How Marcel van der Kleijn got to Good Volck.
Goed Volck is Marcel van der Kleijn's fifth restaurant. With a starring role for simplicity and finesse.
DATE
28 September 2022
TEXT
Jasper Gramsma
IMAGE
Brian Mul
How Marcel van der Kleijn got to Good Volck.
Goed Volck is Marcel van der Kleijn's fifth restaurant. With a starring role for simplicity and finesse.
Ron Goedvolk, nicknamed 'the Mayor of the Denneweg', has been dead for years. But the legend lives on. Indeed, his name has recently appeared in corrupted form on the façade of his former 's-Gravenhaagsche Eet- en Drinkinrichting on the corner of Hooistraat-Denneweg.
Five businesses and a private dining under construction: star chef Marcel van der Kleijn is unstoppable.
Good Volck is the fifth restaurant of Marcel van der Kleijn. "I knew Ron pretty well," explains the star chef from The Hague with a slight Zeeland accent. "We sometimes ate together and I used to drink a cup of coffee here every now and then."
Sylvia Tóth
Before Van der Kleijn continues his account, he almost compulsively straightens some tables. Goed Volck may be a 'neighbourhood restaurant' in the spirit of the old manager, but it all has to be perfect. Apart from the place, nothing is the same anymore about what was once the second living room of Sylvia Tóth, Paul Verhoeven and many others.
Gold velvet bucket seats and grey-brown wall benches create an ambiance that is as stylish as it is accessible.
Light and space dominate, and the former hay barn has been pulled into the business. Shiny green tiles against the bar, gold velvet bucket seats and grey-brown wall benches create an ambiance that is as stylish as it is accessible. Upbeat soul sounds.
Salad with thinly sliced sirloin steak, avocado, yellow beetroot and hazelnut.
"Something to eat first?", Van der Kleijn asks. Without waiting for an answer, he orders two salads with thinly sliced sirloin steak, avocado, yellow beetroot and hazelnut from chef Kyan van Bommel ("a great talent"). Meanwhile, manager Gijs Huizing arrives with the wine: a dusty, biodynamic glass of Waterkloof sauvignon blanc from South Africa. The menu, which changes every six weeks, looks classic, now including shrimp croquettes and a veal stew. A second glance reveals the master: the croquettes come with saffron rouille, the stew with a creamy mousseline.
'There is something tasty for everyone on the menu'
"At a function for the neighbourhood, it suits that you are approachable," Van der Kleijn explains. "The menu is therefore quite simple, but the dishes have sophistication and are fantastically supplied - of course, it has to be of such a level that I want to attach my name to it. There's something tasty for everyone at Goed Volck, but you haven't eaten it like this before." The friendly prices stand out, which is exactly what the culinary entrepreneur aims for. "Calla's is not one of the most affordable Michelin-starred restaurants in the Netherlands for nothing."
Good Volck
What would be almost unthinkable at Calla's does happen at Goed Volck. "If the atmosphere allows it, it may well be that Gijs (ex BIT, ed.) or Kyan will briefly join the guests at the table. I notice that we already have a lot of goodwill, we are well situated." Gijs Huizing, listening in from behind the bar, agrees: "People find their base here, some come for a drink every day." At that moment, a regular from Tapisco, one of the other restaurants, walks in to ask if there is still a table free in the evening. "We'd like to try this too," he sounds.
'I was watching a bullying mob from Harvest, opposite here'
Business is booming. And to think that the chef had absolutely no interest in yet another location. "Well. I was watching a pestilential mess in early 2020 from Harvest, opposite," he explains of the move. "The previous restaurant had already gone, but the terrace was full of rotten furniture and weeds - a blot on the Denneweg. I asked the owner, unusual guy but a topper, when he was going to clean up. To which he said: "Clean up nicely yourself. I promised, on condition that Harvest could use the terrace for as long as I wanted. Before I knew it, I came up with a rent proposal myself."
