture it on camera. The following amuses were a duo of seaweed covered foie with pumpkin seeds and cherries, two crostinis, and a small can off mackerel with basil, capers, tomato, and samphire. The tin was opened for us at our table and we decided to divide the mackerel over the crostinis.
Starters
The starters were served with whole-wheat bread and an algae bread with salted butter, seaweed butter, wakame crisps, pepper, and samphire powder. A very impressive way to serve bread, especially with the beautiful tableware.
The first starter was a beautiful composition of herbs and flowers with mullet fish, cucumber, avocado, and a well-balanced vinaigrette. A variety of even frozen textures and bright colors.
The second starter reminded me of the typical beet-herring salad. But this salad with tubers, sea vegetables, and Spelt grains of course took it to a whole other level. The creamy drops of what I thought was sour cream, finished it off perfectly.
The last starter was a nice surprise for me. Before I left Zeeland I wanted to taste some fresh mussels, cockles, and razor clams. And here they all were together with some sesame, plankton, and radish. The taste of the shellfish was even fresher than I expected and even my mother who normally despises shellfish really liked this dish.
Cocktails & Mocktails
I heard that Pure-C served very nice cocktails and therefore I wanted to try one! But unfortunately, the cocktails on the menu sounded very strong and bitter. With flavors like seaweed gin, salty plants, seawater and Absinth. It sounded very exciting but I am more into fresh, fruity, and flowery flavors in a cocktail. And lucky for me, the non-alcoholic cocktails matched perfectly with my preferences. We tasted the ‘Roses used to be red’ mocktail with lychee, rose and matcha, the ‘Asian spice’ mocktail with passionfruit, chili and citrus, and the ‘Xoriguer’ Gin & Tonic with grapefruit and rosemary. The mocktails were so good! Every sip brought an explosion of flavors and the foam on top gave it an extra dimension. If you want to bring the flavors of restaurant Pure-C home, it is possible with the brand new liqueur Hierbas de Las Dunas.
Main course
The main course consisted of sole fish with beans and peas and a divine Sobrasada sauce. With a side dish of squid spaghetti. I am not sure how to describe what an impact this dish had on my palette. The sauce was so delicious that after I finished the dish, I ate the rest of the sauce as a soup. I’m not quite sure if it is the appropriate way to eat in a Michelin restaurant, but I have no regrets.
Dessert
I always have mixed feelings about the dessert. Most of the time it means that it is the last dish and an ending to a lovely dinner. But the indulgence of a dessert is always so satisfying. And that is what exactly describes this strawberry, almond and fennel dessert with vanilla foam and strawberry coulis.
My cup of tea
They asked us if we wanted a cup of coffee or tea after dinner. And although this were the most expensive cups of coffee and tea we ever had, we were glad we said yes (yes star restaurants I know haha). The tea was a lovely infusion of flowers and herbs and it came with an amazing sweet tasting. Everything except for the stones under the starfishes was edible, even the ‘sand’ under the shells. The black shells were bonbons, the white shells were filled with goats cheese and fruit, the beach balls were filled with mousse and the coral was filled with a coulis.
The star of the show
The freshness from the ‘pure sea’ comes back in every dish and we were very pleased to taste so many different vegetables and herbs. Dining in a star restaurant is no everyday activity but it’s sure a wonderful experience. The plating, textures, flavors, music, tableware, and even the uniforms of the staff left a good impression. Although we thought they might have had a bit of a laugh with us, two ladies from the countryside.
Are there any other places or special dishes that I need to discover? Let me know in the comments and I will be happy to find out!
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