Terroir is a restaurant within the picturesque previous city of Utrecht with an in depth wine listing and a weekly altering à la carte menu. For starter (15-17 euros), in between (18-21 euros) and fundamental course (25-30 euros) there’s one vegetarian, one fish, and one meat choice, with some further meat choices for the primary course. The wine listing shouldn’t be solely in depth, but additionally has very affordable markups, so you’ll be able to order a pleasant bottle with out breaking the financial institution.
We opted for this Chassagne-Montrachet and selected thrice fish to go together with the wine. It was nice that the sommelier/waiter may inform us what the varied wines have been like. As a result of even when you already know what a Chassagne-Montrachet is mostly like, it’s unattainable for most individuals to know the way the wines from completely different producers and vintages have turned out. This wine turned out as marketed, and was decanted to deliver out it’s potential regardless of its youth. The wine had nice minerality and size, and its evolution throughout the night labored very properly with the development of dishes.
As starter we had barely cooked mackerel with vichyssoise (chilly leek and potato soup) with terragon oil, pickled herring, and croutons. Vichyssoise could be a bit bland, however the terragon oil made it attention-grabbing. The mix with the mackarel labored very properly, and the croutons supplied a pleasant crunch.
The in between course was tub gurnard with kale, mushrooms, and a dashi of smoked fish bones. The fish had been grilled briefly, so it had the smoky taste of the grill marks however was barely cooked. That was excellent, as a result of this sort of fish is definitely overcooked after which dry. The dashi was very flavorful and actually labored with the kale. The mushrooms supplied some good chew.
The primary course was monkfish with white beans, a Riesling beurre blanc sauce, leeks that have been scorched after which steamed, and codium seaweed. The monkfish had been pan fried in butter and was completely cooked. The leeks have been properly candy. A part of the beans have been pureed and velvety, one other half supplied texture. The seaweed appeared good however the taste was not very attention-grabbing. The beurre blanc tied all the pieces collectively and labored very properly with the Chassagne.
For dessert we opted for traditional crepes suzette: pancakes with a Grand Marnier and orange sauce. As an alternative of vanilla ice cream it was served with tonka bean ice cream. It was paired with a glass of good Sauternes.
On the web site it’s said that Terroir serves good high quality seasonal produce in basic preparations with a contemporary twist, with actual flavors and love for the artwork of cooking slightly than frills. It is a very correct description. The meals was very properly ready and flavorful and basic however definitely not boring. I want basic any day over authentic however missing in taste or with mixtures which can be authentic however don’t work or the place presentation is extra essential than taste. The service was impeccable (though it was a sluggish Monday evening) and the wine listing is fantastic. Beneficial, particularly for wine lovers!