Private dining at home
In the renovation that followed, the containers Van der Kleijn had in place anyway came in handy for yet another new concept: private dining at home. "In the course of 2022, I will move to Jan van Nassaustraat," he gloats. "A building of more than 500 square metres that will be completely decorated under interior design. On the ground floor, we will create a home kitchen with dining room where I can host up to 12 people for private dining one evening a week. And there will be a wine cellar. Everything is possible, pure customisation. It just can't get any prettier."
text Jasper Gramsma image Brian Mul
Ron Goedvolk, nicknamed 'the Mayor of the Denneweg', has been dead for years. But the legend lives on. Indeed, his name has recently appeared in corrupted form on the façade of his former 's-Gravenhaagsche Eet- en Drinkinrichting on the corner of Hooistraat-Denneweg.
Five businesses and a private dining under construction: star chef Marcel van der Kleijn is unstoppable.
Good Volck is the fifth restaurant of Marcel van der Kleijn. "I knew Ron pretty well," explains the star chef from The Hague with a slight Zeeland accent. "We sometimes ate together and I used to drink a cup of coffee here every now and then."
Sylvia Tóth
Before Van der Kleijn continues his account, he almost compulsively straightens some tables. Goed Volck may be a 'neighbourhood restaurant' in the spirit of the old manager, but it all has to be perfect. Apart from the place, nothing is the same anymore about what was once the second living room of Sylvia Tóth, Paul Verhoeven and many others.
Gold velvet bucket seats and grey-brown wall benches create an ambiance that is as stylish as it is accessible.
Light and space dominate, and the former hay barn has been pulled into the business. Shiny green tiles against the bar, gold velvet bucket seats and grey-brown wall benches create an ambiance that is as stylish as it is accessible. Upbeat soul sounds.
Salad with thinly sliced sirloin steak, avocado, yellow beetroot and hazelnut.
"Something to eat first?", Van der Kleijn asks. Without waiting for an answer, he orders two salads with thinly sliced sirloin steak, avocado, yellow beetroot and hazelnut from chef Kyan van Bommel ("a great talent"). Meanwhile, manager Gijs Huizing arrives with the wine: a dusty, biodynamic glass of Waterkloof sauvignon blanc from South Africa. The menu, which changes every six weeks, looks classic, now including shrimp croquettes and a veal stew. A second glance reveals the master: the croquettes come with saffron rouille, the stew with a creamy mousseline.
'There is something tasty for everyone on the menu'
"At a function for the neighbourhood, it suits that you are approachable," Van der Kleijn explains. "The menu is therefore quite simple, but the dishes have sophistication and are fantastically supplied - of course, it has to be of such a level that I want to attach my name to it. There's something tasty for everyone at Goed Volck, but you haven't eaten it like this before." The friendly prices stand out, which is exactly what the culinary entrepreneur aims for. "Calla's is not one of the most affordable Michelin-starred restaurants in the Netherlands for nothing."
Good Volck
What would be almost unthinkable at Calla's does happen at Goed Volck. "If the atmosphere allows it, it may well be that Gijs (ex BIT, ed.) or Kyan will briefly join the guests at the table. I notice that we already have a lot of goodwill, we are well situated." Gijs Huizing, listening in from behind the bar, agrees: "People find their base here, some come for a drink every day." At that moment, a regular from Tapisco, one of the other restaurants, walks in to ask if there is still a table free in the evening. "We'd like to try this too," he sounds.
'I was watching a bullying mob from Harvest, opposite here'
Business is booming. And to think that the chef had absolutely no interest in yet another location. "Well. I was watching a pestilential mess in early 2020 from Harvest, opposite," he explains of the move. "The previous restaurant had already gone, but the terrace was full of rotten furniture and weeds - a blot on the Denneweg. I asked the owner, unusual guy but a topper, when he was going to clean up. To which he said: "Clean up nicely yourself. I promised, on condition that Harvest could use the terrace for as long as I wanted. Before I knew it, I came up with a rent proposal myself."
Private dining at home
In the renovation that followed, the containers Van der Kleijn had in place anyway came in handy for yet another new concept: private dining at home. "In the course of 2022, I will move to Jan van Nassaustraat," he gloats. "A building of more than 500 square metres that will be completely decorated under interior design. On the ground floor, we will create a home kitchen with dining room where I can host up to 12 people for private dining one evening a week. And there will be a wine cellar. Everything is possible, pure customisation. It just can't get any prettier."
