Once every now and then... my wife and I like to treat ourselves to a babysitter and just go out to a nice restaurant. If you've been following my Tasteem reviews... well, we tend to do this for some special occassions... its got to the point in our marriage where a nice night out is more special than a physical gift!

This particular time, we decided to not stray too far away from home... choosing a place that was a short ride away from where we live. This meant that both of us could drink... well, neither of us had to drive at least... riding a bike is still a tricky feat if you've had too much!

Elea, is a Michelin guide restaurant (so, no stars... but in the book!).... which means that the food is good... but not quite up to the notch of getting a star... on the other hand, it is still pretty good food! Plus, the presentation and atmosphere is all top notch as well!

The Space

We have been living here for quite some time now... and we do pass this place a few times each month.... and I have no idea how I missed this restaurant... well, I think it is a touch new (in the last couple of years...), because I distinctly remember that this used to be a sandwich/pub sort of place... but my memory is notoriously fickle....

There is a very much wood and "nature" vibe to the decor... there are plants hanging and growing from the wall as well (although, it was hard to get a photo of that without pointing the camera at other diners...). The lighting was quite dim, and the tables were very well spaced away from each other... perfect setting for what I like in a restaurant. However, not so good for photos without a flash!

Something that I have to point out was the unusual and interesting cutlery and crockery that they were using. It was really quite special, and added quite a bit of charm to the dining experience!

The Menu

Unfortunately, this was the sort of restaurant where the wait staff have the menu memorised and speak it out to you! So, it wasn't possible to take photos of the menu.... However, for easy reference, you can see the menu on their website.

https://restaurantelea.nl/menu/

It is a nice touch to have the menu spoken to you... there are only a handful of dishes for each course anyway, so you are making choices between two or three dishes. Or you can just go with a whatever comes menu!

The Food

We began with a few little nibbles to whet the appetite. These were interesting little potato swirls with blackberry. Very tasty...

Brussels sprouts never tasted so good! A half sprout filled with goats cheese and various little extras...

Bread with lentil soup! The bread (and the soup) were delicious... My wife thought that there was a hint of banana to the bread... (but it wasn't banana bread as such...), but we were too shy to ask the wait staff about it...

Fish... lightely cooked, with some sprinkles of merangue. It was incredibly good... and a great start to the main dishes!

Scallops (seared) in an Asparagus froth (frothing is all the rage in these sorts of restaurants... maximum taste, for not too much heaviness I think!). I love scallops... however, they are pretty expensive here, and so we never buy them to cook with.

A few slices of the most juicy and tender beef! Wow, my mouth is just watering thinking about it again! The sauce was a great match... but really, it is great to go to a place that can cook beef so well... it helps that it was a superb cut as well!

A citrus palette cleanser... lime (the green) and passionfruit (the white) sorbet. I can't even describe how good this was... so refreshing and the taste was so strong!

The real dessert plate... when we were at the restaurant, we thought that the previous course was the dessert.... and then we got this! Marinated fruits, with different flavours of citrus ice-creams (I'm afraid the flavours have fled my memory...)... and sort of green sponge cake.

We also ordered coffee and tea (my wife had the coffee, whilst I had the herbal tea...).. they brought this plate out.... Toasted Marshmallows in a restaurant! Genius!

... plus a "Snickers" dessert... with caramel in the shape of the peanut, crunchy chocolate balls and well... crazy sweet goodness!

... I'm not kidding... it doesn't end! A apple and pear (with oranges) tart! This was also pretty amazing... but by this time... we were also getting pretty stuffed!

This was my herbal tea... little did I know, it was two cups... one with the herbs in a strainer sitting in the second one with the water... So, I drank straight from the herbs... and got a mouthful full of leaves.... until the waitress came over and showed me how it worked... oops!

The Experience

It is hard to put into words how good this place was! The food was great, the staff was amazing... and the price (for the quality) was acceptable. In many ways, I'm gonig to be looking for more of these Michelin Guide restaurants... the lack of a star means that they are cheaper... but the quality is still right up there!

Definitely going to be keeping this place on the radar for more special occasions!

Opening Times

Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 6–10pm
Thursday 6–10pm
Friday 6–10pm
Saturday 6–10pm
Sunday 6–10pm

Contact Details

Address: Herenstraat 83-85, 2282 BS Rijswijk, NETHERLANDS
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +31 (0)70 214 38 60
Website: https://restaurantelea.nl/

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