Dutch is an unfortunate cuisine. The mere mention of it tends to elicit sneers from foreigners and embarrassed apologies from the Dutch. This is rather unfair, as it contains an amazing range of seasonal ingredients and regional dishes. One restaurant that is putting Dutch food back on the menu is Hemelse Modder.

A large place that occupies two interconnecting rooms, some attempt has been made at gezelligheid: candles on the tables, soft background music. Unfortunately, it is just a bit too impersonal, with cheap-looking tables and chairs that wouldn’t look out of place in a college canteen.

But Hemelse Modder (literally Heavenly Mud) is consistently popular and the food - thankfully - outstrips the dodgy furniture. A three-course set menu costs €29.50 and is based on local and seasonal ingredients.

When I visited in the summer, this comprised a chunky, homemade terrine of Beemster ham with sheep’s cheese; mullet with Opperdoezer potatoes and lambs’ lettuce salad; and a Dutch cheese board. À la carte options included oven-baked figs stuffed with Blue de Wolvega cheese; quail with truffle butter, potato and Jerusalem artichoke gratin, carrot puree and elderberry sauce.

The dessert menu was made up of ‘comfort food’ items such as poached fruit with yoghurt, steamed ginger pudding and, of course, hemelse modder (chocolate mousse), the restaurant’s namesake.

The menu at Hemelse Modder is inventive and does a great job of raising the profile of Dutch dishes; the food just isn’t quite as ‘heavenly’ as its name implies and the service can be patchy. Still, it’s definitely worth a visit – just try not to look at the furniture.

 

A cheaper Dutch option, Café Captein and Co, is just up the road.