Garuda

Rice dining can be enjoyed again at Garuda by Ron Gastrobar Indonesia

Three inspired entrepreneurs have transformed the bankrupt and neglected restaurant Garoeda into a swinging Indonesian eye-catcher: Garuda by Ron Gastrobar. Upstairs a cocktail bar with a view, on the lower floors refined Indonesian food.

Garuda The Hague

DATE

13 February 2022

TEXT

Herman Jansen

IMAGE

Brian Mul (portrait) and HIP Studio (artist's impressions)

Garuda

Rice dining can be enjoyed again at Garuda by Ron Gastrobar Indonesia

Three inspired entrepreneurs have transformed the bankrupt and neglected restaurant Garoeda into a swinging Indonesian eye-catcher: Garuda by Ron Gastrobar. Upstairs a cocktail bar with a view, on the lower floors refined Indonesian food.

The familiar India had actually been lost from the day the Japanese invaded our colony in 1942. But in 1949, by opening Garoeda restaurant on Kneuterdijk, a scion of the Lensvelt family of bakers saw an opportunity to pick up his Indian life here again. The food, the service, the decor, the artifacts, the music, everything breathed the pre-war atmosphere of the Emerald Belt.

 Restaurant Garoeda

Restaurant Garoeda on Kneuterdijk from 1949 to 2020. The food, the service, the decor, the artifacts, the music, everything breathed the pre-war atmosphere of the Emerald Belt.

And all of The Hague loved coming there. For years they were served classic rice tables by servants dressed in white starched jackets and wearing toppies. During dinner, they waited patiently right behind your chair, and you hoped they couldn't hear all the secrets, gossip and jokes that often make a sumptuous dinner so enjoyable.


Cocktail bar on the rooftop with views

But investments in the outdated rental building (art nouveau) failed to materialise, the kitchen lost its good reputation and in 2020 Garoeda went bankrupt. Owner Peter 't Mannetje had to give up after almost forty years. The city had lost Indonesian restaurants of note more often than not, but The Hague without Garoeda? That was like Singapore without Raffles. Even in the Golden Coach, people seemed to bump into each other every year as they passed: 'On the way back, stop for satay with longtongue.'

Garoeda

What had killed Garoeda, 'half man, half eagle'? Did the youth no longer like nasi? "Of course they still love Indonesian food. After all, it has become a kind of lifestyle in The Hague: eating Indian food once a week. And of course Indian remains comfort food, it is always tasty," say Mady Wigleven (41) and Sophie Hadjidakis (33) confidently.


Read also:
The neighbour of the new Garuda
Voco, perhaps The Hague's most sustainable hotel

This cheerful, experienced twosome and Richard van Leeuwen, Mady's life partner and co-owner of Horeca Groep Leiden & The Harbour Group, as new owners since 2021, are the saviours of Garuda. They will open 'Garuda by Ron Gastrobar Indonesia' on Sunday 20 February on the corner of Kneuterdijk (18A) and Heulstraat.

Garuda Ron Blaauw The Hague Mady Sophie

Mady Wigleven led the remodelling and interior design of the restaurant, Sophie Hadjidakis is operations manager.

As a franchise and following the concept of the other Ron Gastrobars Indonesia in the country of top chef Ron Blaauw and his executive chef Agus Hermawan. Refined Indonesian food, presented in a creative and modern way but with the authentic flavours. From street food to rice tables. "And on the top floor you will then have a cocktail bar with views over the Lange Voorhout and the Kneuterdijk. That will be the hotspot of The Hague," Mady is already predicting.

The Harbour ClubShe and her "fantastic construction team" supervised the entire renovation and fitting out of Garuda, Sophie, with her work experience, will pull the cart and work in the restaurant as operations manager. Their eyes light up as they look into The Harbour Club upstairs in building BINK36, even before Garuda opened, explaining. Sophie: "Garuda is internationally known and there are so many people who care about the business."

gado gado Ron blaauw Gastrobar The Hague

Gado gado.

Menu.

The top floor of Garuda The Hague.

The top floor of Garuda The Hague.

Soft shell crab.

Soft shell crab.

