Bosman Wine sellers
The best wine & food spots? Wine guru Nico McGough takes us through
When you say Bosman Wine Buyers, you say organic. Owner Nico McGough throws its collection high marks time and again in the major wine buying guides. Fortunately, more and more restaurants are also opting for 'clean' wines. McGough takes you on his wine and food journey through The Hague.
DATE
30 April 2020
TEXT
Nico McGough
IMAGE
Fleur Beemster
Bosman Wine sellers
The best wine & food spots? Wine guru Nico McGough takes us through
When you say Bosman Wine Buyers, you say organic. Owner Nico McGough throws its collection high marks time and again in the major wine buying guides. Fortunately, more and more restaurants are also opting for 'clean' wines. McGough takes you on his wine and food journey through The Hague.
The journey begins in Scheveningen at Tasca. Here, the energetic Ilse Zweegers has both feet firmly on the ground behind the stove. You don't get a plate full of liflafjes but solid cuisine with a high gastronomic value. Memorable in this context was the oven-cooked shoulder of lamb with a rich sauce in which various beans set the tone. In the glass a wine from her much-loved Portugal, Dona Maria Tinto from master winemaker Julio Bastos.
'At Tasca you don't get a plate full of liflafjes, but solid cuisine with a high gastronomic value'
In the harbour, the Golden Calf. Niels in the kitchen and Miriam in the service, and 100% homemade dishes; down to the bread buns, everything is made in-house. But then the wine... there is an exceptional menu of wines at very reasonable prices. Bosman Wijnkopers may fill in the wines each month for the five-course menu, but there is (much) more. For instance, the menu features the 2001 Château Chasse-Spleen, a beautiful, mature cru from Bordeaux at the incredibly low price of €49.50.
Owner Nico McGough throws his collection high in the major wine buying guides time and again
Do we stay close to the North Sea, but more towards Kijkduin. There is the Quail, one of the gems in the sand. Sunshine, delicious food and a wine list that makes many a Michelin-starred restaurant drool. Here they serve impeccable, organic vintage cava, Spain's counterpart to champagne. Oriol Rossell has been working organically for years; it is rock solid cava.
Bosman Wine sellers
Close to the beach, in a leafy park, is Cashier Ock. A distinguished villa being restored. Behind the building is a life-size greenhouse full of tables and lovely people. The atmosphere there is as unique as the surroundings. Besides delicious tea, coffee and homemade pastries, this is also the place to be for a sparkling fresh, organic ánd vegan white Spanish house wine: Fuente Oro, crisp, clean and dry. Naturally available from Bosman Wijnkopers.
Da Braccini
On your way to the city centre, pass Regentesselaan, turn right and have dinner at Monica's Braccini. Just like at Tasca, this is a 'with both feet on the ground' kitchen with an 'anti-ego' chef at the stove. No plates of thirty ingredients that don't actually tolerate each other, but harmonious creations that are a true reflection of Italian home cooking. The wines? Here you choose a wine from Italy's best female winemaker, Silvia Imperato. Her super-creation Montevetrano throws the very top spots on the international wine scene, but the entry-level wine is there too, beautifully pure white, and called CORE (heart).
Bosman Wijnkopers is located on Frederik Hendriklaan.
Even closer to the city centre, on Waldeck Pyrmontkade, is a distinguished building, formerly a school. Freya van Wageningen moved in. In high-profile surroundings, she serves the most delicious vegetarian dishes. The service is sweet and attentive, and there is also a playroom for the youngest. This exemplary restaurant The Lizard 100% serves organic wines, the house wine of which deserves a 'dot'. The wine is called YES! And comes from vineyards that have never been in contact with chemistry, duly noted!
Ugly litre
Another step closer to the city is one of The Hague's finest hotels, Carlton Ambassador. Fun and educational events are regularly held here, 'The Hague over the Cook' for example. If you order a glass of champagne, the glass fizzes with nothing less than the most talked-about house of the moment, the biodynamic Leclerc Briant.
'Pieter Dijkhuizen, Palmette's top sommelier, doesn't shy away from adventure'
Diagonally across the street from the hotel is La Passione, a staple stronghold of delicious food and convivial atmosphere. Wonderful Italian dishes and ditto wines. Owner Tellis Muca is friends with the owners of top house Brigaldara, which is why he pours their fabulously good Valpolicella from the Case Vecie vineyard.
Palmette
Go straight past La Passione and you will end up on the Place; here is Palmette located. Superb cuisine in a contemporary setting. The on-site wine man? Pieter Dijkhuizen. A top sommelier who has continued to speak 'normal human language' and does not shy away from adventure. This is how he pours the 'Ugly Liter' (as NRC Handelsblad headlined it) from the organic Austrian Mehofer family. Crisp fresh white and soft and civilised red.
Talking Matsu El Picaro
We continued our wine journey towards Buurtschap 2005, because here, on the corner of Hooistraat and Hooikade, flamboyant Spanish kitchen master Guillermo Schichte landed at restaurant El Mercat. Wonderful, authentic dishes come out of the, open, kitchen there. Service is in the hands of Michel Kentin, making you feel truly at home. Wine? Well, El Mercat knows how to deal with that, as there is an extensive wine list, with the house wine being the high-profile Matsu El Picaro, a giant in satin clothing.
