A good plate of clams is a great asset. It is obvious that it is a pleasure on a summer terrace or in the first spring sun, with a crisp glass of white wine. But they can just as well, in all their sparkling lightness, brighten the mood when it is gray or bleak. They are perfect as a simple lunch with a good piece of bread to soak up the salty liquid, delicious with drinks or to whet your appetite for a nice dinner. Knowing where to go for a good plate of clams is valuable information. I keep a list: the Pizzeria in Pingjum, the Vluchthaven in Bruinisse, café Parlotte in Amsterdam… And from now on we can add: Trafo in Nijmegen.
The cockles were steamed for exactly half a second too long. The delicate, salty-sweet shellfish are not exactly raw, they have just lost the strength to keep their valves closed. Radiant and juicy, a plate full of vibrant yellow and orange dots, glistening in their liquid with a hearty, soupy spiciness of vibrant green lovage oil. Kudos.
While Nijmegen was best known ten years ago for the vegetarian minced cheese from student eatery De Plak, it is now a culinary hotspot because of the plant-based two-star flagship De Nieuwe Winkel. In the wake of this, more interesting things are happening in the Waalstad. With Trafo as the youngest offshoot, in the Vasim, a former artificial silk spinning mill at the foot of the Crossing. The old factory building, the concrete shell opposite, the water tower on the roof and the shadow of the windmills on the graffiti look Brooklynesque.
Trafo – the name refers to the transformer house, the former function of this place – is spacious, the dining room doubles as a club Mesh in the last hours of the weekend. Large, shiny Ferrari-red design speakers hang behind the DJ booth. Furthermore, the space is sparsely furnished with tables and a plant here and there. The height is broken up by industrial cable ducts with fluorescent beams, which, together with the curtains along the long windows, strangely enough provide a nice cozy feeling.
A coziness that is enhanced by the cordiality of the serving staff. Nothing is a problem tonight: just take the menu and we will ensure that you can taste as much as possible; half glasses of wine to share? I’ll pour two quarters. Small plates to share, new cutlery – we don’t have to ask for anything. The only thing we can catch the service tonight is that the pheasant came to the table without warning but with a bullet. And that a colleague appeared on the scene halfway through the evening without sleeves, but with armpit hair and sunglasses in his hair – possibly he had already made an advance on a possible later club evening. Anyway.
Goat butter
Chef Daan Hoesbergen – who gained experience in Belgium and Peru, among others, and at De Nieuwe Winkel in Nijmegen itself – can do more than steam cockles. He opens with a number of inspiring dishes. Leek with mussel velouté is a swinging, modern variant of mussels with soup vegetables, the velouté salt and umami, with just enough pickled sour shallot to cut through. The fresh pickled mackerel swims in a deliciously fresh and sour string bean juice, the sea lettuce on top has an intensely salty taste, but thanks to the clever bitesize format in which it is served, everything remains neatly balanced. The goat butter gives an interesting one edge to the fried oyster mushrooms, which are covered with a voluptuous egg yolk cream – very classic, but hey: never change a winning team. The beets have acquired a nice reduced sweetness and chewy structure on the barbecue, the valerian root cream gives an undertone of licorice foam and the horseradish and shiso keep it together – nice composition.
The main courses are slightly less exciting. The partridge, which today is a pheasant – that can happen if you cook fresh daily – in your own gravy is fine, the leg is a bit dry. The vegetarian who orders Brussels sprouts for 23 euros, in aligoté with skeapsround, with roasted yeast, is stuck with a rather hefty (although otherwise tasty) side dish – but is still full. On the other hand, there is a fantastic ‘celeriac steak’ with a quite intense pepper sauce. The compote of green peppercorns and raisins is very nice, where the soapy, pickled (and sometimes overwhelming) spiciness of the pepper is cleverly curbed by the dried sweetness of the raisins.
The plaice (next to the menu) is well cooked: cooked but not mushy; the skin is badly burnt, basically tasty, although here and there it is a bit too black and therefore bitter. A slightly chilled Pinot Noir goes well with this. Especially with the beach crab bisque, which is full, rich, satisfying – but again very tasty. And that is the big point of criticism: every bowl is a stunner. That can leave the taste buds a bit dull at some point.
At Trafo it is pleasant and affordable dining, especially vegetarian. Hoesbergen cooks technically well, his cooking is in perfect order (except perhaps that pheasant leg). He makes contemporary versions of classic dishes, but also less everyday, surprising and swinging combinations of his own. However, towards the end of the menu you will notice that he stuffs everything with salt and umami. Don’t get me wrong: high flavor is of course also very satisfying and not everyone eats the entire menu in a row. But sometimes the salt cellar is also a way for a cook to hide a bit. Maybe he should trust his palette and ideas a little more.
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