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Boulogne-Billancourt November 25, 2013

THE MICHELIN GUIDE AWARDS A THIRD STAR TO A NEW RESTAURANT IN THE NETHERLANDS
Reflecting the strong vitality of the gourmet dining scene in the Netherlands, which each year is improving in quality and creativity, De Leest in Vaassen has entered the circle of the world's most elite restaurants by obtaining a third star in the MICHELIN guide.
Michelin is today unveiling the 2014 MICHELIN guide Netherlands, an especially rich edition as this year it awards a third star to a new restaurant. De Leest in Vaassen has obtained a three-star ranking for the first time. In commenting about the restaurant, the International Director of the MICHELIN guides Michael Ellis said: Chef Jacob Jan Boerma offers a highly personalized style of cooking in which preparation and culinary techniques are perfectly mastered. His cuisine is creative and full of influences from the world. The elegant contrast of sweet, savory and tangy flavors is truly amazing. This highest honor, presented to restaurants offering exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey, has been awarded to only around one hundred restaurants worldwide. Following the closing of Oud Sluis, the Netherlands now has two three-star restaurants, since the distinction was once again awarded to De Librije in Zwolle. Three restaurants received two stars: BordEau in Amsterdam, with its deliciously sophisticated cuisine; FG in Rotterdam, whose chef, Franois Geurds, mixes flavors brilliantly; and Fred, in Rotterdams Kralingen district, where chef Fred Mustert meticulously prepares refined yet contemporary dishes. Throughout the country, the MICHELIN inspectors noted that Dutch chefs are fully leveraging their creativity while also focusing on the product itself rather than on side dishes or interior decoration. Todays chefs are using simpler yet very high-quality ingredients, with the goal of drawing out all of their taste while remaining very attentive to prices. Nine restaurants received their first star this year, includingt Raedthuys in Duiven, where the discreet Hans den Engelsen has amply demonstrated his consistency over the years as well as his know-how and subtle style, and Bridges in Amsterdam, which perfectly illustrates the current trend in Dutch gastronomy toward a tasty, urban culinary style that is refined yet full of surprises. Another restaurant that was awarded its first star this year, the chef Lucas Rive, in Hoom, who already had two stars at de Bokkedoorns, offers a culinary style based on creative combinations and delicate touches that make his dishes very flavorful. As part of its commitment to promoting affordably priced, high-quality cooking, the MICHELIN guide Netherlands this year awarded the Bib Gourmand to 106 restaurants, of which 15 new additions. Indicated in the guide by the = pictogram, the Bib Gourmand label is given to restaurants that offer an excellent, three-course meal for no more than 35 (36 in Amsterdam). The Bib Gourmand restaurants, which have doubled in number over the past ten years, have become indispensable for gourmet diners looking for quality for the money as well as for industry professionals.

Thanks to a uniform, rigorous selection process applied in 23 countries, the MICHELIN guide is an international benchmark for gourmet dining. All of the restaurants featured in the selection were selected by the MICHELIN guides famous inspectors who, following a demanding training period, anonymously travel the roads of Europe in search of the best addresses. They apply the same methods used for decades by MICHELIN guide inspectors throughout the world to ensure a uniform, international standard of excellence. Stars are awarded on a consensus basis according to five criteria that are the same everywhere around the world: product quality, preparation and flavors, the chef's personality as revealed through his or her cuisine, value for money, and consistency over time and across the entire menu. These criteria are adapted to each type of cuisine. As a guarantee of complete objectivity, Michelin inspectors pay all their bills in full. The MICHELIN guide Netherlands will go on sale on November 28 for 19.95 in the Netherlands and Belgium. The new edition features 1,229 establishments, with 555 hotels (including 32 guesthouses) and 674 restaurants, of which: 105 starred restaurants: 2 o restaurants (1 new)

19 n restaurants (3 new) 84 m restaurants (9 new)

106 = restaurants, of which 15 newly awarded the label

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