At Miss Jones dine just over the edge
After MaMa Kelly, Rein Rambaldo flicks it again. His new restaurant Miss Jones is high-profile and a bit over the edge. He has thought about everything: from the interior design to the menu. "After all, I am a concept man," he says.

DATE
29 March 2023
TEXT
Annerieke Simeone
IMAGE
Brian Mul
At Miss Jones dine just over the edge
After MaMa Kelly, Rein Rambaldo flicks it again. His new restaurant Miss Jones is high-profile and a bit over the edge. He has thought about everything: from the interior design to the menu. "After all, I am a concept man," he says.
"Hey Rein," calls a passer-by. He walks a little closer to the open window and sticks his thumb up to the owner of Miss Jones restaurant sitting there at the table. "How beautiful your terrace turned out." Rein Rambaldo thanks him and when the man is out of sight, he points outside. A stone's throw from Voorburg's main shopping street is a terrace with rattan chairs and big green plants. "Still just like Mikonos or Ibiza?" he grins. "Women are constantly walking around with their devices taking pictures."

Rein Rambaldo in one of Miss Jones' eccentric 'bird cages'.

The interior of Miss Jones is a good mix of tough masculine and cheerful feminine.
And women, those are his main target audience, he knows from experience. "They are on social media the most, they drag their husbands here. For most men, if the lady is enjoying herself, that's fine. Although you shouldn't go overboard with that, of course." Rambaldo, who is also an interior designer, hints at his previous restaurant MaMaKelly in Amsterdam. "That was all pink and gold inside. A women's paradise, but too much for men. And you need them too, because men spend more."

"Well, how shall I describe it? Glitter and glamour and a bit over the edge."
So a good mix of tough masculine and cheerful feminine is best, according to him. "Well, how shall I describe it? Glitter and glamour and a bit over the edge." He takes a sip of his cappuccino with oat milk and continues his argument. "Just look at what we are sitting on: a black, cool but cuddly velvet sofa. The tables are also black, but have an element of gold. In the back, it's much more lavish, like a sea of flowers. Again, the eccentric ladies love that. You are constantly surprised. That's also possible here, because we're talking about a thousand-square-metre space."
Miss Jones
Almost everything you hear, see or taste at Miss Jones comes from the entrepreneur living in Voorburg. So also the menu. "Very consciously, mind you. The chef is between four walls, I walk around here and hear what people think of it. Besides, I'm a concept man: everything has to be right. And if something doesn't go right, I can blame myself. What are my favourite dishes? The bao buns with pork belly and the foe young egg. That last dish, by the way, was invented by one of my cooks. And watch this." He grabs his iPhone. "Picture, huh? Celeriac with misolak. Yes, veg is a thing. You're not going to make your sales with it, but that world has a big following and people love to write about it. I found this dish while browsing the internet. Then I type in: 'best vegan restaurants in the world' and then I stumble upon a dish like this."
'I never actually visit restaurants in the Netherlands. They are not innovative enough for me'
Rambaldo also gains culinary inspiration while travelling with his family. "Restaurants in the Netherlands I never actually visit. They are not innovative enough for me." Laughs: "And then I have another great excuse to go abroad."
Trial sessions
The next destination is the Dominican Republic. "Count on me to ask the restaurant manager about the tastiest dishes on the menu. Once back, I have a list full of ideas for the kitchen, which they then get to present to me." Tasting sessions he does alone or with his wife present. "I don't like too many distractions. And what I am presented with has to be one hundred per cent finished, I don't want to hear that something is still missing."
'I make mistakes too sometimes'
He knows it himself, he is a huge perfectionist. "But even I make mistakes from time to time. As an example: every month, two professional photographers shoot images of the dishes or the interior here. First, I had bought beautiful black plates. Those photographers can handle them just fine, but they have the equipment to do so. The pictures guests shot with their mobiles, on the other hand, were too ugly to post. Yes, I also manage my social media channels, which is why I know that. Anyway. So after that, I bought white boards. Much better result."
Iris Apfel
Meanwhile, he has already walked on to the cocktail bar, which continues into the conservatory. At the back is space for private dining. "But when we are full here, all the doors can open and we can move the space into the restaurant," he says. His tattooed arm rests on the bar for a moment. "When I was allowed to rent this building last year, I used to go here by myself on weekends. Then I would grab a folding chair and close my eyes. In my mind, I would walk through Miss's space and come up with ideas, which I would then write out on my iPhone as quickly as possible."

