Finally! A vegan restaurant will open here soon

What a luck! Zoetermeer finally gets a vegan restaurant in a unique place in the village. Here we can soon enjoy original dishes where you don’t miss meat or fish at all. The creative brain of owner Stephanie van Schilt will take care of that.

The former building of Sabra, and later Argentinian restaurant Los Muchachos, has been bought by a new owner and leased to entrepreneur Stephanie of the Ministry of Happiness. Her dream, her own restaurant, has come true, and Zoetermeer vegans finally have a place in their own city to enjoy a delicious meal.

Refurbishment for inside and outside

The outside of the old building is being renovated, on the inside Stephanie will create a homely atmosphere with lots of color, cozy seats and atmospheric lamps on the wall. The stairs will be relocated, the bar will be replaced by a new one and the outdoor terrace on the water will be prepared for guests.

Almost real

According to Stephanie, you don’t necessarily have to be vegan to find something tasty in the new restaurant. “My dishes consist of beautiful meat substitutes that do not miss anything in taste, structure and nutrients compared to meat and fish dishes. The food happens to be plant-based, but that doesn’t detract from the taste.”

Food truck at festivals

Stephanie has been a striking appearance at events and festivals for years with her yellow caravan. Guests appreciate her dishes such as Hapsalon, a vegan kapsalon with seasoned strips, lettuce, French fries and homemade garlic sauce, and her Crispy *uck Wrap with five-spice marinated mockduck, vegetables and a hoisin fantasy sauce. Almost all dishes refer to a meat or fish variant in name, but Stephanie gives it a creative, vegetable twist, which makes it very curious to taste.

The whole day long

Ministry of Happiness will work with one menu with small and large dishes, savory, sweet and snacks that can be ordered throughout the day. You can eat a dish yourself, but you can also opt for ‘shared dining’ where you and your table mates can taste more dishes from the menu. In the future, there may be a room for private dining on the top floor and the terrace will be open on warm days.

“We will soon be able to serve delicious food without animal suffering,” says Stephanie proudly. “I will soon be mainly in the kitchen and I am looking for people who, like me, are just as committed to the food and the earth. Working with and for people is what I enjoy the most, I’m really looking forward to it.” The planning is that the Ministry of Happiness will open on April 27 (King’s Day) and then run a test for a week and then go for real.