Mady: "When we went inside there the first time, water poured out of all the ceilings. On the fourth floor, we saw the kitchenette: low ceiling, boarded-up windows and an undulating, stone floor. It was almost inhuman to work there." Sophie: "The cooker was only seventy centimetres high, was really designed for super small people."


'Really something from now, but clearly Indian oriented'

But once you love Garoeda, you look past such obstacles. The 'attic kitchen' resurrected in modern dimensions, is now high-end and is located on the ground floor. Mady and Sophie: "Many things have also been retained, such as pillars with mosaic and marble, the balustrade from the mezzanine to the ground floor, the swinging doors to each floor and the eagle on the stairs leading down.

Garuda The Hague

The interior is really something of today, but clearly Indian-inspired.

And what was discovered behind the wallpaper or in the cement (drawings, dolls), has been restored. The other things are quite jungle-like in design. But this has been given a new look, again with its own twist in terms of wallpaper choice and materials, but the same elements came back. It is a joy to behold. Really something of today, but clearly Indian-oriented. It has allure."

Bamboo vibe

The warm, jungalow atmosphere, which includes wicker wallpaper, creates an Indian bamboo vibe, there are also dark colours, certain seats of chairs are made of leather and in the double lift you stand on a retro carpeted floor. Lanterns that move up and down very slowly add to the hipness. Mady Wigleven is not only "over the moon" with the new furnishings, but also with the new name: Garuda, with a u.


From the Heulstraat you can see the people working in the kitchen'

The business has a total area of 600 square metres. Mady and Sophie continue, "There is room for 187 covers, spread over five floors. You have the ground floor and the mezzanine, which overlook the kitchen. Is also nice for people walking by, who can see our handsome chefs and the dynamism of all the people working. That conviviality is a piece of entertainment. From the Heulstraat you see people working in the kitchen and from the Kneuterdijk you see people dining."


Read also:
Mojitos, pisco, mango spize martini....
The Hague's best cocktail spots

In Garuda, with an informal reception desk, Sophie Hadjidakis manages "about 40 men", significantly more than in the old Garuda. "People quickly applied to come and work here. We have a mega-network.


'Garuda is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner'

Garuda is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Chef Agus from Ron Gastrobars Indonesia provides all the ideas, recipes and ingredients. Garuda also has its own chef. With us, you are having a nice evening out, nice glass of wine, you are sitting beautifully and get good service. "Adoeh, they are happy together again: The Hague and Garuda, 'half stork, half eagle'.

www.gastrobargaruda.nl

date 13 February 2022
text Herman Jansen image Brian Mul (portrait) and HIP Studio (artist's impressions)

The familiar India had actually been lost from the day the Japanese invaded our colony in 1942. But in 1949, by opening Garoeda restaurant on Kneuterdijk, a scion of the Lensvelt family of bakers saw an opportunity to pick up his Indian life here again. The food, the service, the decor, the artifacts, the music, everything breathed the pre-war atmosphere of the Emerald Belt.

 Restaurant Garoeda

Restaurant Garoeda on Kneuterdijk from 1949 to 2020. The food, the service, the decor, the artifacts, the music, everything breathed the pre-war atmosphere of the Emerald Belt.

And all of The Hague loved coming there. For years they were served classic rice tables by servants dressed in white starched jackets and wearing toppies. During dinner, they waited patiently right behind your chair, and you hoped they couldn't hear all the secrets, gossip and jokes that often make a sumptuous dinner so enjoyable.


Cocktail bar on the rooftop with views

But investments in the outdated rental building (art nouveau) failed to materialise, the kitchen lost its good reputation and in 2020 Garoeda went bankrupt. Owner Peter 't Mannetje had to give up after almost forty years. The city had lost Indonesian restaurants of note more often than not, but The Hague without Garoeda? That was like Singapore without Raffles. Even in the Golden Coach, people seemed to bump into each other every year as they passed: 'On the way back, stop for satay with longtongue.'

Garoeda

What had killed Garoeda, 'half man, half eagle'? Did the youth no longer like nasi? "Of course they still love Indonesian food. After all, it has become a kind of lifestyle in The Hague: eating Indian food once a week. And of course Indian remains comfort food, it is always tasty," say Mady Wigleven (41) and Sophie Hadjidakis (33) confidently.


