Meet Thomas Kooijman, the chef behind BISOUS
Everyone knows a restaurant by its dining room: the red lacquer, the bar, the table by the window. But the taste of BISOUS is decided a few metres away, behind the kitchen pass. That is where you will find chef Thomas Kooijman. Time for an introduction.
French cooking with a Flemish accent
The kitchen at BISOUS is French at heart, but never museum-French. There is a Flemish accent to it — more generous, a little more rustic — and the fish and shellfish come from the North Sea and from Zeeland. That is no accident: it is the pantry this kitchen feels most at home in. Classic technique, dishes you recognise, and salt water running through all of it.
How to recognise his hand
Start with the oysters, Irish Mor No. 4: full, briny and creamy, served with mignonette and lemon. Beside them sit the Moules Bisous, a classic made for sharing. Further along the menu you will find the shrimp croquettes, the King Crab tortilla and caviar from House of Caviar. See the full dinner menu.
And then the meat
If you lean towards the land, you are in good hands too. The tournedos au poivre proves it: 200 grams of beef, green peppercorns, and a sauce poured over it at your table. Want sea and land on one plate after all? Then the homard et ris de veau is waiting for you.
The Menu Dégustation du Chef
If you would rather let the chef decide, there is the Menu Dégustation du Chef: nine signature dishes to share, €125 for two, available until 8 pm. The shortest route to the full picture of this kitchen.
At the pass
At BISOUS the kitchen is not a closed world. You can watch the cooks at work, and some dishes are finished at your table — by chef Thomas, or by our sommelier Erwin, who finds the glass to go with it. On Wednesdays that glass means Bordeaux: during Bordeaux Wednesday, Erwin selects two bottles you rarely find by the glass.
From the Dutch dining scene
On Monday 5 October, the new MICHELIN stars and Bib Gourmands for the Netherlands are announced at MECC Maastricht (De RestaurantKrant) — a day the whole Dutch kitchen watches. Here in De Pijp, Wednesday looks the same as always: the oysters are opened, the sauces are ready, and the door opens at 5.30 pm.
Visiting us
BISOUS is open Wednesday to Saturday from 5.30 pm: until 1 am on Wednesday and Thursday, until 2 am on Friday and Saturday. You will find us on Albert Cuypstraat, around the corner from the Albert Cuyp Market. Dress code: Parisian Chic. Address and opening hours.
BISOUS is listed in the Gault&Millau guide, AmsterdamNOW calls it a place to dine and melt into the night, and Your Little Black Book felt like they had left the country for an evening. Been already? We would love to read your review on Google or Tripadvisor.
Book a table through our online booking page; for groups, email reservations@bisous-official.com. Prefer a slower lunch? Our sister restaurant Salut opens at noon, Thursday to Sunday.