Who said that dining in a castle is something only for the Royals?
At less than 45 minutes from the Dutch Design city of Eindhoven, there is a hidden gem in the forest called “Castel Maurick”.
With its origins dated back to 1245, the castle is now an elegant and charming place surrounded by wood and water.
Inside its walls, you can find a hotel and two restaurants: “Hendrick van Maurick” and “Catharina van Maurick”.
We have been lucky enough to try the first one and it was amazing.
The restaurant defines itself as a “boundless gastronomic voyage of discovery”, offering contemporary plates with local flavors.
We went for a 6-course lunch menu’ (starting price EUR 62), but the fix-price menú can be smaller up to 3 courses (starting price EUR 42).
The pre-menú
We started ourselves with some bubbles accompanied by some little bites served in a very artistic way. The composition reminds me of a painter’s tablet with all different paint ready to be used on the canvas.
Course #1
We started with a gazpacho with watermelon and some flowers as decoration. The acidity of the food was quite balanced and helped us to clean our mouths for the rest of the lunch.
Course #2
The chef proposed local asparagus with a ceviche tartare, fresh berries, crab leg, caviar, and avocado sauce. The mix could sound weird, but the result in your palate is something incredible.
Course #3
After two cold dishes, a hot one arrived. The restaurant proposed chicken with lobster and asparagus with a fennel salad. Everything is accompanied by a hollandaise sauce to make the food warm and enhance the flavors. Bonus point: the chicken comes from a local farm.
Course #4
To continue the journey, the chef brought a very well-executed raviolo (just one) with mushroom sauce placed above other (local) asparagus. Despite maybe having three ravioli would have been better, the overall mix was good enough.
Course #5
This could be considered as the main course, with the restaurant serving different kinds of lamb accompanied by small vegetables and a red wine reduction. Two out of three passed our judgment but the overall mix was good.
Course #6
Last but not least is the dessert. From such a restaurant you could maybe expect something very close to French pastry, but this was not the case. The kitchen proposed a simple strawberry ice cream filled with mango cream placed above some basilic ice-flakes. The mix was a well-deserved ending for our lunch
Bottom line
If you are looking for something nice for a special occasion, this is the place for you. The restaurant “Hendrick van Maurick” will satisfy your expectations in a very nice and charming location. We liked and we hope to go back there soon.
Maurick Castle
Maurick 3
5261 NA Vught
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