Distillery
And what will we end this wine-tasting trip from Bosman Wijnkopers with? We will be tasting at Van Kleef, The Hague's only remaining distillery. Here, you are enthusiastically welcomed by Fleur and her team. Getting there by car is OK, but driving back yourself is not an option, because you really get to taste everything there. The unique, mature jenevers, the interesting homemade liqueurs and of course the one and only Haagse Kruide Baggâh, an exciting herbal drink with a nod to the Hague dialect.
text Nico McGough image Fleur Beemster
The journey begins in Scheveningen at Tasca. Here, the energetic Ilse Zweegers has both feet firmly on the ground behind the stove. You don't get a plate full of liflafjes but solid cuisine with a high gastronomic value. Memorable in this context was the oven-cooked shoulder of lamb with a rich sauce in which various beans set the tone. In the glass a wine from her much-loved Portugal, Dona Maria Tinto from master winemaker Julio Bastos.
'At Tasca you don't get a plate full of liflafjes, but solid cuisine with a high gastronomic value'
In the harbour, the Golden Calf. Niels in the kitchen and Miriam in the service, and 100% homemade dishes; down to the bread buns, everything is made in-house. But then the wine... there is an exceptional menu of wines at very reasonable prices. Bosman Wijnkopers may fill in the wines each month for the five-course menu, but there is (much) more. For instance, the menu features the 2001 Château Chasse-Spleen, a beautiful, mature cru from Bordeaux at the incredibly low price of €49.50.
Owner Nico McGough throws his collection high in the major wine buying guides time and again
Do we stay close to the North Sea, but more towards Kijkduin. There is the Quail, one of the gems in the sand. Sunshine, delicious food and a wine list that makes many a Michelin-starred restaurant drool. Here they serve impeccable, organic vintage cava, Spain's counterpart to champagne. Oriol Rossell has been working organically for years; it is rock solid cava.
Bosman Wine sellers
Close to the beach, in a leafy park, is Cashier Ock. A distinguished villa being restored. Behind the building is a life-size greenhouse full of tables and lovely people. The atmosphere there is as unique as the surroundings. Besides delicious tea, coffee and homemade pastries, this is also the place to be for a sparkling fresh, organic ánd vegan white Spanish house wine: Fuente Oro, crisp, clean and dry. Naturally available from Bosman Wijnkopers.
Da Braccini
On your way to the city centre, pass Regentesselaan, turn right and have dinner at Monica's Braccini. Just like at Tasca, this is a 'with both feet on the ground' kitchen with an 'anti-ego' chef at the stove. No plates of thirty ingredients that don't actually tolerate each other, but harmonious creations that are a true reflection of Italian home cooking. The wines? Here you choose a wine from Italy's best female winemaker, Silvia Imperato. Her super-creation Montevetrano throws the very top spots on the international wine scene, but the entry-level wine is there too, beautifully pure white, and called CORE (heart).
Bosman Wijnkopers is located on Frederik Hendriklaan.
Even closer to the city centre, on Waldeck Pyrmontkade, is a distinguished building, formerly a school. Freya van Wageningen moved in. In high-profile surroundings, she serves the most delicious vegetarian dishes. The service is sweet and attentive, and there is also a playroom for the youngest. This exemplary restaurant The Lizard 100% serves organic wines, the house wine of which deserves a 'dot'. The wine is called YES! And comes from vineyards that have never been in contact with chemistry, duly noted!
Ugly litre
Another step closer to the city is one of The Hague's finest hotels, Carlton Ambassador. Fun and educational events are regularly held here, 'The Hague over the Cook' for example. If you order a glass of champagne, the glass fizzes with nothing less than the most talked-about house of the moment, the biodynamic Leclerc Briant.
'Pieter Dijkhuizen, Palmette's top sommelier, doesn't shy away from adventure'
Diagonally across the street from the hotel is La Passione, a staple stronghold of delicious food and convivial atmosphere. Wonderful Italian dishes and ditto wines. Owner Tellis Muca is friends with the owners of top house Brigaldara, which is why he pours their fabulously good Valpolicella from the Case Vecie vineyard.
Palmette
Go straight past La Passione and you will end up on the Place; here is Palmette located. Superb cuisine in a contemporary setting. The on-site wine man? Pieter Dijkhuizen. A top sommelier who has continued to speak 'normal human language' and does not shy away from adventure. This is how he pours the 'Ugly Liter' (as NRC Handelsblad headlined it) from the organic Austrian Mehofer family. Crisp fresh white and soft and civilised red.
Talking Matsu El Picaro
We continued our wine journey towards Buurtschap 2005, because here, on the corner of Hooistraat and Hooikade, flamboyant Spanish kitchen master Guillermo Schichte landed at restaurant El Mercat. Wonderful, authentic dishes come out of the, open, kitchen there. Service is in the hands of Michel Kentin, making you feel truly at home. Wine? Well, El Mercat knows how to deal with that, as there is an extensive wine list, with the house wine being the high-profile Matsu El Picaro, a giant in satin clothing.
Distillery
And what will we end this wine-tasting trip from Bosman Wijnkopers with? We will be tasting at Van Kleef, The Hague's only remaining distillery. Here, you are enthusiastically welcomed by Fleur and her team. Getting there by car is OK, but driving back yourself is not an option, because you really get to taste everything there. The unique, mature jenevers, the interesting homemade liqueurs and of course the one and only Haagse Kruide Baggâh, an exciting herbal drink with a nod to the Hague dialect.
