What a well-chosen name! It sounds melodious and makes you curious. If you know that the purest seaweed grows in the Oosterschelde estuary and Codium is a graceful example of that, you can make the link and get to the core of this special restaurant: Zeelandic is the base and feminine gracefulness is the inspiration.
Chef Wouter Kik and maître sommelier Jean-Luc Etienne are two heavyweights from the absolute culinary top of the Netherlands. They both worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants and turned out to share the same dream. A restaurant of their own where they could continue to fight for perfection in complete freedom. A base from which they could hunt for new flavours and colours again and again. In 2019, the time had come and they opened the doors of Codium.
A beautiful building in the centre of Goes became the new epicentre of all the creativity that was about to erupt. Scandinavian influences provided balance and a lovely vibe. At this restaurant, you can be yourself and enjoy the special dishes and delicious wines brought together with a lot of love and skill. Shorts in summer or a sweet little dog as a companion are no showstopper here. You won’t see stiff table linen or tuxedo-clad cutters but a warm welcome with Jean-Luc and Wouter themselves regularly stopping by the table to explain how their creations came about.
That they brought a breath of fresh air to the established order did not pass culinary-loving Holland by. In the year they opened, they immediately won the “PZC award Restaurant of the Year”. But praise also followed from the Volkskrant, Quote, Lekker and Gault-Millau, among others. And to crown it all, Michelin rewarded Codium with a star in 2023! But even before the star, they spoke of an outstanding wine list.
Which, by the way, is very affordable because the guys charge a fixed mark-up on each bottle of wine on principle. So you won’t come across idiotic prices that have gone way over the top here.
For Wouter, his career started as a 13-year-old dishwasher at Restaurant de Vluchthaven in Bruinisse. He feasted his eyes and knew: “later I also want a restaurant and then I want to reach the absolute top”. The goal was defined and that helped the rebellious adolescent get through his school days. Charismatic chef DP Arkenbout recognised all his talent and determination at that time. It was he who taught Wouter that woman’s love goes through the stomach. Wise words that led to an inexhaustible source of inspiration, female sophistication became his muse.
At the Refuge, Wouter was given room to grow and Joost Deurloo was a patient teacher. After only a few years, he was scouted by a Michelin-starred restaurant from the middle of the country. Great idea but just a bit too far by moped. An internship in Iceland followed and there a new world opened up for him. New tastes, smells, combinations and colours stimulated his development. Back in the Netherlands, he managed to work for culinary hero Jannis Brevet (Inter Scaldes). Great learning but Wouter felt the need to fly out after a year. It became the Vierbannen in Ouwerkerk. A masterstroke because this was the place where he not only got the chance to take the restaurant to the next level but, above all, it was where he met Jean-Luc. Before they launched Codium together, Wouter joined Edwin Vinke of de Kromme Watergang and Jean-Luc worked at Parkheuvel in Rotterdam.
If you ask in which style Wouter cooks, you will notice that this rebel still does not like to be pigeonholed. He does not want to be pinned down by pretending to use only local products because, as a chef, you have to be free to bring flavours and colours together. Time and place are what matter. Zeeland is the base but if the quality or taste calls for looking beyond the borders of Zeeland then there is no discussion. Something Jean-Luc is completely comfortable with. He sources wine from the best places and Europe is his preference. However, there is still the occasional bottle that has to be flown in because it is too special to banish.
Jean-Luc has settled down in Zeeland for Codium. The busy Randstad has given way to an existence closer to nature. The sobering transition from The Hague to Hoedekenskerke has inspired Jean-Luc to focus further on non-alcoholic wines, and herbal drinks. Connecting flavours and finding the ideal combination for each dish remains his passion in this. Sometimes he draws tea on cold spring water for days. It repels the tartness and extracts subtle tones that form the basis for yet another liquid feast. But Jean-Luc also finds colleagues abroad who make refined drinks without alcohol. A rewarding search because delicious non-alcohol is super trending and appreciated by guests. So Codium’s non-alcohol “wine” package is also highly recommended.
In short, a hip restaurant that can keep up with the top without being prestigious. Well worth a visit if you feel like a culinary surprise. You can visit from Tuesday to Saturday and on Friday you can also make reservations for lunch. Go and enjoy but we advise you not to mention Feyenoord to the chef because he might forget to go back to the kitchen 😉
