Republiek

Architect-built pavilion with real kitchen ambition, priced like it knows it.

Republiek is what happened when Bloemendaal aan Zee decided its pavilions should stop pretending to be temporary. The building is a proper piece of architecture on the sand, open essentially year round, and the kitchen has ambitions most beach spots would not dare put in writing: six-week dry-aged Simmentaler, a 700 gram cote de boeuf for two, half a lobster with sea aster and black garlic, and a fish of the day straight from the wood oven. From four o'clock the same oven switches to genuinely good pizzas, buffalo mozzarella and all, which makes it the rare place where the aperitif crowd and the dinner crowd both leave happy. Wines come from partner growers rather than a brewery contract list. The honest catch: the bill runs well ahead of the plate. You pay destination-restaurant money for good-beach-pavilion cooking, and readers who eat this coast regularly keep telling us the same thing. Come for the architecture and the sunset terrace with your eyes open, or eat at Fosfor for two-thirds the price.

Half lobster with sea aster and black garlic to start, then whatever fish came out of the wood oven.

Photo: Republiek Bloemendaal

Photo: Republiek Bloemendaal