Restaurant Basaal — Restaurant in The Hague

Finally -- a Bib Gourmand that actually deserves it in Den Haag!

Basaal -- wow. Just wow. This place is, in my humble opinion, the only restaurant in The Hague that truly earns its Bib Gourmand nod from the Michelin Guide. After trying several other spots in town, this one finally hit the mark.

The dining room was bright and inviting, with large windows letting in lots of natural light. The decor was simple but charming -- wooden furnishings, shelves filled with cookbooks and chef bios, giving it that cozy, "chef's home library" vibe. I also took it as a good sign that a big table of Japanese tourists were there, clearly enjoying themselves with plenty of wine -- because let's be honest, they usually do their food research well!

Now onto the food -- which was spectacular. Here's what we had:

Olives

Grilled potato bread with olive oil

Pommes darphin

Beef tartare with Jerusalem artichoke

Pork cheek with parsley root

Trompette de la Mort

Mussels with creamy miso & cider sauce

And for dessert -- chocolate ganache with crunchy oats and salted honey caramel.

Every single dish was thoughtfully prepared and beautifully balanced. The beef tartare? One of the best I've ever had. The crispy artichoke bits mixed in with the creamy mayo base underneath -- heavenly. The pommes darphin was perfectly crispy on the outside and just melt-in-your-mouth inside. Even the bread, which we had to order separately, was fantastic -- soft, flavorful, and paired with top-quality olive oil.

The restaurant is impressively run by just three people -- two in the kitchen and one handling the entire front of house -- yet everything was smooth and efficient. You can tell they've got their rhythm down.

The bill came to around $160 USD, and honestly? Worth every penny. Exceptional food, intimate atmosphere, and service that makes you feel well cared for.

If you're in The Hague and want a meal that truly lives up to Michelin's reputation --...

After wanting to try this place for a while my friend and I decided to visit for a drink. When arriving we didn’t see any staff attending outside so we found a table to sit. We had multiple moments of eye contact when staff came outside and even raised our hand to grab their attention. They walked by us multiple times and didn’t eknowledge us at all. Once a male server finally came to us 20 minutes later he gave us attitude that we did not go past the checkin to be seated and that’s why he didn’t notice us. Fair enough, we didn’t know we had to be seated but the way he told us off was very off putting. We asked for a menu and he scoffed, walked away and gave them to us. We ordered two drinks and once they came we got one drink we didn’t order. Once we told him the drink was not what we asked for he again seemed super annoyed and went to change it. We didn’t want to stay for another drink so decided to pay and leave. We walked over to the front to settle the bill. We said goodbye and wished him a nice evening. But he didn’t even say bye or thank you. Just took the payment want walked away. This is not service you would expect at a michelin restaurant. Will not...

Place is nice, good menu. We were excited to try it out.

My wife is pregnant so we asked for something well cooked. We were looking to order the cod fish. Waiter told us it was fine because was cooked at 50 C but in the end my wife opted for something else (forutnatelly).

I took the cod fish instead and while eating the dish, I found a living worm 🪱 inside the fish.

I sent the dish back and the waiter came back and said that it was indeed a worm and that is very common with cod fish.

I was offered a new cod fish but of course I was not feeling brave enough to either enjoy it or risk. All I wanted to go back home.

I was given a free espresso as compensation but I had to pay for the dish.

Fortunately we did non order the dish for my pregnant wife.

We then found out online that it happens with cod fish but if the fish is properly frozen or well cooked (over 63 C), the worm dies. This was not the case here.

Overall, unpleasant experience and not very nice customer...