Michelin star

One of the top eateries in Amersfoort says it no longer wants its Michelin star. The owners of Blok’s Restaurant, which was first awarded its star in 2013, will close permanently on December 29 so the owners can start over with a new restaurant.

Marco and Ingeborgh Blok will open their new restaurant, MEI, at the same Krommestraat where Blok’s Restaurant is shutting its doors. “It must be greener, more organic, more sustainable, more open, more accessible, and freer,” they told AD. They plan to use natural, seasonal ingredients presented in a less rigid menu than before.

An investigation into the use of sustainable fish at high-end restaurants in the Netherlands determined that most served at least one fish item that could have long-lasting negative impact on the ecosystem. The study, carried out by non-profit organization Good Fish Foundation (GFF), found that 89 percent of restaurants use a fish species that is red-flagged on the organization’s sustainability index VISwijzer.

Inter Scaldes in Kruiningen was awarded a third Michelin star at the presentation of the stars in Amsterdam on Monday. Inter Scaldes is the third restaurant in the Netherlands to get 3 Michelin stars, joining De Librije in Zwolle and De Leest in Vaassen, both of which managed to hold on to their three stars over the past year, NU.nl reports. 

No restaurants in the Netherlands were awarded their second star this year. The Duchess, Le Restaurant and The Whiteroom in Amsterdam, AIRRepublic in Cadzand, Fitzgerald in Rotterdam, and Vista in Willemstad all got their first star.