Goedvolck., Tapisco, Callas, BIT & Harvest
Chef Marcel van der Kleijn will open 'Goedvolck' this autumn.
Corona or no corona, Marcel van der Kleijn quietly continues to build his empire. After Oogst, BIT, Tapisco and Calla's*, he will open 'Goedvolck.' in October.

DATE
25 March 2021
TEXT
Annerieke Simeone
IMAGE
Frank Jansen + PR
Goedvolck., Tapisco, Callas, BIT & Harvest
Chef Marcel van der Kleijn will open 'Goedvolck' this autumn.
Corona or no corona, Marcel van der Kleijn quietly continues to build his empire. After Oogst, BIT, Tapisco and Calla's*, he will open 'Goedvolck.' in October.
The time is two-thirty in the afternoon. In the bright corner building on Kneuterdijk, an international group of businessmen sink their teeth into ibericoribs and empanadas. Spanish tapas and Portuguese petiscos, hence the restaurant's name: Tapisco. Marcel van der Kleijn (1967) observes the group from the wall bench: "Nice that they are here so early. Say, do you fancy something too?" He beckons the host. "Just cut some nice ham and cheese. And two vinho verde please."

Court of starred restaurant Calla's
Callas
The chef is already ready in his white tube, because he also owns BIT, Harvest - which, like Tapisco, has a bib Gourmand - and star restaurant Calla's. Every evening, he is a flying keeper. That way he keeps an eye on what's going on. No, he doesn't know any other culinary entrepreneurs like him. "Of course, you do have the Ropeni group in The Hague with many businesses on the Plein. The Grote Markt largely belongs to two partners as well, but I don't know one investor who is in the kitchen himself."
'In The Hague, guests don't put down 45 euros for three scallops'
Zeeland-born Van der Kleijn learnt his trade at starred establishments such as Chagall in Leidschendam and 't Koetshuis in Rhenen. In 1993, he moved to The Hague, where he joined Corona as a chef. A year later, he met Sharon, his wife, who was manning the reception desk at the time. He then worked at Hotel Des Indes for two years.

Marcel van der Kleijn.
Chic establishments, he admits, but with little room for fancy (read: expensive) products like turbot, lobster, truffles, scallops or foie gras. "Des Indes wanted a 75 per cent profit rate. Well, in The Hague guests don't put down 45 euros for three scallops."

Callas on the Avenue of Rose and Thorn
He dreamed of having his own business. One day, he took a different route home and walked behind the Denneweg through the Laan van Roos en Doorn. There, a piece of paper hung on the door saying 'For sale'. He asked the late restaurateur Ad Siliakus, known for the Chagall and Hampshire hotel chains, for help. Siliakus, whose parents ran restaurant Corona in the 1980s, saw potential, but said: 'Then you have to cook to the stars.'
Is the lamp broken?
Van der Kleijn did just that. Opening in 1998, he earned his first Michelin star in 2002, which he has retained to this day, although the highest culinary accolade has come in recent years thanks to chef Ronald van Roon. "Yes, fortunately that went pretty smoothly. I told the Michelin inspectors that Ronald can cook even better than me."
He looks in the direction of the bar with a grin. Then his eyebrows go up. "Is the lamp broken?", he asks the host. A moment later, he wipes a stain off the leather sofa. Apologising, "I pay attention to everything. I'm actually always cleaning."

Restaurant Oogst, like Tapisco, has a Bib Gourmand
From the open kitchen come platters of cecina de León, Ibérico de Bellota and queso de Cabra. "Oh, we also get shrimp croquettes," says Van der Kleijn happily surprised. He takes a sip of the vinho verde. "Nice and crisp." For a moment more, he wants to go back to Calla's.
'Appearance is everything'
The fact that the business received a lot of media attention from day one was also due to Colin Finnegan, FG Style's interior designer. The Englishman has since decorated all his restaurants.
"Appearance is everything, Van der Kleijn stresses. "I told Colin: 'You have to feel here that you are in a Spanish-Portuguese restaurant, without all the accompanying clichés'." Van der Klein has known that.
Portuguese tiles
"Colin shows something and then you fall in love, then you are shocked by the price," he says. He says the calf leather sofas sourced from America are the most expensive in the whole of the Netherlands. There also had to be hand-painted Portuguese tiles in the kitchen.

