25 YEARS.. LOYAL GUESTS

Steven & Josephine

“Our first experience with Mes Amis was shortly after the restaurant opened. Twenty five years ago, we were living in San Diego, California, where Steven worked as a museum curator. At the time, Steven was visiting Maastricht for TEFAF, an annual tradition. Back then, TEFAF still had a dedicated desk for restaurant reservations. Steven tried to book a table at ’t Plenkske, a favourite of his family in law, but unfortunately, it was fully booked. Instead, someone recommended a new restaurant that was already earning quite a reputation: Mes Amis.”

Culinary Discoveries
“The restaurant was small and located in a beautiful historic building. Annaline welcomed guests at the door, radiating warmth and cheerfulness, with her bright smile, blonde hair and signature red Eurobril glasses. Steven still vividly remembers the main course he enjoyed that evening: perfectly roasted veal served with a wonderfully classic red wine reduction. It was a sauce he would try to recreate countless times at home, but never quite managed to match. Each course was accompanied by a local wine, carefully selected by Annaline.

But what truly stayed with him from that evening was the starter: mustard soup.”

Mustard Soup as a Common Thread
“Steven was already in his forties and had lived and travelled all over Europe, yet he had never tasted mustard soup before. Once back home, he enthusiastically told Josephine all about his dinner at Mes Amis. ‘Mustard soup?’ she asked in surprise. That very evening, they enjoyed it again at home, prepared with Limburg mustard that Steven had brought back especially for the occasion.

Over the following years, mustard soup became something of a recurring theme in our lives. We brought friends, colleagues and family members to Mes Amis: Oz, William, Laura, Kurt, Tom and Gail. Gail was so impressed by the mustard soup that she ordered it as her starter, main course and dessert. She happily finished all three bowls.”

Friendship and Memories
“And really, that is exactly what Mes Amis has given us: not just mustard soup and twenty five years of wonderful meals, but also a quarter of a century filled with friendship and memories. We have grown alongside Mes Amis. Renovations, expansions, changing menus, Patriek and his team, the wine shop, events... enough to give anyone grey hair! Oh, wait. Perhaps that's simply because we've grown twenty five years older ourselves.”