Delicious Tasting Menu in ‘s-Hertogenbosch

Taste bij Dirk offers a culinary adventure in the form of a set menu of smaller dishes that are well executed, beautiful and of course delicious.

I love tasting menu restaurants because the set menu means that I do not have to make any decisions that I could potentially regret. It releases me from any responsibility of enjoying the meal. And as we had something to celebrate, we reserved a table for lunch at Taste bij Dirk.

At Taste bij Dirk we were seated and the waiter explained the format, poured some bubbles and allowed a little time to contemplate the answers to a couple of very simple questions.

1. Do you have any allergies?
2. How many courses would you like today?
3. Do you want the last course to be sweet or savory?
4. Do you want to take advantage of the wine pairing menu and if yes… half or whole glass?

Music to my ears. I can answer all of these questions without experiencing decision fatigue which I do suffer from if a menu has too many delicious sounding options. So thank you Taste bij Dirk…..I am happy to eat and drink whatever you recommend.

I chose a sweet last course because I can’t say no to a tasty sweet treat at the end of a meal and as a wine lover I had to have the wine pairing option especially because I see no point in ordering a bottle for the table in a situation where you have no idea what type of food you will be tasting. The restaurant has gone to the effort of pairing a wine with each dish, who am I to argue? At Taste bij Dirk this was definitely the right decision. Each small tasting dish that was presented was perfectly paired with a delicious and complimentary wine. And although I did not take advantage of the half glass option this time, I would say that it is one of the things I really appreciate when eating out. I love being offered the opportunity to reduce alcohol consumption while still enjoying the full taste experience of every course. And if you love wine, it is fun to hear about the wines from the waiter/sommelier and potentially try a wine you would have never ordered or bought yourself. Another reason why tasting menus are such an adventure.

During this visit to Taste bij Dirk, we were enjoying the lunch menu and I have to say that we really enjoyed it. It is rare to find a restaurant that does a tasting menu for lunch and Taste bij Dirk did it well. The portions were small so we could enjoy 5 courses without feeling stuffed and sleepy on completion. Every dish was meticulously presented and beautiful to look at and tasted delicious. To see a photo impression of the food on offer visit the Taste bij Dirk Instagram feed https://www.instagram.com/tastebijdirk/

I definitely intend to go back to investigate the situation in the evening. I am sure the food will be as delicious as the lunch and am curious to see how or if the ambiance changes versus the lunch crowd.

PS… A little tip: If you can’t decide between the sweet or savory last course or are not completely in love with desserts, order a coffee or espresso at the end of the meal. We received two amazing sweet treats with our espressos…a macaron which was enjoyable and an amazing, mouthwatering miso/popcorn/caramelly bite which was to die for. I would have bought a box to take home for later if they sold them.

Taste bij Dirk is on the Verwersstraat 58 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch https://www.tastebijdirk.nl/

Food Enthusiast is always looking for restaurants with great tasting menus, what are your favorites?