Being one of the three two-star restaurants in town, you could argue that competition in fine dining in Rotterdam is high. Where some restaurants make us wonder how stars are awarded, sometimes in a positive way and sometimes in a more negative sense. At Restaurant Fred there is no question. It has two stars and deserves at least that.

Unlike many other restaurants, Fred is not located in the city center. Just off the highway, you’ll find the restaurant with plenty of on-street parking and parking lots available close to the restaurant. From a logistical point of view, the restaurant is in a nice location. We do like to have a nice view, as is the case for example at Parkheuvel. Realizing that a nice view isn’t always possible, the location of this restaurant does ‘surprise’ us – outside the city center in a residential area that we would not call glamorous or fancy or anything. But then we entered the restaurant: We immediately noticed a very nice contemporary design. We had seen some photos of the restaurant where the ceiling was covered with a golden pattern, where nowadays it is nice and black. The walls have been redone and the sand-colored stone has been replaced by darker colors that look like wooden panels combined with large pieces of art. Sufficient natural light coming from the large set of windows means it does not feel like a dark little room at all. Seats and tables did not change with the  refurbishment and go really well with both the old and new interior. The restrooms somehow felt a little different. It was still nice and well-designed but with a different vibe….

For lunch, there is an option for a 4- or 5-course lunch menu or the 8-course tasting menu. A nice design-feature with the restaurant is that from many of the tables you have a view of the kitchen. The view of the kitchen is there, but there is a glass wall between the tables and kitchen, which ensures very little of the noise from the kitchen will disrupt the guests’ meal. At the entrance, there is a nice table for slightly larger groups, although we’d prefer not to sit so close to the entrance.

Then we come to the food. Here the summary is that the restaurant really does deserve the two stars that they have. From scallops with Perigord truffle to pumpkin with bergamot and blood orange, each dish looking stunning and tasting delicious. Some of the dishes had some quite unusual flavour combinations; One of the dishes was turbot with a Dutch spiced sausage and a crunchy crust containing (amongst others) Iberico ham. These definitely are flavours that you would normally not combine in a home-cooked meal. The next dish was Wagyu beef, which we feel looks ordinary on the plate most of the time. By simply putting the onion compote in a little tartlet, on top of some vegetables and a nice deep-fried leaf made of potato, here the plate looked clean and unlike something you’d make at home (even though it was “just” steak with potatoes and onion). It really is this kind of thing that makes us want to go to restaurants like this. Each of the dishes was, as you’d expect with a two-star restaurant, very well executed: A nice crunch where needed and the right balance between all ingredients. The only exception to this was perhaps the tiramisu, where we personally would have liked for example some nuts sprinkled on top. Perhaps not part of the traditional tiramisu, but something we would have liked.

The food is a very important aspect of the dining experience, but surely not the only one. The service provided by the restaurant staff is the other major aspect. Where the service cannot compensate for food not being of the right standard, it could potentially ruin an afternoon/evening. Staff at Fred is professional and friendly, as you’d expect with a restaurant like this. The staff makes you feel at home and comfortable. They are the ones giving the restaurant a relaxed atmosphere. Service is less formal than you’d find at Parkheuvel ** but little more formal than FG Restaurant **, but there is not very much between FG and Fred. One isn’t better than the other, but just different. A little detail that we did notice is that every dish is explained and main ingredients are given when they are being served. Where different parties had the same menu with no dietary requirement, we were surprised to hear differences in explanations between tables. The dish that was turbot for us, turned out to be another fish on the table next to us. A small point of attention, we’d say…

For the menu of 8 courses, you will pay EUR 160 (excludes drinks) and this is worth every penny. For a surplus, the menu can be extended with cheese. Apart from the optional cheese plate, there are no ‘hidden costs’ for additional (luxury) ingredients, like caviar or truffle. The price includes everything, except for drinks. It is a beautiful restaurant that is excellent for business lunches or dinners.