Lepels Eten en Drinken

Lepels Eten en Drinken, located in Short Haven, serves contemporary French and Mediterranean cuisine. The space there is divided into three parts: the lounge, which sports a comfortable setting where you can order either aperitifs and snacks, or an after dinner coffee; the dining area, where black and white colours set the tone and timber and other natural elements give it a warm aura, and the boat, a recent addition, which promises a unique experience.

The place offers beautiful views of the Short Harbour and the properties within and you can sample the now renowned Limburgs leaven bread with olive oil as you watch the sunset or listen to your companion's latest exploits. When weather permits, you could enjoy sunshine and food on the lovely terrace.

Marc Smeets and Kim Hilbink, the founders, identified this magnificent building on the bank of the Schiedam canal for their venture. They also had two clear goals in mind when they designed their product: the fare should change daily and customers should be able to choose between full and half portions. Today, their patrons revel in the opportunity to tuck into a wider variety from the menu, providing proof of the concept's success.

Expect to find cold choices such as coquille, which is gazpacho soup - a cold soup made with local ingredients which include broken bread, olive oil, vinegar, garlic and water - with fried cherry tomatoes, salad of king crab from the Bering Sea and strips of spring turnip, and raw tuna served with jelly broth and sweet and sour ginger vinaigrette. Others can try the tartare of beef with summer truffles and crispy fried lobster with cream of champagne vinegar.

Steaming hot offerings could include poached sea bass in broth, saffron, ravioli stuffed with serrano ham and filet of griet, a kind of flatfish, with a jus of crustaceans and beetroot, and crispy pancetta bacon. For vegetarians there is artichoke and morbier cheese, grilled green asparagus and mushrooms with sauce of red peppers.

Whatever you choose, an evening out there is bound to leave you with a pleasant aftertaste and make you long for another visit as soon as you get a chance.