Along the coast
'I instantly fell in love with New Kijkduin'
DATE
27 December 2021
TEXT
Jasper Gramsma
IMAGE
Fleur Beemster
A building project like New Kijkduin can be as beautiful as it is, it is the people who bring the place to life. Entrepreneur and resident Sylvain Koch and beach bar owner Sandro Mona agree: this will be the best seaside resort in the Netherlands.
Iemand had to be the first, and that was Sylvain Koch. In the middle of corona time, he opened his lunchroom cum snack bar in the Nieuw Kijkduin under construction. Taste of Kijkduin exudes what the seaside resort should become: a toasted sandwich or a croquette, but of top quality and in a hip, artisanal entourage.
Sandro Mona and Sylvain Koch see each other as colleagues, not competitors.
Seated under the characteristic plant wall, Koch says: "Roeland (Voerman, of FRED Developers, ed.) came to me with the plans and I immediately signed up, for the business as well as a flat." And that while he lived on the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. "The woods I am used to, but the sea is special to me. I instantly fell in love and my entrepreneurial heart started beating faster."
Taste of Kijkduin
Taste of Kijkduin got off to a flying start, its 'fried rendang' already a household name. "Pandemic or not, people immediately queued up for a cup of coffee and a sandwich," recalls Koch. "Fortunately, our concept is set up for takeaway; we even do dinners-to-go."
'Catering is of a higher standard than in Scheveningen'
The instant success is indicative of the temptation that Kijkduin naturally offers. Sandro Mona, owner of the sustainable Strandtent 14 for many years, also knows this. "I have always believed in Kijkduin as a family seaside resort," says the entrepreneur as he sits down. "No mass tourism with coaches here, but returning visitors who appreciate this as a destination. As a result, the catering is of a higher standard than other seaside resorts that run on mass tourism. Much more surprising, creative."
Balance sheet
Mona has been enthusiastic about the transformation of what he calls 'upstairs' since the very beginning. "I noticed in recent years that the old Kijkduin was falling into disrepair. Entrepreneurs became wait-and-see because they knew things would be shaken up. At our place, meanwhile, everything went on as usual, because down at the beach, nothing basically changed.
 | Read also: 'Picasso-Giacometti' in anniversary Voorlinden Heroes of art: Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti at Museum Voorlinden in Wassenaar. |
With the hinterland becoming more beautiful, this will soon be the best seaside resort in the Netherlands!" Koch nods in agreement and says: "We are all working together to make it something good in terms of quality. The mix of entrepreneurs is balanced and there is no lack of spirit." "We are therefore more colleagues than competitors," Mona adds. "The more attractive the upstairs is, the better for the beach and vice versa."
A terrace
Koch says the preview provided by the completed development of New Kijkduin is met with positive reactions. "I get a lot of people coming in saying: how cool is this going to be! Among them are many loyal visitors who know the old seaside resort like the back of their hand, such as tourists who have been holidaying every summer for years in Roompot's park just down the road. But also new residents, of course, like to sit here on a terrace."
'I get a lot of people coming in and saying: how cool is this going to be!'
Mona signals that the audience is becoming more diverse due to the new building. "It has brought about the rejuvenation we were all hoping for. This is partly due to the new residents, a lot of whom are also moving in. That really gives the resort a new future."
Taste of Kijkduin.
So, besides being the first entrepreneur, Sylvain Koch is also one of the pioneering residents of New Kijkduin. Not entirely coincidentally, he lives in the flat right above 'his' Taste of Kijkduin. "As a starter, it's buffeting, I put in a lot of hours.
Ice cream parlour Bella's.
Then it is ideal to live so close to work, especially in a house with this level of finish." He overlooks Kijduinsestraat and Scheveningen. "There is always plenty to do, and if I stick my head around the corner, I can see the sea." Still, he calls it "a curse and a blessing": "The work never leaves me, after all, my neighbours are also my guests. When I am at home, I still make sure there is no rubbish on the street. Then I sometimes shout, 'Get a broom over the terrace!'"
New Kijkduin
To put New Kijkduin on the map, momentum is building a business association in cooperation with owner FRED Developers. "We want to come out as one brand by doing bundled marketing," Mona explains. "Everyone should know that this will be the most beautiful seaside resort in the Netherlands. And don't forget to mention that you can still park here for free?"
www.nieuwkijkduin.nl /www.tasteofkijkduin.nl / www.strandtent14.nl
text Jasper Gramsma / image Fleur Beemster
A building project like New Kijkduin can be as beautiful as it is, it is the people who bring the place to life. Entrepreneur and resident Sylvain Koch and beach bar owner Sandro Mona agree: this will be the best seaside resort in the Netherlands.
