The Hague in Holland is home to the Royal family, the parliament and embassies of many countries. This will probably contribute to the number of high-end hotels and restaurants being located in The Hague. Walking distance from the embassies of Portugal and Canada as well as the Carlton Hotel, you will find restaurant Publique.

The layout of the restaurant is somewhat unusual. Enter the restaurant carefully, because you step almost immediately into the kitchen. The bar, in many restaurants relatively close to the entrance, is located in the back of the restaurant.  We were seated somewhere in the middle of the restaurant and even there we could feel the wind blow in when the the door opened.

Slightly small, but stylish wooden tables with beautiful seats seat two up to six people. Nice curtains hang in front of the gorgeous stained glass windows, without obstructing the view of the windows or the streets.

From almost all seats you have a view of the kitchen. For the size of the restaurant, there is a lot of staff in the kitchen. A total of five people were present in the kitchen, for a maximum of approx. 40 guests. Counting rest of the staff ended also around five where at least one of them worked mainly, if not exclusively, behind the bar.

Before making a choice (or even receiving) the menu, we could make a choice for an appetizer. Possible choices included two types of oysters or prosciutto. The prosciutto was amazing; very thinly sliced and not too salty or cold. A piece of bread to go with it would have been nice, but I could have eaten the entire plate (that serves two) myself.

The menu comes with a little booklet, which turns out to be the wine list. On the menu is some dishes for a-la-carte dining, but also a ‘surprise menu’.  Although the menu is not large, there is something for everyone. It includes fish, squid or chicken for starter. Main courses include cod, duck and shin of beef. The ‘surprise menu’, our choice for the evening, has three dishes and none of them is part of the a-la-carte menu. The wine list is like a notebook, with handwritten on each page are the wines, including the vintage and prices. A nice and unique way of presenting the available wines and easy to keep up to date.

For just EUR 34, the restaurant offers food for a very reasonable price. As a starter, there was some chicken, topped with mayonnaise, onion, gherkins and small shrimp. On the side there was a quail egg and a thin toasted piece of bread. Although the flavours where there, they were not very bold. As a result, the wrong choice of wine can really overpower the dish. Luckily, the knowledgeable staff knows all ins and outs of the menu as well as the wine list.

Second dish, the main course, was the highlight of the evening. An absolutely perfectly cooked piece of veal sirloin. It came with some green beans and a beautiful creamy mash of smoked potato. I cannot remember ever having eaten such a good mash. On the table, the waiter added the celeriac and nutmeg sauce. Not something I normally would order, but excellent when combined with the moist and tender veal. The dish was completed with some winter purslane and cooked radish. The smoky flavour of the mash, the nice crunch of the beans and the almost sweet sauce, all the flavours and textures worked: Excellent dish!

Dessert was probably my least favourite dish of the evening. Don’t get me wrong, it was by no means a bad dish, but the others were simple better. It was a vanilla panacotta with red fruit coulis and a biscuit of apple with cinnamon. There was a little too much sauce to my liking. It is then very tempting to put a lot of it on the spoon, but this only means you will not taste the vanilla panacotta. Simply take a little less sauce on the spoon and you have a very tasty dessert.

By the end of the evening, I have had a nice meal for a very reasonable price. Having spent approx. EUR 45 for three courses including drinks, I would say this is great value for money. Even though they might be more than happy to accommodate families with children, it is not a restaurant that I would go to with children. I cannot really explain why other than saying that it is like going to the McDonalds for a Happy Meal on a business lunch; You can, but it just doesn’t feel right. This really is just my feeling as in no way did the staff suggest that anyone is unwelcome. For a business lunch or dinner, this restaurant is a good choice.

Restaurant location: View on Google Maps
Restaurant website: http://www.restaurantpublique.nl