At Tapisco here, you should feel like you're in a Spanish-Portuguese restaurant, without all the accompanying clichés'
Just before the opening, they were still not there. Van der Kleijn phoned Portugal. The tiles were just drying, he was told. "But I really wanted them in by the following day. So I had them flown in. Cost me five hundred euros, but sometimes you have to go on."
'Yesterday there was a queue outside.
A row.
In The Hague!
Incidentally, Finnegan did pay off in another way. Initially, Van der Kleijn wanted to place Tapisco's entrance on the Kneuterdijk side. 'You shouldn't do that,' said the Englishman, 'it will save you ten covers.' And Van der Kleijn can't miss those at all. "Yesterday there was a queue outside. A queue. In The Hague!"
Goedvolck.
Corona or no corona Van der Kleijn is happily building on his empire. His latest project is 'Goedvolck.' on the corner of Hooikadestraat/Denneweg. At the same location, Ron Goedvolk the late 'night mayor of the Denneweg' together with his wife Ariane ran the famous catering establishment 's-Gravenhaagsche Eet- en Drinkinrichting. For thirty years (from the mid-1970s), it was the site of Tout La Haye. Its owners welcomed such prominent figures from The Hague as businesswoman Sylvia Tóth, Soldier of Orange Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema and film director Paul Verhoeven. Van der Kleijn who knew Goedvolk well, pays tribute to him. "We are giving his business back to the city," he said.
No cheese sandwich
"What this is going to be? An international café-restaurant. You can get a competitively priced three-course menu, as well as a sandwich." Then: "Not a cheese sandwich huh."

Gazpacho of green tomatoes and prawns.
The chef grabs the menu. "A pianida with free-range chicken, anchovies and parmesan," he reads out." Meanwhile, chef Kyan van Bommel puts a gazpacho of green tomatoes and prawns in front of his nose. "Just good food, as you would expect from me. Seasonal produce, so a new menu every two months. Incidentally, I have no desire to turn this into a bib gourmand as well. Above all, it has to remain accessible."
www.restauranttapisco.nl, www.restaurantcallas.nl, www.bitgrill.nl and www.restaurantoogst.nl
text Annerieke Simeone image Frank Jansen + PR
The time is two-thirty in the afternoon. In the bright corner building on Kneuterdijk, an international group of businessmen sink their teeth into ibericoribs and empanadas. Spanish tapas and Portuguese petiscos, hence the restaurant's name: Tapisco. Marcel van der Kleijn (1967) observes the group from the wall bench: "Nice that they are here so early. Say, do you fancy something too?" He beckons the host. "Just cut some nice ham and cheese. And two vinho verde please."

Court of starred restaurant Calla's
Callas
The chef is already ready in his white tube, because he also owns BIT, Harvest - which, like Tapisco, has a bib Gourmand - and star restaurant Calla's. Every evening, he is a flying keeper. That way he keeps an eye on what's going on. No, he doesn't know any other culinary entrepreneurs like him. "Of course, you do have the Ropeni group in The Hague with many businesses on the Plein. The Grote Markt largely belongs to two partners as well, but I don't know one investor who is in the kitchen himself."
'In The Hague, guests don't put down 45 euros for three scallops'
Zeeland-born Van der Kleijn learnt his trade at starred establishments such as Chagall in Leidschendam and 't Koetshuis in Rhenen. In 1993, he moved to The Hague, where he joined Corona as a chef. A year later, he met Sharon, his wife, who was manning the reception desk at the time. He then worked at Hotel Des Indes for two years.

Marcel van der Kleijn.
Chic establishments, he admits, but with little room for fancy (read: expensive) products like turbot, lobster, truffles, scallops or foie gras. "Des Indes wanted a 75 per cent profit rate. Well, in The Hague guests don't put down 45 euros for three scallops."