Iemand had to be the first, and that was Sylvain Koch. In the middle of corona time, he opened his lunchroom cum snack bar in the Nieuw Kijkduin under construction. Taste of Kijkduin exudes what the seaside resort should become: a toasted sandwich or a croquette, but of top quality and in a hip, artisanal entourage.
Sandro Mona and Sylvain Koch see each other as colleagues, not competitors.
Seated under the characteristic plant wall, Koch says: "Roeland (Voerman, of FRED Developers, ed.) came to me with the plans and I immediately signed up, for the business as well as a flat." And that while he lived on the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. "The woods I am used to, but the sea is special to me. I instantly fell in love and my entrepreneurial heart started beating faster."
Taste of Kijkduin
Taste of Kijkduin got off to a flying start, its 'fried rendang' already a household name. "Pandemic or not, people immediately queued up for a cup of coffee and a sandwich," recalls Koch. "Fortunately, our concept is set up for takeaway; we even do dinners-to-go."
'Catering is of a higher standard than in Scheveningen'
The instant success is indicative of the temptation that Kijkduin naturally offers. Sandro Mona, owner of the sustainable Strandtent 14 for many years, also knows this. "I have always believed in Kijkduin as a family seaside resort," says the entrepreneur as he sits down. "No mass tourism with coaches here, but returning visitors who appreciate this as a destination. As a result, the catering is of a higher standard than other seaside resorts that run on mass tourism. Much more surprising, creative."
Balance sheet
Mona has been enthusiastic about the transformation of what he calls 'upstairs' since the very beginning. "I noticed in recent years that the old Kijkduin was falling into disrepair. Entrepreneurs became wait-and-see because they knew things would be shaken up. At our place, meanwhile, everything went on as usual, because down at the beach, nothing basically changed.
| Read also: 'Picasso-Giacometti' in anniversary Voorlinden Heroes of art: Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti at Museum Voorlinden in Wassenaar. |
With the hinterland becoming more beautiful, this will soon be the best seaside resort in the Netherlands!" Koch nods in agreement and says: "We are all working together to make it something good in terms of quality. The mix of entrepreneurs is balanced and there is no lack of spirit." "We are therefore more colleagues than competitors," Mona adds. "The more attractive the upstairs is, the better for the beach and vice versa."
A terrace
Koch says the preview provided by the completed development of New Kijkduin is met with positive reactions. "I get a lot of people coming in saying: how cool is this going to be! Among them are many loyal visitors who know the old seaside resort like the back of their hand, such as tourists who have been holidaying every summer for years in Roompot's park just down the road. But also new residents, of course, like to sit here on a terrace."
'I get a lot of people coming in and saying: how cool is this going to be!'
Mona signals that the audience is becoming more diverse due to the new building. "It has brought about the rejuvenation we were all hoping for. This is partly due to the new residents, a lot of whom are also moving in. That really gives the resort a new future."
Taste of Kijkduin.
So, besides being the first entrepreneur, Sylvain Koch is also one of the pioneering residents of New Kijkduin. Not entirely coincidentally, he lives in the flat right above 'his' Taste of Kijkduin. "As a starter, it's buffeting, I put in a lot of hours.
Ice cream parlour Bella's.
Then it is ideal to live so close to work, especially in a house with this level of finish." He overlooks Kijduinsestraat and Scheveningen. "There is always plenty to do, and if I stick my head around the corner, I can see the sea." Still, he calls it "a curse and a blessing": "The work never leaves me, after all, my neighbours are also my guests. When I am at home, I still make sure there is no rubbish on the street. Then I sometimes shout, 'Get a broom over the terrace!'"
New Kijkduin
To put New Kijkduin on the map, momentum is building a business association in cooperation with owner FRED Developers. "We want to come out as one brand by doing bundled marketing," Mona explains. "Everyone should know that this will be the most beautiful seaside resort in the Netherlands. And don't forget to mention that you can still park here for free?"
www.nieuwkijkduin.nl /www.tasteofkijkduin.nl / www.strandtent14.nl
