Restaurant Karel 5* — Restaurant in Utrecht

Our issue is the same as we've had at all Dutch Michelin rated restaurants we've eaten at. In the US, the experience is all about the customer. When you're done eating it is taken away immediately and a brief pause built in before the next serving. If you want to have your five course meal in 2 hours or 4, its up to you. At Karel 5, and indeed all Dutch 2-3 stars we've tried, it is all about them, and when they are ready to serve you. At hour #3 were on course #3, and with two more courses to go, we decided to leave early, paying for food we never received just to avoid a 5 hour long dinner.

We've come to believe that the Dutch culture of gezelligheid, where you can go to a restaurant and order a tea and sit for 3 hours, has taken a form in these Michelin restaurants where you are essentially paying by the hour for the privilege of sitting in a beautiful atmosphere to eat quality food without pressure to finish. To ensure you feel you've received your money's worth, service is strung out over a painful number of hours...whether you want it or not.

Nice historic building, not much of a view,...

Lunch at Restaurant Karel V was memorable. The interior was closed on this warm autumn day, meaning restaurant guests ate outside on a terrace in the garden. The two-course lunch menu for €42 consisted of a starter and a main course. The starter was a seafood and lobster bisque with corn cut from the cob that was nice and crunchy. Even on a warm day, the bisque was light and fresh on the palette. As for the main, it was an off-menu alternative as I asked for vegetarian and am so glad that I did. This sous vide cooked kohlrabi had been marinated in a mushroom sauce for several days and then roasted before it was sous vide with spelt, tarragon and morels served with beefsteak tomatoes, white bean purée, green tomato salsa and chanterelle mushrooms. Yes, the main course was the wow factor at Karel V! Sitting in the garden admiring the lovely property of the Grand Hotel Karel V was an added bonus as was the attentive service....

Honestly it had a good start, but from the "star" course and going on it wasn't so good. Exception would be Raviolo, probably the best of the night. The main course (beef or asparagus) was one of the worst and we couldn't even finish it. I was surprised for the lack of flavors in some foods. Great quality of ingredients, incredible textures, but without taste. The wines (with or without alcohol) were the Stars of the night, we were completely amazed for all of them. The service was elegant, very pleasant, but the extremely long time between courses killed the experience. Between the omnivore or vegetarian courses I would recommend the vegetarian better. And between the alcoholic and the no alcoholic I would recommend the non alcoholic. These choices are surprisingly better...