Oud Sluis

«The Old Lock» — #7000
The drive into the Netherlands from Brugge, Belgium is a beautiful and serene one. It takes about twenty minutes and you can avoid using the highways. There’s very little indication that you’ve crossed the border besides a small sign. The trees, the countryside, the sunset, lot’s of nature into the little town of Sluis. The town square has a few bars, a clock tower, there’s a bit of retail which includes a sex shop (gotta love the Dutch!), on the way to Oud Sluis’ historic structure.
The restaurant was once Sergio Herman’s fathers, and his father’s before that. There is a deep history of family here. From the outside it displays years of age. The shade of the trees, the old water fountain, the cobblestone, the bricks in the façade, the tiles of the roof. The construction of the windows, the door leading into the restaurant. As you enter you’re greeted by Marjorie, the statuesque beautiful hostess and assistant to the chef. What unfolds is quite the opposite of the outside. It is sleek, modern, sharp. Contemporary aesthetics, streamlined décor. There’s an underlying soundtrack of techno in he background. The patrons are also dressed in modernist, almost radical fashion. Very different from the conservatively dressed Belgians just south of the border.
Im led to a seat that’s in the corner, overlooking the whole dining room and also getting to see into the kitchen. I can see all the celebrations, the parties, the food lovers getting a glimpse of one of the World’s greatest gastronomic temples. I’m greeted by Michel Herman, brother of the chef and. Maitre of the house. Im then greeted by many of the other staff, all sharply dressed, attractive and bearing small gifts of all types. The restaurant offers two menus, the four course Feeling & Taste or the grand, appropriately named Father & Son selection. Of course i had t get the latter to see the whole spectrum of chef Herman’s kitchen. It starts with a series of snacks, bread service, and then an array of entrees and dessert. A dizzying, whimsical, filling, and ultimately delicious array of tastes.
Appetizers:
–Basil — parmesan, fennel, olive and anchovy
–Sea​bass — tartar, bergamot, lime and jalapeño
–Crazy mushroom — mushrooms, avocado and brioche
–Squid — rosemary and elderflower
–Sardines — bread crystal, romesco, sea lavender and wild rocket
–Bbq eel from Zeeland — ice of Japanese citrus and radish
–Ceases — apple, celery, yuzu and toast ceramics
Entrees:
–Crab
Sea buckthorn, salad sweet-bitter-sour…ice.
–Oosterschelde Lobster
Asparagus from farmer dikker, smoked egg yolk, risotto-​morilles, verbena
-‘Glimpse of spring’
–Brill
Smoked eel, fennel, celery, young leeks, germ seeds, peanuts, indonesian jus
-«Holstein with skin and hair»
Assortment of Cheeses
Desserts:
–Bio chocolate: sergio 69.1% en 41.4%, black tea, blood orange
–Green apple, aloe vera, wheatgrass from biosfeer
–My favourite game
–Coffee & sweets ‘Kama box’ (cooperation with Kamagurka)
Some of these dishes wont make sense until i upload my pix but the confluence of aesthetics, flavour combinations, and pure taste flow in a whimsical way through the menu. The service is comfortable and friendly. I had a particular rapport with Lotte, the sommelier who introduced me to some great pairings (to be listed soon) and conversation. Sergio himself came out to say hi. He’s a bit of rock & roll for sure and we came to realize we share the same appreciation for the photographer Anton Corbijn. I took a tour of the kitchen and basically got to meet both front and back of house which was a special treat.
It was announced shortly after i dined here that Sergio has decided to retire Oud Sluis at the top of it’s game come Dec 22,2013. As one of the most famous restaurants in the world & a 3* Michelin recipient, it was time to move on to other things. It’s unfortunate but an artist must evolve and there are other restaurant projects in the Herman empire. Im glad to say i got to catch Oud Sluis when i did and look forward to seeing the teams down the line in Antwerp and Cadzand. Here’s to your next phase chef Herman & company!

