Rated by De Telegraaf with an 8.5 by Reza Bakhtali.

Rated by De Telegraaf with an 8.5 by Reza Bakhtali.
February 18, 2023

VRIJ visits a restaurant every week that is expected to be worth it for the ambiance, the service, and of course the food!
This time restaurant Bakboord in Almere.

By: REZA BAKHTALI

Since a dear friend moved to Almere, I visit more often than before. At first, I didn't understand why he left the city until I saw how beautiful he lives by the IJmeer. In addition, the center has been voted the best city center in the Netherlands. Then there must also be nice restaurants. Some research leads us to Almere Haven on the Gooimeer. There you will find restaurant Bakboord next to the marina.

Executive chef Lars Bertelsen and chef Chen Margolin have been at the helm for eight years, working with organic products from local farmers. Upon arrival, the spacious interior is striking, with earthy and golden tones, lacquered wooden tables, colorful photography on the walls, and a view of the terrace and water.

Bakboord offers a 2- to 7-course Chef's Experience Menu which the chef decides. These are dishes from the à la carte menu, which is also available. There is also a vegetarian menu, but then 2 to 5 courses. We go for four dishes and start with an aperitif in the form of two glasses of sparkling white wine from South Africa from the Simonsig winery. Dry, fresh, and a pleasantly refined spark.

First an amuse-bouche: a warm foam of soy, sea urchin, and quinoa. A nice, savory pick-me-up. The oven-fresh sourdough bread with beurre noisette, tarragon butter, fleur de sel, and olive oil has disappeared in no time, after which the hostess thoughtfully asks if we want more bread.

The wonderful starter is sashimi of hamachi (mackerel-like with tuna texture) on a sauce of sea buckthorn berry and Japanese ponzu dressing (with a spicy citrus flavor). The fish is of excellent quality, but less pronounced than tuna, so the intense sea buckthorn ponzu sauce dominates. A small detail, after all, we don't have to use all the sauce.

Blessed

Then the entremets of sea bass fillet, piece of lobster, radish with fresh fennel, and a foam made of smoked sabayon (a hollandaise sauce with cream). The sea bass is slightly flaky, soft, and juicy: great! The meat from the lobster claws is delicious, slightly sweet, and still crunchy. The combination with the slightly sour sabayon foam makes it complete. Would we like another sandwich to finish off the sauce? Of course!

A small side note is the speed with which the dishes are served; it could be reduced slightly, but that may be because not all tables are occupied this Tuesday evening.

The main course is a strip of sirloin steak with a garnish of sea lettuce and potato, cream of eggplant, sauce of Swiss Schlossberger cheese, a gravy of seaweed, and crispy green peppercorns. The entrecote is flavored by putting it in kombu (Japanese seaweed). It may have been cooked just a little too long, but it is still juicy, moreover, it comes from dual-purpose cows that give milk and later goes to the slaughter, very sustainable. The sea lettuce and potato are printed in the shape of leeks, and the taste of the garnish is surprisingly savory! A huge palette of flavors, the whole is just a bit too complex.

The pre-dessert is a picture: a pearl of white chocolate filled with cocoa soap, raspberry, and pink pepper, served on a golden oyster with the crumb. You pour it in at once, resulting in a true taste explosion. We conclude with an equally beautiful layered dessert of almond mousse, coffee ice cream, crumbled hazelnut, and passion fruit jelly. My table companion thinks the whole thing is a bit musty, I understand what he means, some more fresh and sweet elements would have been welcome.

It's a great place to be at restaurant Bakboord, where you can taste the love and attention for the profession in the dishes. Every reason to return to the terrace this summer, with a view of the Gooimeer.