Last year, while visiting my uncle in the Netherlands, I ate several wonderful dinners at the Brasserie Thermae Son; so this year when I arrived in early May, I immediately asked him if we could have dinner there again my first night back.
I regretted the choice after our main course arrived: I had ordered the gegrilde biefstuk, a grilled, very lean filet steak, and though nobody had asked me how I wanted it cooked, it arrived well done. It was so dry as to be almost inedible. I advised the server of the problem after we finished our meal because I was hungry after my long flight and didn't want to have to wait for them to take mine back and cook me another. The server apologized but did not offer to discount or comp our meal (maybe that's just the Dutch way).
Last night, at the request of my cousin, we went back there for dinner again. Big mistake! This time I ordered the gebakken varkenshaas, or sautéed pork loin. Apparently, the cook took my words from the last visit a bit too much to heart, because this time it was nearly raw inside and actually WAS inedible. I did send it back this time, and they brought me another that they called "well done," but it was actually prepared as the first one SHOULD have been, just slightly pink in the middle. I had also ordered their Italian tomato soup as a starter, which was described as tomato soup with heirloom tomatoes and chicken. What I received was a lukewarm tomato broth with crunchy/unripe, uncooked pieces of green tomato and small cubes of over-cooked chicken. My cousin's wife told me that her dish of catfish and cockles (zeewolf & vongole) wasn't all that great either.
I can't imagine that this food was prepared by the same chef as last year, because it just wasn't up to par. All that said, the service was very genial, and the patio is a nice place to sit if the weather allows. But I won't be eating there again any time in the future, unless I learn that they have a different chef. read more
