Beluga Loves You — Restaurant in Maastricht

My wife and I visited the "Beluga" (gourmet restaurant, led by H. van Wolde at the time of our visit) on a Friday evening in Oct. 2018, this was our first visit there.

Service: In our opinion there was a remarkably relaxed atmosphere overall. At and around the table we were taken care of very attentively, professionally and comprehensively.

Food: The menu was extremely carefully arranged. All dishes and all components were of a very high standard. One focus were dishes that contained fish and in particular seafood - we liked this very much. The range of flavours - the selection, combination and interpretation of the ingredients - convinced us. The overall impression was very coherent; we were simply amazed by the performance.

Wine and cocktails: The wines tasted very good, we would call them especially elegant. None of the wines were kitschy or overambitious. On several occasions a wine was served with two successive dishes. Nevertheless, the team always managed to combine the flavours to suit the dishes. My wife had various non-alcoholic cocktails instead of the wine accompaniment. These were extraordinary and very good.

Presentation: The presentation of the dishes and components was outstanding from our point of view. Apart from "fake effects" and "special effects" as well as a certain restraint in the table procedures, the presentation included an exceptionally deep and broad spectrum of gastronomic forms of expression: Enchanting colour and form arrangements. A playful handling of numerous and quite outstanding textures. Informative introductions and assistance - whenever necessary to understand the aromatic structure. Elaborate and extensive decorations. A variable use of tableware and of positioning. Changing occupations in the service. A very good timing. Portions in the right sizes. We also liked the presentation of the wines: Knowledgeable, informative and with convincing attunements.

Premises: We liked the design of the restaurant, we would describe the interior as very modern. The room height is generous, the surface is adequate - the utilisation was high, but the table distance guarantees sufficient intimacy. There was a lot of movement in the room, which was apparently due to the high staffing and service intensity. Depending on the position in the room, a view into the kitchen was also permitted.

Price: In our opinion, the restaurant offered an outstanding price-performance ratio. We liked this very much.

In summary, we would say that the restaurant even exceeded our very high...

Disappointing. I had looked up to this restaurant as the pinnacle of fine dining in Maastricht most of my life, and finally went to dine there on our honeymoon.

The food overall used interesting ingredients and had nice presentation, but the flavours were not to our liking. The evening started out strong with some lovely bites and a nice amuse, but most dishes that followed were either rather salty or too rich/creamy.

The service seemed very focussed on serving food in a synchronised way, which was fun to watch. We were given a warm welcome and the host congratulated us on our marriage. However when we were surprised with a plate to celebrate our marriage, it said “Happy Birthday”. When I pointed out that it was neither of our birthdays and we were on our honeymoon, the server just shrugged. Made me think they prepped these plates and just pulled them from the freezer, as other tables received similar plates. This took away from the experience because of the lack of a personal touch. Otherwise they always kept our glasses filled and replenished bread without asking, so the service was satisfactory.

About halfway through the dinner we pointed out that we found the food too salty and too rich, so we requested if they could tone it down a bit for us. They said that it’s just because of how intense their sauces are, but they would let the chef know. The following courses were still too intense for our taste, and we quickly found ourselves looking forward to the end of the evening. The repetitive, loud music seemed more fitting for a nightclub than a fine dining restaurant.

At the end we were invited into the kitchen to meet some of the staff and were offered a nitrogen cooled popcorn which was a fun experience, steam coming out our noses! Finally the bill was quite substantial, as expected, but unfortunately we did not feel that the experience was worth the price tag. We noticed that none of the staff dared ask us if we had a good experience as we went to settle the bill. I hope because it was clear to them that we did not enjoy it that much.

There are better fine dining experiences to be had in Maastricht, and at much more...

While the food at BLY was genuinely good, the service was disappointing. We ordered the six-course menu, which misleadingly includes a cheese course between courses, but it turns out that’s only for seven-course diners. When we opted to add it, the plate sat next to our table for over 10 minutes while staff “looked for knives.” Ordering a drink for that course took just as long. We sat with menus open, trying to flag someone down. Between the wait for cheese, drinks, and basic attention, we spent nearly 25 minutes twiddling our thumbs. One staff member did escalate our concerns, and they did try to make it right but the manager’s dismissive response left a bad taste. In the end, no one brought the bill; we had to ask for it at the exit. A lackluster end to what could’ve been a great meal.

“Beluga Loves You (Unless You’re Confused About Cheese)”

Beluga claims it loves you true— And mostly, we believed it too. The first few courses: pure delight, A polished, playful, tasty night.

But near the end, confusion grew: Was cheese included? No clear clue. It sat between course five and six, Unnumbered, lost in menu tricks.

Turns out, cheese costs extra here— Though menus make it less than clear. It came at last… then came to rest, Beside us, chilled, a silent guest.

Ten minutes passed—no knives in sight. A luxury? Not quite that night. The meal began with heart and art, But fell apart before the part.

Two stars we give, with honest grace— For food that mostly found its place. But service? Distant, cold, and flat. Beluga loves you… but...