the best fish in Maastricht

The night before we left for home, Terry took me out on a little date to Le Bon Bassin, the best place to eat fish and seafood in Maastricht. The restaurant belongs to the Timmers family who also owns Les Trois Seaux, with a reputation of serving the freshest fish and seafood.

The atmosphere leading to the restaurant is fantastic. You walk down from the staircase to the 't Bassin area which hosts art galleries, restaurants, terraces (terraced cafes to enjoy the view while having your coffee/wine) and the harbour. While Maastricht is a fabulous place to be in, 't Bassin transports you somewhere else, south of France maybe... and that night even the air smelled like France!
We both chose a different set menu because it was already 9 by the time we reached the restaurant. We started off with champagne and the restaurants served a little welcoming amuse - i love the dutch word for it - Kleine mondvermaakjes.

Terry chose the Proef de Zee and I had the Menu d'Homard, accompanied by a bottle of Chardonnay from Chile. The half lobster and oysters I had for starter was generous, so fresh and sweet, I can still smell the sea...

Terry had the Petite Fruit de Mer (second pix above) which was rather generous for a starter and left us wondering what the real Fruit de Mer would be like! Both starters were accompanied by a selection of sauces and we couldn't be happier digging into them...

I love the simplicity and the honesty of the cooking. We both had a bowl of lobster soup between the starter and the mains. It didn't look picture worthy but the taste was out of this world. The balance of sweetness, creaminess and a touch of savoury was just right.

My main was lobster and sole in saffron sauce. I was delighted to find white asparagus since it was in season on the plate. Since we usually have white asparagus done in the classic way - with butter sauce and eggs - the saffron sauce which brought out the best of the fish was a lovely discovery for the white asparagus too!

Terry had sole with lemon butter. This classic dish is one of his favourite way to eat fish and he wasn't disappointed. The fish was really fresh and sweet.

By the time we were done with dinner and wine, we were so full, we declined the sorbet. We had coffee to finish the meal. It was past midnight when we left, the last to leave the resto. We took a slow walk back to the hotel, enjoying the moon, the gorgeous summer night...

Le Bon Bassin

Bassinkade 11

6211 AL Maastricht

T: 043-3260927