A portrait of American interior designer Iris Apfel hangs in the shop.
He often went through his notes the very next day with his colleague from the Horeca Fabriek. Because that's what he does on the side: inventing and realising hospitality concepts for others. And he runs Interior Label, a wide range of interior design and design for business. "That's why I hung a big portrait of Iris Apfel (American interior designer and fashion icon, ed.) in my shop. She is a role model, this extravagant lady of more than a hundred years who surrounds herself with young people.
Podcasts
I do that too. I want to know what motivates them, where they go out, what they listen to. That's how I keep abreast of trends. By the way, do you know which podcasts are interesting to you?" He takes out his phone again and lists a whole list. One thing is clear: Rambaldo's head never stands still.
text Annerieke Simeone image Brian Mul
"Hey Rein," calls a passer-by. He walks a little closer to the open window and sticks his thumb up to the owner of Miss Jones restaurant sitting there at the table. "How beautiful your terrace turned out." Rein Rambaldo thanks him and when the man is out of sight, he points outside. A stone's throw from Voorburg's main shopping street is a terrace with rattan chairs and big green plants. "Still just like Mikonos or Ibiza?" he grins. "Women are constantly walking around with their devices taking pictures."

Rein Rambaldo in one of Miss Jones' eccentric 'bird cages'.

The interior of Miss Jones is a good mix of tough masculine and cheerful feminine.
And women, those are his main target audience, he knows from experience. "They are on social media the most, they drag their husbands here. For most men, if the lady is enjoying herself, that's fine. Although you shouldn't go overboard with that, of course." Rambaldo, who is also an interior designer, hints at his previous restaurant MaMaKelly in Amsterdam. "That was all pink and gold inside. A women's paradise, but too much for men. And you need them too, because men spend more."

"Well, how shall I describe it? Glitter and glamour and a bit over the edge."
So a good mix of tough masculine and cheerful feminine is best, according to him. "Well, how shall I describe it? Glitter and glamour and a bit over the edge." He takes a sip of his cappuccino with oat milk and continues his argument. "Just look at what we are sitting on: a black, cool but cuddly velvet sofa. The tables are also black, but have an element of gold. In the back, it's much more lavish, like a sea of flowers. Again, the eccentric ladies love that. You are constantly surprised. That's also possible here, because we're talking about a thousand-square-metre space."
Miss Jones
Almost everything you hear, see or taste at Miss Jones comes from the entrepreneur living in Voorburg. So also the menu. "Very consciously, mind you. The chef is between four walls, I walk around here and hear what people think of it. Besides, I'm a concept man: everything has to be right. And if something doesn't go right, I can blame myself. What are my favourite dishes? The bao buns with pork belly and the foe young egg. That last dish, by the way, was invented by one of my cooks. And watch this." He grabs his iPhone. "Picture, huh? Celeriac with misolak. Yes, veg is a thing. You're not going to make your sales with it, but that world has a big following and people love to write about it. I found this dish while browsing the internet. Then I type in: 'best vegan restaurants in the world' and then I stumble upon a dish like this."
'I never actually visit restaurants in the Netherlands. They are not innovative enough for me'
Rambaldo also gains culinary inspiration while travelling with his family. "Restaurants in the Netherlands I never actually visit. They are not innovative enough for me." Laughs: "And then I have another great excuse to go abroad."
Trial sessions
The next destination is the Dominican Republic. "Count on me to ask the restaurant manager about the tastiest dishes on the menu. Once back, I have a list full of ideas for the kitchen, which they then get to present to me." Tasting sessions he does alone or with his wife present. "I don't like too many distractions. And what I am presented with has to be one hundred per cent finished, I don't want to hear that something is still missing."
'I make mistakes too sometimes'
He knows it himself, he is a huge perfectionist. "But even I make mistakes from time to time. As an example: every month, two professional photographers shoot images of the dishes or the interior here. First, I had bought beautiful black plates. Those photographers can handle them just fine, but they have the equipment to do so. The pictures guests shot with their mobiles, on the other hand, were too ugly to post. Yes, I also manage my social media channels, which is why I know that. Anyway. So after that, I bought white boards. Much better result."
Iris Apfel
Meanwhile, he has already walked on to the cocktail bar, which continues into the conservatory. At the back is space for private dining. "But when we are full here, all the doors can open and we can move the space into the restaurant," he says. His tattooed arm rests on the bar for a moment. "When I was allowed to rent this building last year, I used to go here by myself on weekends. Then I would grab a folding chair and close my eyes. In my mind, I would walk through Miss's space and come up with ideas, which I would then write out on my iPhone as quickly as possible."

A portrait of American interior designer Iris Apfel hangs in the shop.
He often went through his notes the very next day with his colleague from the Horeca Fabriek. Because that's what he does on the side: inventing and realising hospitality concepts for others. And he runs Interior Label, a wide range of interior design and design for business. "That's why I hung a big portrait of Iris Apfel (American interior designer and fashion icon, ed.) in my shop. She is a role model, this extravagant lady of more than a hundred years who surrounds herself with young people.
Podcasts
I do that too. I want to know what motivates them, where they go out, what they listen to. That's how I keep abreast of trends. By the way, do you know which podcasts are interesting to you?" He takes out his phone again and lists a whole list. One thing is clear: Rambaldo's head never stands still.