Callas on the Avenue of Rose and Thorn
He dreamed of having his own business. One day, he took a different route home and walked behind the Denneweg through the Laan van Roos en Doorn. There, a piece of paper hung on the door saying 'For sale'. He asked the late restaurateur Ad Siliakus, known for the Chagall and Hampshire hotel chains, for help. Siliakus, whose parents ran restaurant Corona in the 1980s, saw potential, but said: 'Then you have to cook to the stars.'
Is the lamp broken?
Van der Kleijn did just that. Opening in 1998, he earned his first Michelin star in 2002, which he has retained to this day, although the highest culinary accolade has come in recent years thanks to chef Ronald van Roon. "Yes, fortunately that went pretty smoothly. I told the Michelin inspectors that Ronald can cook even better than me."
He looks in the direction of the bar with a grin. Then his eyebrows go up. "Is the lamp broken?", he asks the host. A moment later, he wipes a stain off the leather sofa. Apologising, "I pay attention to everything. I'm actually always cleaning."

Restaurant Oogst, like Tapisco, has a Bib Gourmand
From the open kitchen come platters of cecina de León, Ibérico de Bellota and queso de Cabra. "Oh, we also get shrimp croquettes," says Van der Kleijn happily surprised. He takes a sip of the vinho verde. "Nice and crisp." For a moment more, he wants to go back to Calla's.
'Appearance is everything'
The fact that the business received a lot of media attention from day one was also due to Colin Finnegan, FG Style's interior designer. The Englishman has since decorated all his restaurants.
"Appearance is everything, Van der Kleijn stresses. "I told Colin: 'You have to feel here that you are in a Spanish-Portuguese restaurant, without all the accompanying clichés'." Van der Klein has known that.
Portuguese tiles
"Colin shows something and then you fall in love, then you are shocked by the price," he says. He says the calf leather sofas sourced from America are the most expensive in the whole of the Netherlands. There also had to be hand-painted Portuguese tiles in the kitchen.

At Tapisco here, you should feel like you're in a Spanish-Portuguese restaurant, without all the accompanying clichés'
Just before the opening, they were still not there. Van der Kleijn phoned Portugal. The tiles were just drying, he was told. "But I really wanted them in by the following day. So I had them flown in. Cost me five hundred euros, but sometimes you have to go on."
'Yesterday there was a queue outside.
A row.
In The Hague!
Incidentally, Finnegan did pay off in another way. Initially, Van der Kleijn wanted to place Tapisco's entrance on the Kneuterdijk side. 'You shouldn't do that,' said the Englishman, 'it will save you ten covers.' And Van der Kleijn can't miss those at all. "Yesterday there was a queue outside. A queue. In The Hague!"
Goedvolck.
Corona or no corona Van der Kleijn is happily building on his empire. His latest project is 'Goedvolck.' on the corner of Hooikadestraat/Denneweg. At the same location, Ron Goedvolk the late 'night mayor of the Denneweg' together with his wife Ariane ran the famous catering establishment 's-Gravenhaagsche Eet- en Drinkinrichting. For thirty years (from the mid-1970s), it was the site of Tout La Haye. Its owners welcomed such prominent figures from The Hague as businesswoman Sylvia Tóth, Soldier of Orange Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema and film director Paul Verhoeven. Van der Kleijn who knew Goedvolk well, pays tribute to him. "We are giving his business back to the city," he said.
No cheese sandwich
"What this is going to be? An international café-restaurant. You can get a competitively priced three-course menu, as well as a sandwich." Then: "Not a cheese sandwich huh."

Gazpacho of green tomatoes and prawns.
The chef grabs the menu. "A pianida with free-range chicken, anchovies and parmesan," he reads out." Meanwhile, chef Kyan van Bommel puts a gazpacho of green tomatoes and prawns in front of his nose. "Just good food, as you would expect from me. Seasonal produce, so a new menu every two months. Incidentally, I have no desire to turn this into a bib gourmand as well. Above all, it has to remain accessible."
www.restauranttapisco.nl, www.restaurantcallas.nl, www.bitgrill.nl and www.restaurantoogst.nl