Up to four cooks tasted chef’s dishes at Dutch three-star restaurant

Chef Kristjan Jürimäe told ERR’s Ringvaade that up to four cooks tasted his dishes before they reached diners during a five-week placement at De Librije, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in the Netherlands.

Jürimäe, head chef at Alto resto, said he was given many opportunities and gradually earned the kitchen’s trust. He began by cleaning vegetables and possibly fish, but later served dishes at the table and prepared venison for the main courses.

Each dish was checked by several chefs. Jürimäe said a completed dish first went to the sous-chef, then to a senior chef and finally to the head chef. At least two people tasted each dish, and usually four did so.

The restaurant had about 50 guests and 50 cooks working in the kitchen. Its eight-course menu consisted of around 25 different plates, with one menu change every five weeks.

Jürimäe said a three-star restaurant should offer at least 15 different flavours on each plate, with 10 being the minimum. Dinner cost 325 euros per person, excluding drinks and a tip.

The restaurant was built in a former women’s prison with many different rooms. Although it was located in a small town, which Jürimäe compared to Pärnu, it was full of diners every day.