ZOCHER

It was a treat to have dinner in Zocher after a long day of exploring the Christmas market in Haarlem. The evening called for a cocktail while we waited for our appetizer. I enjoyed the lychee and elderflower cocktail. If you like it a little tart and fruity, it’s a good one for you. But the real treat were the apps we shared (because we want to try everything!).
The pulled pork came with a BBQ sauce that was AH-​mazing. Seriously delicious. I’m from the South in the US so it takes a good sauce to surprise me, but this one did it. If it was bottled, I would buy it. And Sean’s oysters were also very good (and they came with Cava!).
The side of bread comes with a variety of bread types and a tomato butter. Another pleasant surprise, and yes, it was delicious as well.
But on to the main meals. I got Côte de Boeuf and the beef was delicious and flavorful. Even the salad that came with it had a vinaigrette that was slightly sweet and tangy – and I’m not one for liking vinaigrette and I loved it. Seriously, can I boast any more? I didn’t try Sean’s, but he loved his fish dish… almost licked the plate.
The signature dessert, «Gâteau Chaud» is a molten chocolate lava cake with mandarin ice cream and Grand Marnier salted caramel. For real? Heavenly doesn’t begin to describe it. Though, after a full meal, I recommend splitting this dessert. Of course, if Crème Brulee is your style, it’s delicious and actually a little large. I appreciated that the custard wasn’t super cold. It wasn’t warm either. Hard to explain, but I think it was the right texture and temperature. It’s the little things.
The restaurant itself has a varied style of seating. You could be at a regular table by the massive amounts of windows, on high top tables, booths, or even a long table in a library area. The kitchen is sunken and in the middle of the restaurant so you can look down into what’s going on. The wall of wine and liquor is enticing and they have some fun drinks listed on their menu.
The staff. I just want to take a minute to mention them. Every time I saw them interact with anyone, they seemed nice. Not just pleasant, but nice as in, they are nice people, not that they are being paid to be nice. Whether it was kids who were in the way, older couples who needed a little help with questions, or with each other, they were smiling and helping each other. I don’t know about you, but it’s a huge part of any experience, restaurant, retail, etc, that the staff are happy. And they seem happy!
Atmosphere was super cool. We loved the space. We dressed up because we could and didn’t feel out of place. The were were people that were super casual and they weren’t out of place. Not a lot of places can claim that kind of versatility.
So, 5 stars for food, staff, atmosphere. We’ll be back when we are in Haarlem again!