My last visit was in 2004 and in June 2006 the ownership changed and chef Cees Helder left, so the review below is of historical interest only. The new chef is Erik van Loo. In 2007 Parkheuvel received just one Michelin star. This is a shame since the meal I had there was very fine. The review below is hence ONLY of interest to those interested in what the restaurant used to be like when it had 3 stars.
ParkHeuvel is in a modern building with a partial view of the harbour. Amuse-bouche consisted of toasted bread with ham, fine strips of pastry with herbs, sticks of cucumber and some assorted nuts (16/20 for the amuse). Bread was either white or brown sourdough, and was very pleasant (17/20). The next amuse-bouche showed the first signs of real class, a delicate gelee of pike and prawns that had superb texture and flavour (20/20). My wife had tempura of prawns with a spicy sesame biscuit along with a canteloupe melon, a curry sauce and a drizzle of balsamic. The prawns were dazzling and the tempura like gossamer (20/20). I had sardines with tuna puree, served with a salad of herbs with parsley oil. This was very nice (17/20) but was not in the same league as the tempura.
For main course I had stunning langoustines and a large, plump scallop of perfect freshness, served with a lemon bouillon (20/20). My wife had superb sole fillet topped with wild mushrooms, bak choi and both a hollandaise and a separate pesto sauce (20/20). Cheese was in good condition; I tried Epoisses, Reblochon, Camembert, Comte and a goat cheese (18/20). A dessert of crepes with orange soufflé and orange compote was excellent (19/20), as was a lemon “tart” that was really a meringue pie with yoghurt ice cream and lemon rind (19/20). Petit fours consisted of an almond tuile (17/20), a lovely shortbread (20/20), a coconut puff (18/20), a mini chocolate tart (18/20), a coffee truffle (20/20) and a chocolate fondant with sponge topped with coffee beans (20/20)
Cameron Clark
Think the restaurant was a bit hard done by with the demotion to 1*. Eric Loo had already managed to receive 2* and the majority of the kitchen staff remained the same. Still, 1 year on now and the changes are noticable. The decor has been changed and as you walk in now the place has a lovely, warm Middle Eastern feel. The service is as good as ever, but its now a lot warmer and a lot less fussy than under Helder. The food has changed as well. Out have gone the rich butter sauces and the truffel, and these have been replaced by a more medeterreanen ingreadients and sauces. While the composition of the dishes still remains at a high standard, I'm not sure its up to the old Helder days yet and its nowhere near the level of Oud Sluis. Still 2 months ago I ate at here,Oud Sluis and De Karmeliet within the same week, and found the overall package here to be superior to De Karmeliet. Seems to be at the same standard as the long standing 2* Bokkedoorns and anything less than 2* come the end of the year would be a shock.