Tasty wines at AREIA: 'Trust is important to us, as is quality'
Close to Scheveningen beach, on the Dr Lelykade, you will find AREIA by Vigo. Areia is Portuguese for sand, explains owner Cor from fish family Roeleveld. It is the third location under the Vigo flag. Recently, AREIA started serving Laurent-Perrier champagne with its oysters, for that real luxurious holiday feeling.
DATE
20 June 2024
TEXT
Frank Verhoef
IMAGE
Brian Mul
Tasty wines at AREIA: 'Trust is important to us, as is quality'
Close to Scheveningen beach, on the Dr Lelykade, you will find AREIA by Vigo. Areia is Portuguese for sand, explains owner Cor from fish family Roeleveld. It is the third location under the Vigo flag. Recently, AREIA started serving Laurent-Perrier champagne with its oysters, for that real luxurious holiday feeling.
"A wine connoisseur, me? Well, mostly an enthusiast," says Cor Roeleveld decidedly. It all started with the Barón de Ley from Spain. He has the bottle of Rioja wine brought to him by a colleague behind the imposing bar in AREIA. "Before I started the first Vigo location years ago, I really enjoyed this red wine," he says. When he started his first restaurant in 2015, he immediately wanted to know: can I put this one wine I find so special on the menu? He went looking for the importer. "We immediately ended up with Kwast Wijnkopers, a family business in Nieuw-Vennep."
'The wineries are often family businesses again'
Since then, the collaboration has further intensified. With Vigo (also a coastal town in Spain), but also with The Old Jazz, a jazzy decorated restaurant in the Statenkwartier, also owned by Roeleveld. "In fact, nine out of ten wines there come from Kwast," he says. And now, for the first time, Laurent-Perrier champagnes are on the menu at AREIA. These, like the wines, come from Kwast Wijnkopers. Quite logical really: one family business is founded on trust, the other on trust. That's nice working together. "Trust and quality are important to us. The wineries they work with are often family businesses as well. So that quality goes straight from the wineries via the importer to our guests' tables. Because you do it all for them."
On Tweede Haven are the Roeleveld family's newest restaurants: AIREA and Lemongrass.
Super fresh
This location in Scheveningen harbour came about from the growth of the aforementioned business. "This spot, with a beautiful view over the boats, came our way. We thought: this is where we will make a new Vigo. While decorating, we discovered that it was a bit more high-end furnished than suits Vigo's style." And so AREIA was born. The Mediterranean style is reflected in the interior and on the menu. Think hamachi with mandarinponzu, but also the ceviche of octopus, Spanish oysters and scallops with chorizo sautéed in beurre blanc. "We buy a lot from the Scheveningen auction, directly from the source. That has always been our strength. Fast from the sea to the plate. The throughput is very fast, so the fish is super fresh."
'Oysters with champagne: a great start to a great evening'
"At AREIA, we like to set something different from other restaurants in the Hague region. Hence this quality champagne from France, which you only find in a handful of restaurants. I really like it," says an enthusiastic Roeleveld. "The Laurent-Perrier champagne, from Tours-sur-Marne, goes well with our Spanish oysters, the Mariscos Laureano. But also with hamachi, tuna and lobster. Oysters with champagne, above all, is a great start to a great evening served at our place. You don't get full from the oysters, so you can feel free to take them. They are very tasty." Does Roeleveld drink it himself? "I was more of a lover of wines from Burgundy, but I now enjoy drinking Laurent-Perrier champagne!"
'The Laurent-Perrier champagne goes well with our Spanish oyster.'
Many trials
With Laurent-Perrier champagne, Kwast Wijnkopers is a partner of the Lauswolt Summer Concert in Friesland. Classical music, enjoying the sunshine. Roeleveld was there: "Then a glass of champagne really adds value. An indulgence." Every Roeleveld family business has employees who teach themselves all about wines and receive wine training at Kwast Wijnkopers. "We offer a wide range and a lot of choice. With us, you can choose 30 wines by the glass. That is much less in other restaurants. Getting to know wines is just a lot of tasting, you can't escape that. We train every quarter, when our range changes a little, in one of our restaurants. For in-depth training, we go to the tasting room in Nieuw-Vennep."
Employees also receive wine training at Kwast Wijnkopers
Cor Roeleveld likes to invest in his people. "They stay with us for a long time, therefore knowledge stays in house for a long time. That's very nice." A large group of employees has grown with the various restaurants from the beginning and some have even become co-owners. "Throughout the company, you see that many colleagues are employable everywhere and are willing to accommodate each other if it is busier at another location."
'People stay with us for a long time, therefore knowledge stays in house for a long time'
AREIA opened in August 2022. The building next door has been owned by Roeleveld since January 2022: Lemongrass, with a focus on French cuisine. "Actually, it came too soon, but you know, we are not suffering from the staff shortage. That made the decision to take over easier." Step by step, the restaurant is being remodelled. "Because of the new energy we are all putting into it, fortunately you can already see that Lemongrass regulars are coming back. We can already see that things are going well, but it still needs some time. That's not a bad thing." And the future? "It's a challenge for small business owners because of inflation. But I remain positive."
