L’invité le Restaurant

I really don’t know how this got good reviews across all review sites because it’s the worst fine dining experience I’ve ever had.
I loved the idea of the unknown tasting menu but it pretty much stopped there.
No dishes wowed me. Some dishes even tasted like something that I could make at home, or literally, (quoting my husband) «if you let a child make two bad dishes and combine both of them, it would’ve made the dessert».
Being from NYC and having traveled around the world for top notch restaurants, we expected more out of a place with good reviews and such creative plates, but frankly, I wouldn’t pay more than 5 – 10 euros for this 6 course tasting menu. It was either bland or plain weird.
Also for a tasting menu, the portions are quite small (I’ve done plenty of tasting courses in my life so know that we should’ve been offered a tiny bit more).
The experience is really what killed it. It lasted over 3 hours, and we got two intermezzos on the house in between two of our courses. 1 intermezzo is normal, but 2 signified that there was something up in the kitchen because over 3 hours for a 6 course tasting menu is not normal. The intermezzos were cauliflower purée with bacon (kind of tasted like Wendy’s baked potato with bacon bits and sour cream) and the other was strawberry with cayenne pepper, which doesn’t even go well in the order of a tasting menu.
Also, the table next to it– the server didn’t tell them that their dish had a broth to it so by the time the server came back with the broth, they basically ate their dish. They were from Italy (which you probably know has amazing food) and from talking with them, they didn’t like the food either. Another table was playing cards at their table– first and last time I will ever see that in a fine dining establishment. They weren’t happy either. The whole restaurant was unhappy it seemed.
I will not go back and am sad to write such a terrible review ’cause obviously, it hurts the business and I don’t enjoy writing these.
P. S. we did like the temperature of the Chianti wine served.

Dined alone on a slow night and did a 5 course from the menu and every single mouthful was luxury. The wine list is small but I had a wonderful Tourraine white and then a glass of rioja with the entrecôte of beef. The service by my waiter Peter was friendly and very accommodating and though the night was a warm one the breeze in the restaurant was perfect. A bit pricey but the quality and the flavors had my eyes closed to savor each bite.

We had the vegetarian tasting menu the evening of King’s day. Each course, from the amuse bouche through dessert was a series of little gems. Flavors were subtle, yet clear. Presentation was elegant. If the chef never created anything other than the raspberry coulis on the cheese plate, he has earned his stripes.

Never had such a terrible rip-​off experience elsewhere. After seeing plenty of good reviews invited some friends to eat there. Unlike what they suggest on their internet site ordering a la carte was not possible (they didn’t have a menu card!). We were obliged to choose the 6-​course ‘surprise’ menu. Take it or leave it. The button-​sized amuses were dried out. The courses were tiny. Didn’t like the concept at all. You don’t even get to know what you should expect to pay. € 100 per person (including wine arrangement) and leaving the restaurant hungry does not seem a good deal to me.

Normally I get nervous when I’m offered a choice of courses from a tasting-​menu-​only option with no ability to see the dishes and no prices. But fear not, L’Invite is a Michelin star experience any way you look at it except for the expense. Innovative creations served as a «surprise» by the chef based on what’s fresh (and accommodating any food allergies, and out table had many). Substantial servings, a wine pairing that offered seemingly bottomless pours. For one 4-​course and one 5-​course menu with wine for both only € 150 with tip!

Excellent restaurant. Reasonably priced and creative take on French cuisine with a Dutch touch. For some reason I was the only person in the entire restaurant, not sure why. At 32 euros for a full 3 course meal this is quite a deal.

Had a lovely evening last night. Sat by the canals and enjoyed our dinner on a nice warm night. The service was attentive. We had a gazpacho, two beef entrees and then a lovely strawberry yogurt dessert. The flavours were subtle and delicious!

A really nice location — it’s out of the tourist area and right by a canal. Very intimate. Food was delicious — definitely for seafood lovers but there were exotic meat options as well. Service was so so and wine list wasn’t extensive, but a superb place to go.

I found L’invité through a Groupon and dragged my boyfriend on a Sunday evening. Easy to find and centrally located, I was shocked to find the restaurant totally empty. Better for us, we were totally pampered (but not babysat) by the waitstaff.
We had a pre-​fix menu with the Groupon, but our server took care to make sure that all of the selections were to our liking. For two people, we had a 5-​course meal, with dishes ranging from risotto and sea bass to beef consumme served in a wine glass. Each dish was more beautiful than the next, and the dessert was definitely the grand finale. Mandarine sorbet and kletskoppen (a type of dutch cookie with nuts) assembled in an edible, picture perfect presentation.
The dishes were mostly sea-​food based, but didn’t look like seafood. This was great for my picky boyfriend who *thinks* he doesn’t like fish, but because the presentation was so lovely… he ate every crumb of every course.
Would definitely go back, but only with a groupon (it saved us 50% of the bill!)

Nice formula, a different chef each month. Elegant, relaxed atmosphere, good wine, great food. Best lamb I’ve had pretty much ever.