Das Oud Sluis befindet sich in der südlichen Provinz Zeeland nicht weit von der belgischen Grenze wo wir am liebsten Urlaub machen. Die Küche von Sergio Herman ist innovativ und rund um stimmig der Gute weiss wohl was er da auf den Tischen serviert. Ich war schon in vielen Sterne Restaurant aber dieses war ein Highlight von Essen bis zum Service kein Wunder dass Oud Sluis in Holland in Pole Position inne hat. Smakelijk eten !!!

Das Oud Sluis befindet sich in der südlichen Provinz Zeeland nicht weit
von der belgischen Grenze wo wir am liebsten Urlaub machen. Die Küche
von Sergio Herman ist innovativ und rund um stimmig der Gute weiss wohl
was er da auf den Tischen serviert. Ich war schon in vielen Sterne
Restaurant aber dieses war ein Highlight von Essen bis zum Service kein
Wunder dass Oud Sluis in Holland in Pole Position inne hat. Smakelijk eten
!!!

Oud Sluis is located in a small town in Netherlands. We took the 42 bus from Bruges in Belgium since Sluis was just 40 minutes away from there. We arrived minutes early for our reservation so the restaurant was still closed, but the hostess kindly seated us anyway. The service was impeccable as can be expected in this kind of restaurant. The food was excellent and definitely exceeded my expectations (especially for the seafood… yum!!! I’m a seafood lover: D). The seafood was very fresh and I think all were locally sourced. I can’t nitpick on any of the food since I genuinely enjoyed each dish. The only criticism I have is that they use a lot of similar ingredient combinations so you will taste familiar flavours for a couple of the dishes, rather than having an entirely unique experience for each dish. Also, some of the plating could have been improved but this is just really aesthetics.
Hands down, Oud Sluis is one of the best and most memorable meals I’ve ever had! If you have money to splurge and loves food, you should add this to your eat list.
For more photos and details:

The best restaurant ever visited. He deserves the 3 Michelin stars more than anybody. The cuisine is very fine and original. You can see with every dish that there’s a real research behind. The molecular cuisine gives this amazing chef an unforgettable experience.
Each portion is loaded with so many flavours that at each dish your mouth and taste buds go «mmhmm» «wooow» !
The location of this restaurant might be a bit surprising, but what lays inside the plate is unforgettable.

Wir waren von unserem Besuch im Oud Sluis sehr begeistert. Das Menu war dem Gedenken an Willy Slawinsky gewidmet, einem leider sehr früh (44 Jahre) verstorbenen belgischen Koch, der schon 1992 als Visionär galt und in einem Atemzug mit Michel Bras und Pierre Gagnaire genannt wurde.
Damals gab es:
Tomate au premier plan, Gambas marinées à la fraicheur, Basilic jeune et sorbet au vinaigre de Cabernet-​Sauvignon, Poudre d’huile d’Olive.
6 kleine Wunderdinge mit Tomaten, wirklich allererste Klasse.
Bar de ligne á la langoustine sautée, asperges cuites au beurre, crème d’artichaut et jus de verveine, vinaigrette à la Barigoule.
Eine fantastische Kombination von Seebarsch mit einer auf den Punkt genau gegarten Langustine, eine wunderbare Kombination von Aromen und Texturen, top!
Agneau de Sisteron au fleur de courgettes et parmesan, cake d’olives et crème d’aubergines et fèves de Marais, Jus d’agneau à la poudre d’Or.
Ebenfalls sehr gut, wenn auch nicht so sensationell wie die Vorspeisen und die Amuses, an die ich immer noch mit Begeisterung zurückdenke.
Bei den Desserts kann ich nur sagen, dieses als trois petits desserts zu bezeichnen ist die Untertreibung des Jahres ;-)
Nur noch zum Schluss, wir haben in Sluis gewohnt (De Dikke van Daele, ist aber nicht empfehlenswert) und sind zu Fuß ins Restaurant gelaufen. Nach dem excellenten Dinner regnete es in Strömen und da wir keinen Schrim mit hatten, hat uns der Chef des Restaurants mit seinem Wagen ins Hotel gefahren. Das nenne ich wirklich Service.
Fazit: Unbedingt empfehlenswert.
PS Nicht vergessen die Windmühle in Sluis zu besuchen, die noch heute Mehl produziert und sehr sehenswert ist.