High quality
Founded in 1812, the Tours-sur-Marne-based Laurent-Perrier family business, run by the De Nonancourt family, specialised in producing high-quality champagnes. Blending different grape varieties, parcels or vintages, or assemblage, creates a distinctive style of freshness, elegance and purity.
text Frank Verhoef image Brian Mul
"A wine connoisseur, me? Well, mostly an enthusiast," says Cor Roeleveld decidedly. It all started with the Barón de Ley from Spain. He has the bottle of Rioja wine brought to him by a colleague behind the imposing bar in AREIA. "Before I started the first Vigo location years ago, I really enjoyed this red wine," he says. When he started his first restaurant in 2015, he immediately wanted to know: can I put this one wine I find so special on the menu? He went looking for the importer. "We immediately ended up with Kwast Wijnkopers, a family business in Nieuw-Vennep."
'The wineries are often family businesses again'
Since then, the collaboration has further intensified. With Vigo (also a coastal town in Spain), but also with The Old Jazz, a jazzy decorated restaurant in the Statenkwartier, also owned by Roeleveld. "In fact, nine out of ten wines there come from Kwast," he says. And now, for the first time, Laurent-Perrier champagnes are on the menu at AREIA. These, like the wines, come from Kwast Wijnkopers. Quite logical really: one family business is founded on trust, the other on trust. That's nice working together. "Trust and quality are important to us. The wineries they work with are often family businesses as well. So that quality goes straight from the wineries via the importer to our guests' tables. Because you do it all for them."
On Tweede Haven are the Roeleveld family's newest restaurants: AIREA and Lemongrass.
Super fresh
This location in Scheveningen harbour came about from the growth of the aforementioned business. "This spot, with a beautiful view over the boats, came our way. We thought: this is where we will make a new Vigo. While decorating, we discovered that it was a bit more high-end furnished than suits Vigo's style." And so AREIA was born. The Mediterranean style is reflected in the interior and on the menu. Think hamachi with mandarinponzu, but also the ceviche of octopus, Spanish oysters and scallops with chorizo sautéed in beurre blanc. "We buy a lot from the Scheveningen auction, directly from the source. That has always been our strength. Fast from the sea to the plate. The throughput is very fast, so the fish is super fresh."
'Oysters with champagne: a great start to a great evening'
"At AREIA, we like to set something different from other restaurants in the Hague region. Hence this quality champagne from France, which you only find in a handful of restaurants. I really like it," says an enthusiastic Roeleveld. "The Laurent-Perrier champagne, from Tours-sur-Marne, goes well with our Spanish oysters, the Mariscos Laureano. But also with hamachi, tuna and lobster. Oysters with champagne, above all, is a great start to a great evening served at our place. You don't get full from the oysters, so you can feel free to take them. They are very tasty." Does Roeleveld drink it himself? "I was more of a lover of wines from Burgundy, but I now enjoy drinking Laurent-Perrier champagne!"
'The Laurent-Perrier champagne goes well with our Spanish oyster.'
Many trials
With Laurent-Perrier champagne, Kwast Wijnkopers is a partner of the Lauswolt Summer Concert in Friesland. Classical music, enjoying the sunshine. Roeleveld was there: "Then a glass of champagne really adds value. An indulgence." Every Roeleveld family business has employees who teach themselves all about wines and receive wine training at Kwast Wijnkopers. "We offer a wide range and a lot of choice. With us, you can choose 30 wines by the glass. That is much less in other restaurants. Getting to know wines is just a lot of tasting, you can't escape that. We train every quarter, when our range changes a little, in one of our restaurants. For in-depth training, we go to the tasting room in Nieuw-Vennep."
Employees also receive wine training at Kwast Wijnkopers
Cor Roeleveld likes to invest in his people. "They stay with us for a long time, therefore knowledge stays in house for a long time. That's very nice." A large group of employees has grown with the various restaurants from the beginning and some have even become co-owners. "Throughout the company, you see that many colleagues are employable everywhere and are willing to accommodate each other if it is busier at another location."
'People stay with us for a long time, therefore knowledge stays in house for a long time'
AREIA opened in August 2022. The building next door has been owned by Roeleveld since January 2022: Lemongrass, with a focus on French cuisine. "Actually, it came too soon, but you know, we are not suffering from the staff shortage. That made the decision to take over easier." Step by step, the restaurant is being remodelled. "Because of the new energy we are all putting into it, fortunately you can already see that Lemongrass regulars are coming back. We can already see that things are going well, but it still needs some time. That's not a bad thing." And the future? "It's a challenge for small business owners because of inflation. But I remain positive."
High quality
Founded in 1812, the Tours-sur-Marne-based Laurent-Perrier family business, run by the De Nonancourt family, specialised in producing high-quality champagnes. Blending different grape varieties, parcels or vintages, or assemblage, creates a distinctive style of freshness, elegance and purity.
