EVE by Erik van Loo in The Hague serves gorgeous food in a gorgeous setting, but falls short on the comfort you'd expect
Michelin experience, bistro prices — and bistro noise, EVE by Erik van Loo has so much potential, but the food is overshadowed by the roar of the dining room.
EVE by Erik van Loo is the Hague’s newest culinary jewel. After a month of mild illness and cancelled dinner plans, I was especially excited to visit.
My hopes are high already given the chef’s name on the door. Erik van Loo belongs to an upper echelon of culinary stars in the country, as the chef-owner of the two Michelin-starred Parkheuvel in Rotterdam. We’re not often treated to exciting restaurants in The Hague, so I was delighted when EVE by Erik van Loo ended up here.
The restaurant is located in a beautiful cloudy blue building from the 18th century. It’s split into two dining rooms and I’m glad we’re led to one with a view of Noordeinde Palace. It’s gorgeous in here. The natural light streams through the tall windows and into the stylishly decorated restaurant, accentuating the calming golden hues and clean lines. It looks refined and yet open. Chic and casual. At this point, I’m already looking forward to coming back.
The cuisine is Dutch — modern Dutch, that is, which highlights local ingredients and imbues them with influences from France, Italy, and parts of Asia. Ceviche, burratas, and tartars for appetizers; cod and vegetables and a lobster ravioli for the mains, and an interesting take on tiramisu for dessert — I know no other place that exemplifies so well what modern Dutch cuisine is.
We’re led to a table in the middle of a half-empty dining room, seated next to a German couple. Their physical bodies are two feet away from ours, but they could just as well be our table mates. I hear every word of their conversation — what he orders for dessert, the last conversation she had with her father. When we start our dinner at 6:00, I’m already cognizant that the tables nearby can hear what I’m saying. This isn’t the place to have a private conversation or a business dinner.
The crowd is an interesting mix of diners. Some dress casually in jeans and wool sweaters and some in sharper workwear. The middle-aged Dutch ladies on my left dress fit for a club in sequins and sheer, and the young man on my right in skinny ripped jeans. It’s a delight to see the restaurant welcomes a varied crowd, not something you see in every restaurant in The Hague.
The menu is small with a handful of appetizers, mains, and two desserts. The wine list is confusing, differentiating “house wines” from “EVE wines” from “spicy wines” from “fruity and supple reds” from “classic and oak-aged reds” and so on. I’d prefer simpler categorization by region or red/white. There’s emphasis on Old World and South African wines, ranging from 30-140 euros with most bottles in the 60 range.
I opt for an Austrian Grüner Veltliner as it’s by the glass and ordering a bottle doesn’t seem so fun while my dining partner abstains from alcohol. When the waitress comes to my table, she appears to hide the fact that it’s a screw top bottle, but you hear the metal cap scraping against the glass anyway. I’m expecting a fresh and floral scent to emit from the glass, but it smells sharply like acetone. My dining partner, who is more versed in wine than I, agrees. I’ve never sent wine away before, but they were gracious and soon enough a sommelier comes and replacement South African wine is chosen. One sniff and I’m at ease again.
My starter of ceviche arrives before my first wine does. It’s kingfish two ways: thinly sliced and perfectly diced. Great technique shines here. The fish is beautifully presented and carries a lovely balance with the sharp radish, green allium oil, and a touch of creaminess from a verdant mayo. It’s more crudo than ceviche, but I can’t complain — it suits me better. I’d order it again.
The beef tartar is more mush than the hand-cut jewels of meat I expect. The cheese on top dances delicately like bonito flakes and threatens to overpower, but it’s not too old of a Parmigiano, so the delicate balance between the flavours holds. A scattering of quinoa is spread atop and quickly lost in the beef and cheese. It’s still a solid dish.
Fortunately, the main dishes are more tempting. The cod is excellently cooked, particularly as it’s skrei, which I struggle to cook well. There is a salsa verde on top, sweet fennel under the fish, but it’s a crispy seaweed cracker atop that stands out. The fish swims is a bit too much of a strong cream sauce that threatens to overpower but overall, it’s cohesive.
I hear the angels sing when I take a bite of the lobster ravioli. The filling shines with a strong lobster aroma that is both complex and deliciously accessible. The edamame provides an al dente contrast, but I’m then distracted by the browned bean sprouts ends which haven’t been taken off. The accompanying bouillon the waiter pours for me doesn’t taste like the advertised tom yum, and rather a standard bouillon, but it suits the dish fine.
Despite the quick show I’m treated to when the bouillon is poured, there are no explanations of the dishes when they arrive at the table. No froufrou of where the produce or fish come from, what the chef did to it, and I’m a bit puzzled at first because it seems like a nice enough setting. But even the large portion of lobster ravioli is 28 euros, not 38. And perhaps there is little to say about the edamame that maybe came from the freezer. This is where I’m reminded that although the interior is rather elegant, EVE remains a casual, rather than a luxurious, spot.
By 7:45 when all the tables are full, the noise from each table increases as voices rise to be able to be heard by dining partners. The chatter fills the room and the high ceilings, hard light fixtures, and hard walls bounce the sound waves endlessly. The only respite being the soft couch in the middle of the room. There’s nothing else to absorb the sound, and you can tell. Although I cherish a lively atmosphere, I shouldn’t be able to clearly hear the conversation of the couple two tables over. Nor do I wish to raise my voice to such an extent for my dining companions. It is really too loud.
My dining companion gets impatient from the noise and refuses dessert. A shame because the hopjes tiramisu is a highlight. Here, EVE has understood the assignment: modern Dutch cuisine with a spin. It’s executed well with coffee, caramel, and vanilla balancing each other out. I’m relieved that the ladyfingers have long been soaked, leading to a tender bite. The spoon is almost comically large, threatening to tip over the martini glass, but it holds. Despite this awkwardness, the tiramisu is one of the better bites I’ve had all year. I’m impressed.
The Hague Review: 7/10
Stylish interior and well-executed modern Dutch cuisine but falls short on comfort
EVE by Erik van Loo is exactly what The Hague missed — modern Dutch classics in a stylish and accessible setting for a reasonable price. It is primed to be a place for a comfortable dinner. There are options for vegetarians, pescatarians, and omnivores and the food is good.
I’d be more interested if they played with fermented elements, specialty ingredients, or if they told me they grow their own produce. But the dining scene in The Hague does tend to reward the conservative, so I’m not surprised.
What makes me hesitate to come back are elements that fortunately are easily fixable. First, there is a water charge of 5 euros per person that I find rather annoying, especially as it isn’t communicated. And secondly, the aforementioned noise levels that let down our experience. With these and a few forgivable service missteps here and there, it feels a bit clunky.
I wish to heartily recommend this to my friends when they have international guests over, but ultimately, it falls short for comfort.
When we’re brought to the counter to settle the bill (120 euros for 2 people), my dining partner remarks to the server how loud it is in the room. She nods her head, “yeah,” she says, then chuckles, “and the other room is even worse.”
EVE by Erik van Loo
Paleisstraat 2
2514 JA Den Haag
https://eve-paleisstraat.nl
