We were over in the Netherlands in the latter part of last week a bit to the east of Zwolle. My sister- and brother-in-law took Mrs O and I to two restaurants near Dalfsen. Dalfsen is a small but pretty little town on the river Vecht about 8 km east of Zwolle. I did not take notes on the first one we went to but had a really nice smoked salmon and smoked hallibut starter there; Mrs O went for carpaccio which is hard to find in any restaurant near where we live in England. My main course was a 'mixed grill' with tender medallions of beef, lamb and pork served with fried new potatoes and hot beetroot.

On the Saturday we went to the Brasserie de VII Deugden which means 'Brasserie of the 7 Virtues' which is on the edge of town close to the river Vecht. In fact a waitress who apparently was on her last day working there got dumped in the river by colleagues!

 brasserie dalfsen

The restaurant has an L-shaped dining room (plus some extra private rooms) and an awning with glass sides. There was a fair amount of space on the terrace outside. The dining room has a spacious feel because the ceiling is probably more than 3 metres high and the tables were a good wide size. Service was friendly and helpful.

Starters come at about 10 € per dish. I ordered deep fried calamari. This was well-prepared with a crisp batter and tender squid, though I admit I preferred the way I prepare it with breadcrumbs. Mrs O - predictably - wanted to try their rib-eye carpaccio with brie and thought it was very good. Other starters on offer were gaspacho and a sheep cheese salad.

The main courses were about 20 € each and had names that were a play on words. For example Mrs O ordered 'Rolmops' which was not rolled up pickled hering. Instead it was more like a 'Schnitzel cordon bleu' - consisting of a Wiener Schnitzel (veal) rolled up with Coburg ham and goat cheese, nevertheless the shape was of a giant rollmops. This was tasty but very rich.

 tenderloin

I ordered 'Haasje met mate' (meaning tenderloin with degree) which was pork tenderloin wrapped in thin bacon and served with a mild mustard gravy. Main courses were served with fried new potatoes, a variety of seasonal vegetables and green salad. The tenderloin was really moist and I enjoyed it. I am surprised that tenderloin is not more often prepared in the UK though it is easy to dry out.

Other maincourses on offer were grilled tuna - which I noticed was prepared properly i.e. pink in the middle - sole, veal rib-eye steak and rack of lamb.

The main course was very filling so Mrs O and I skipped dessert. My in-laws were still going strong and went for the desserts which were 5-10 €. One was a very large - mainly ice cream - dish. There was also a "asparagus menu" which not only included asparagus main courses but different desserts. One was aninteresting combination of pureed strawberries in champagne accompanied by strawberry ice cream.

I certainly enjoyed the place but would suggest that visitors only attempt 2 courses!