Thijs Boermans, Anna Nooshin’s boyfriend, does not plan to open any more restaurants after the debacle with Nonna. “The balls I am now holding up are enough.”
It really is a hype: all those celebrities and influencers who suddenly open restaurants, often in the capital. Usually they are more of the figurehead of such a tent; this involves a business partner who actually manages the restaurant. For example, influencer Thijs Boermans, Anna Nooshin’s boyfriend, works with Tijn Verstappen for his restaurant Nonna.
Mediocre reviews
According to Het Parool, Nonna is really a bad place and the reviews on Google Maps are also very poor: the restaurant gets a 3.9 out of 5 and that is really very low for that platform. “Unfortunately, the dishes were disappointing, both in terms of taste and portion size,” it said. And: “Pasta vongole was really disgusting, like a bite of starch.”
In other words: that restaurant seems mainly designed to make a profit and benefit from Thijs’ fame, because if you really want to eat good Italian food, you will go somewhere else.
‘Dream of me’
Is Thijs himself happy with it? He says in the Party: “It’s going very well. A dream of mine has come true, because I can’t think of anything more beautiful than a place where my love for food, fun and connecting people comes together. The idea was to create a homely living room, literally your grandmother’s Italian living room.”
In other words: form over quality. Is he even ever in that restaurant? “I try to be there often. On busy days I like to be there, because I like to talk to people and because I want to ask everyone how they feel and where we can improve. But of course it’s a bit inconvenient now that I have a little one.”
Cannot be combined
Fatherhood does not combine well with the restaurant, according to Thijs, which turns out not to be necessary in that establishment at all. “If I were to be in the restaurant many days a week, I would be less able to function as a father. I try to find a bit of a balance. You will see me in the restaurant two to three days a week.”
Will he attach his name to even more restaurants? “The idea of multiple restaurants is very romantic and it seems nice to me, but I think the balls that I am currently holding up are enough for now. But who knows in the future.”
Focaccia bread
Thijs really feels like a restaurateur. “I have eaten the focaccia bread so often that it no longer feels so special to me, but I am proud of what we create in Nonna Amsterdam.”
“I am also happy when I hear from people that they really had a full evening where everything came together. That really makes me feel good, that is a very nice confirmation.”