Two years of Toos Restaurant: celebrate with a glass of rosé and a shrimp cocktail

It's almost unbelievable that it's already been almost two years. Two years since Toos van der Valk personally cut the ribbon at the opening of the restaurant that bears her name. The grandmother behind one of the most well-known hotel chains in the Netherlands, present on the big day. Two years of Toos Restaurant at Van der Valk Hotel Hoorn. And we celebrate that. Extensively.

A restaurant with a story

When Van der Valk Hotel Hoorn announced in July 2024 that their à la carte restaurant would get a new name, that choice felt very natural to the hotel. With Restaurant Toos, the hotel honors a woman who, together with her partner Gerrit, plays an important role within the Van der Valk family.

On July 2, 2024, she was also there at the opening of Toos Restaurant. Surrounded by family members, colleagues, and guests, she cut the ribbon, together with her granddaughter and our general manager Tessa van der Valk. It was an unforgettable evening, with a special menu that was compiled together with Toos, and of course, abundantly served Toos Rosé.

What makes the restaurant so special is not just the food or the atmosphere. It's the feeling that you step into a place where a story lives. In the wines, dishes, and details of the restaurant, references can be found to Toos and the memories that her name evokes.

The shrimp cocktail: a dish with a memory

There is a dish on the menu that is more than a starter. It's a memory. Our general manager Tessa van der Valk loves to tell the story:

"The shrimp cocktail was the dish that Grandma Toos always prepared when visitors came over. Grandchildren who walked in, friends at the kitchen table, family on a Sunday afternoon. She was just ready. That was her way of welcoming. I ate it as a child, time and again. And every time, it tasted like exactly that: coming home."

It is therefore no coincidence that the shrimp cocktail has earned a permanent place among the Toos' Favorites on the menu. It is an honest tribute to the woman behind our restaurant. Anyone who orders this dish at Hoorn's Toos Restaurant tastes a piece of the family history that gives this restaurant its character.