Read also:
The neighbour of the new Garuda
Voco, perhaps The Hague's most sustainable hotel

This cheerful, experienced twosome and Richard van Leeuwen, Mady's life partner and co-owner of Horeca Groep Leiden & The Harbour Group, as new owners since 2021, are the saviours of Garuda. They will open 'Garuda by Ron Gastrobar Indonesia' on Sunday 20 February on the corner of Kneuterdijk (18A) and Heulstraat.

Garuda Ron Blaauw The Hague Mady Sophie

Mady Wigleven led the remodelling and interior design of the restaurant, Sophie Hadjidakis is operations manager.

As a franchise and following the concept of the other Ron Gastrobars Indonesia in the country of top chef Ron Blaauw and his executive chef Agus Hermawan. Refined Indonesian food, presented in a creative and modern way but with the authentic flavours. From street food to rice tables. "And on the top floor you will then have a cocktail bar with views over the Lange Voorhout and the Kneuterdijk. That will be the hotspot of The Hague," Mady is already predicting.

The Harbour ClubShe and her "fantastic construction team" supervised the entire renovation and fitting out of Garuda, Sophie, with her work experience, will pull the cart and work in the restaurant as operations manager. Their eyes light up as they look into The Harbour Club upstairs in building BINK36, even before Garuda opened, explaining. Sophie: "Garuda is internationally known and there are so many people who care about the business."

gado gado Ron blaauw Gastrobar The Hague

Gado gado.

Menu.

The top floor of Garuda The Hague.

The top floor of Garuda The Hague.

Soft shell crab.

Soft shell crab.

Mady: "When we went inside there the first time, water poured out of all the ceilings. On the fourth floor, we saw the kitchenette: low ceiling, boarded-up windows and an undulating, stone floor. It was almost inhuman to work there." Sophie: "The cooker was only seventy centimetres high, was really designed for super small people."


'Really something from now, but clearly Indian oriented'

But once you love Garoeda, you look past such obstacles. The 'attic kitchen' resurrected in modern dimensions, is now high-end and is located on the ground floor. Mady and Sophie: "Many things have also been retained, such as pillars with mosaic and marble, the balustrade from the mezzanine to the ground floor, the swinging doors to each floor and the eagle on the stairs leading down.

Garuda The Hague

The interior is really something of today, but clearly Indian-inspired.

And what was discovered behind the wallpaper or in the cement (drawings, dolls), has been restored. The other things are quite jungle-like in design. But this has been given a new look, again with its own twist in terms of wallpaper choice and materials, but the same elements came back. It is a joy to behold. Really something of today, but clearly Indian-oriented. It has allure."

Bamboo vibe

The warm, jungalow atmosphere, which includes wicker wallpaper, creates an Indian bamboo vibe, there are also dark colours, certain seats of chairs are made of leather and in the double lift you stand on a retro carpeted floor. Lanterns that move up and down very slowly add to the hipness. Mady Wigleven is not only "over the moon" with the new furnishings, but also with the new name: Garuda, with a u.


From the Heulstraat you can see the people working in the kitchen'

The business has a total area of 600 square metres. Mady and Sophie continue, "There is room for 187 covers, spread over five floors. You have the ground floor and the mezzanine, which overlook the kitchen. Is also nice for people walking by, who can see our handsome chefs and the dynamism of all the people working. That conviviality is a piece of entertainment. From the Heulstraat you see people working in the kitchen and from the Kneuterdijk you see people dining."


Read also:
Mojitos, pisco, mango spize martini....
The Hague's best cocktail spots

In Garuda, with an informal reception desk, Sophie Hadjidakis manages "about 40 men", significantly more than in the old Garuda. "People quickly applied to come and work here. We have a mega-network.


'Garuda is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner'

Garuda is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Chef Agus from Ron Gastrobars Indonesia provides all the ideas, recipes and ingredients. Garuda also has its own chef. With us, you are having a nice evening out, nice glass of wine, you are sitting beautifully and get good service. "Adoeh, they are happy together again: The Hague and Garuda, 'half stork, half eagle'.

www.gastrobargaruda.nl