Restaurant Kasvio — Restaurant in Utrecht

TL/DR: Cannot recommend enough! Book well in advance. Lovely location. Amazing, creative, and well balanced dishes. Choose the non-alcoholic Kombucha pairing! Lovely and attentive staff. Situated in a beautiful cathedral, this lovely and beautifully decorated restaurant is an absolute marvel! There is a fun and creative garden to explore in the back as well. As a birthday gift to my mother I made a reservation for 2 for last Friday. I tried to make reservations for Saturday the week prior initially, but they were fully booked a week in advance! So plan your visit! As soon as you know you want to dine here make that reservation!

We were very lucky to have been the first guests to arrive so we had the privilege of picking our table. One of the original cathedral's remnants, the Maria Chapel, is also part of the restaurant and consists of a secluded room with a table for 4, beautiful windows, and beautiful doors. Obviously we picked this location.

We both picked the non-alcoholic Kombucha pairing and were so glad we did! The different and creative Kombuchas were complimenting the courses so, so well! I can put down a dish by dish review but that will both take quite some time and will make this a very long read. So instead I'll highlight some of our joys. Every dish was amazing, so it's hard to pick any one favorite. As our waiter asked us for our favorite when we left we couldn't really think of one, but back home while laying in bed every dish would come up with being the favorite but then the "oh, but this one was amazing as well! Or this one... or.." etc. What surprised us was the freshness of the prunes breaking through every now and then and how well that went with the rest of the beet salad. The mushrooms themselves were amazingly done as well and I'm absolutely going to try to recreate them as best as I can, which will probably only be disappointing anyway ;). The poached watermelon was a marvel as well! The right balance between savoury and that iconic watermelon sweetness while also having a great "chewing structure" and a lovely pistachio coating. Surprisingly pairing incredibly well with samphire (zeekraal) and the incredibly creamy jalapeñosauce. My mom usually eats anything without trouble, the only thing she absolutely hates is pearled barley however she absolutely enjoyed them in the zucchini involtini! The tempeh was delicious as well and the (Dutch) green beans too were masterfully prepared; fresh, sweet, and a juicy crisp. We both also enjoyed the hazelnutsauce since it was very flavourful but in no way dominating. The finger lime seeds on the cucumber sorbet was such a "ooooh! Aaaah! Wow!" moment for us. We never heard it before and it made it feel so special. The seeds, that look like some sort of translucent Caviar, are such flavor bombs! They gave a special "pow" to the otherwise "tame" flavors of the cucumber sorbet, even though the basil oil gave a well placed kick too. After our main dessert, which was amazing too btw, we were surprised with a some boterkoek! Which was amazing since I haven't had it since I went vegan which is years ago. Seeing my surprise the waiter told me they would come back and bring some more, so I expected 2 bites but they came back with a full small plate! Amazing!

I can go on and on about the food but it's best if you just book a table and go experience this yourself!

I also want to add that we felt very well cared for by our attentive and enthusiastic waiter who was willing to explain everything and had no trouble checking things with the kitchen if they didn't know. Also very kind to go to the trouble to take a picture of me and my mom together, very much appreciated!

During the dinner my mom and I discussed plans for a future visit which hopefully, and sadly, will be sometime next year. We're looking forward to experiencing their creativity and...

WOW, this is a once-in-a-lifetime unforgettable experience. Dining at Kasvio simultaneously feels like you're in a Chef's Table episode and in somebody's home. Everything is perfectly curated, from the subtle instrumental music, to the menu case holding dried flowers, to the beverage arrangement that perfectly pairs a unique drink with each dish. There is thought behind everything that Kasvio does. The rye pierogi with sour cream and carrot tasted just like an incredibly elevated bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese. The rye malt ice cream is what you'd expect at a place that's so adventurous with flavor and texture, and yet it wildly caught me by surprise. The wait staff is an extension of the restaurant's values; they describe each dish to you with such care that you feel their deep reverence for the food. Be sure to leave enough time for this experience. Our dinner lasted 4 hours, which is the only proper way to enjoy this kind of food. Each dish is perfectly spaced out so that you leave the restaurant feeling full but in no...

I would highly recommend a reservation. Usually this place is booked weeks on advance. There is a predefined menu. Its a 7 course meal. Its going to take about 3 hours so it's going to be a nice long meal experience. The service is extremely friendly. They are quick to sit you to your table and take your drink order. Although the quantity of the individual courses are small, it really adds up and by the 7th course, you are almost full. They explain what each course contains and how its prepared. That was a nice touch. Although I have consumed these ingredients before, but this tasted different. Like I said, it's an experience and it's fun to see the chefs experiment with ingredients that we don't generally pair together. Their drink selection was also good. I like their kombucha options. At this price I would expect a drink to be included but it's not that expensive for a glass of Kombilucha/wine.

Overall a good restaurant! Its a good experience to have once in a while. Maybe a few times a year. Would...