Visiting Tante Koosje - Koppert Cress

Cooking is more than just putting a pot of water on the stove

Tucked away in picturesque Loenen aan de Vecht lies a culinary gem in the heart of the village. This isn't just a place to grab a bite to eat; at Tante Koosje, you're visiting family. Upon entering, you are greeted by the team from the open kitchen and shown to your table. Here, you can enjoy dishes in a classic atmosphere that not only awaken your taste buds but also secretly steal your heart.

Chef Roland Veldhuijzen rules the kitchen with a firm hand, doing so with a love for his craft and a healthy dose of creativity. And all this without forgetting his classical training. It's no coincidence that his motto is “cooking is more than putting a pot of water on the stove.”

Veldhuijzen (60) spent many years working alongside chef Lucas Rive in the kitchen of the Bokkedoorns. “That training stays with you throughout your working life. I still make my sauces the way I was taught back then. It's so important that they're right. They're the basis of your dish.”

And no, classic doesn't mean stuffy at Tante Koosje. Here, it means playful refinement on your plate. Seasonal. Local where possible, and always with a surprise element that makes you smile. And the chef? He secretly loves it when you smile with happiness after the first bite.

Enjoying classics

But why has Tante Koosje been a household name for decades? We find out when we talk to chef Veldhuijzen. "Our guests come here to enjoy an evening of classic dishes. That could be for a business dinner or with friends, but we also get a lot of guests from the village or the surrounding area. On Mondays, they come from the Zuidas to dine. And we want to spoil all those guests. Not only with beautiful dishes, but also with beautiful tableware and glassware. Everything has to be just right.“

The cuisine at Tante Koosje is classic in its essence. Not only in terms of the dishes, but also in terms of the division of labor. Veldhuijzen prefers to work at the rotisserie, ”all that fiddling with pastries isn't for me" (laughs).

It's almost impossible to mess up seasonal produce

The menu here also changes with the seasons. "We create the menu together as a team, but it's always seasonal. That way, we have the best produce available. Right now, for example, we have a beautiful piece of lamb that we roast on the bone. Soon it will be asparagus, peas, and red fruit.

So no, I can't choose a favorite season. Every season has its beautiful sides. When you work with seasonal products that are so beautiful, it's almost impossible to mess them up."

Staying true to yourself

Twenty years with a star, Tante Koosje just keeps doing it. But Veldhuijzen is down-to-earth: "It's a matter of consistency and staying true to yourself. I did look into molecular cooking at the time, but it's not my style. I want to taste a raspberry for what it is, not one that's been blown up into little balls because nitrogen has been used.

That doesn't mean we're standing still, though. I'm also inspired by my team. My sous-chef (Bas Mafait) is a youngster, and I learn from him too. Not just in terms of taste, but also in terms of preparation methods."

At home, Veldhuijzen only really cooks when they have friends over for dinner. “My wife cooks really tasty things. Nothing too complicated, just a nice chicken or a good pan of macaroni. Delicious.”

Signature dishes

Veldhuijzen's signature dishes have been on the menu for years, and with good reason. But over the years, they have also been served in different variations. For example, his sugar bread with duck liver is a tribute to his Frisian roots (Veldhuijzen comes from Heerenveen – ed.). "It's not very complicated, but at a certain point it becomes your signature dish and then it never comes off the menu.

Just like my sweetbread, which I serve with risotto or morels, depending on the season. We have guests who come to eat with us especially for this dish, because it's not served in restaurants very often anymore."

Wine and food

The menu is created by Veldhuijzen and his team, and the accompanying wines are selected by sommelier Robert-Jan Smeding. "Once the menu is set, we all taste the dishes and Robert-Jan and his team help us choose the wines that go best with them. When it comes to wines, we mainly look at whether they go well with the food, rather than where they come from. It could be French, but a nice, fresh German wine could be just as good.“

Cruijff and Federer are welcome to join us

When asked who he would like to cook for again, Veldhuijzen's eyes light up. ”Dead or alive? In an ideal world, I would have loved to cook for Johan Cruijff. And Roger Federer is welcome to join us too.

The way Federer interacts with the people around him, the calmness he exudes. In that sense, it's similar to how I like it in the kitchen. Calm in the kitchen, not too many distractions like music or chatter. We strive for perfection here, and that works best when it's quiet.

The menu for an evening with these two sports heroes? “Beautiful langoustines, sweetbreads, of course. Yes, I'd pull out all the stops in terms of dishes. We always do that, for all our guests. But these two, that would be a very special evening.”

Restaurant: Restaurant Tante Koosje Loenen aan de Vecht

Kerkstraat 1, 3632 EL Loenen a/d Vecht

T +31 (0)294 - 23 32 101

E info@tante-koosje.nl

W. www.tante-koosje.nl