When we were invited to have a look at Dinner in Motion, I wasn’t completely sure what to expect. ‘The most special restaurant in the Netherlands’, I read on their website. That promise definitely rang true! Read on to discover how special it truly was.

But before we could experience Dinner in Motion, we’d had to get there first! With a car the restaurant is very easy to reach, just off exit 7 on the A2. Sadly me and Sophie didn’t have a car and we needed to make the trip shopping centre the Wall by bike, all the way to Leidsche Rijn. After 20 minutes of biking (and our fair share of wrong turns) we finally ended up at Dinner in Motion. An impressive building, right on the roof of the Wall.

Once inside we picked up our tickets and we were guided to one of the halls to start the dinner. We got a nice beverage to start off. It turned out to be Brindisi Reserva, a deliciously sweet yet robust sparkly wine. A perfect aperitif! Sophie and I got seats 11 and 12, at the centre of the table. From here we could see everything very well. A scene was projected all around us and even on the table. It looked like we had strolled right into a Star Wars movie! After some time chatting with the others seated at the table it was time for ‘lift off’. After the first audiovisual experience it was time for our first course.

America, here we come!

Suddenly it seemed like we had been teleported to a foodtruck festival in The States. Bowls of burgers were placed on the tables and there were even bbq’s with fire projected on them! The ‘burgers’ turned out to be a delicious little sandwich with home smoked duck rilette, truffle mayonnaise, pickles, red onion compote, little-gem lettuce and parmesan cheese flakes. A great experience and a delightful dish.

Soon after our first course we were teleported to the next location. On to Vegas! A hysterical gambling fest unfolded in the space. The next course revolved around the roulette ball on your plate. ‘Time to plate your bets!’ A golden casino carpaccio ball arrived on my plate, filed with grilled vegetables and rolled in a crumble of parmesan cheese.

Wondrous nature and a horrendous house

On to the next course! We were transported to a world of flowers and green. Suddenly there were a bunch of gnomes trotting over our table. They seemed to growing little mushrooms and plants. This was the inspiration for the next dish: a soup made of edible houseplants with curry, laos, ginger, coconut, lemongrass, cardamom- and lime leaves, including a spoonful of oyster mushrooms and an edible violet. What a pretty picture! I decided to try one of the wines on the wine menu, a Spanish white wine named Falcata. The floral notes in the wine brought the dish to an even higher level. Can definitely recommend!

Blub! Soon after it was time to literally submerge ourselves, because the next course took place underwater. In between sharks, manta rays and other underwater creatures, we were served our fourth course; tartar of crayfish and gamba’s, with couscous pearls soaked in pear juice and a foam made with Granny Smith apples. Not bad, but after following the culinary highlight that was the soup, this dish just paled in comparison.

Then it was time for our main course, also known as the fifth course. The soothing underwater landscape made way for a creepy haunted house! Very cool, but no idea what kind of dish awaited in this setting. This turned out to be a tournedos steak with a gravy of smoked garlic, mousseline of celeriac, a truffle crisp and green asparagus. A delightfully rich combination of flavours.

Dutch glory

The last two courses were completely revolving around the Dutch and . their history. The entire room was transformed into a psychedelic display of Delfts Blauw (the traditional Dutch blue and white pottery). The sixth course was a little Dutch party in your mouth. A chocolate mousse with stroopwafel crumble, advocaat cream and chunks of Haagse Hopjes. Very sweet, but a true delight.

Then it was time for the grande finale: a spectacular light show that ended with the prelude to the last course; a feast of the Dutch grand masters and artists on your plate. What a beautiful ending, accompanied by astoundingly beautiful classical music.

We’ve had the pleasure of being able to enjoy this culinary and visual feast at Dinner in Motion! And not only that, we were also welcomed by the amazing staff, that did their very best to pamper every single one of the guests. During our evening there were a lot of people at the table with different dietary restrictions and allergies, which were all accounted for perfectly. When we talked to the owner afterwards he apologised that the dinner had taken longer than expected because of all these restrictions, but we hadn’t even noticed at all! The longer we could enjoy this feast, the better. Will you go enjoy Dinner in Motion soon too?

Share your love for Utrecht via the Social Media buttons below!

If you want regular updates on what’s going on in Utrecht and opening of new hotspots follow Explore Utrecht on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Explore Utrecht Map offline? Download the Explore Utrecht App, in the App-store.