2_5_DiscoverBenelux_Issue15_March2015_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 20/02/2015 15:08 Page 21
Discover Benelux | Special Theme | Dining among the Stars
Culinary treasures of Texel The rolling Wadden Sea, the salty ocean breeze and the endless dunes and fields – this is the backdrop of hotel and restaurant Bij Jef. Located on Texel, a Dutch island just a twenty-minute boat trip from Den Helder, the restaurant is the perfect escape for relaxation, and one that comes with extraordinary food. TEXT: MYrIAM GWYNNED DIJCK | PHOTOS: BIJ JEF
“We wanted to be the best restaurant on the island. I guess it’s gotten a little bit out of hand,” Chef Jef Schuur laughs, referring to the Michelin star the restaurant was awarded in 2009. “We didn’t want the place to be stern and rigid. We make our guests feel at home and personally welcome them like they are good friends.” Originally from Texel, Schuur started the restaurant 19 years ago together with sommelier and fellow islander Nadine Mögling. Bij Jef (At Jef’s) combines the restaurant’s relaxing setting with dishes created from the island’s finest ingredients. “Texel has a wealth of beautiful local products, all kinds of North Sea fish, oysters, mussels and
cockles but also asparagus and of course the lamb. You’ll never have tasted anything like it, our lamb is so delicate and delicious, it is absolutely incredible,” Schuur says enthusiastically. Adding even more to the experience is Mögling’s selection of wines. The revered culinary critics of Gault Millau recently awarded her the title of the Netherlands’ best food/wine specialist and thereby the first woman to gain this title. Schuur comments: “Nadine puts a lot of time and passion into finding the best wines. It is all about ultimate enjoyment: combining excellent food with the perfect wine makes the whole meal three times better.”
To make your trip complete, Bij Jef’s regularly arranges walking tours around the island with a local dune farmer. “He does a little round of the animals every day and is often able to do a tour while he’s doing it. He knows an immense amount about the island, so this is a great thing to do!” Schuur says. Hotel restaurant Bij Jef is open Wednesday to Sunday for dinner, and will be open daily in July and August. The hotel offers luxury suites that are available throughout the week. www.bijjef.nl
Texel produces a wealth of ingredients locally, including North Sea fish, shellfish, asparagus and lamb.
Issue 15 | March 2015 | 21