Noble - Wilhelminaplein 1

Went with a friend whilst we were visiting Den Bosch. We have both eaten at many fine dining restaurants and having scanned the offerings in the Den Bosch area, were excited to try Noble. The restaurant's aesthetics are great, a very clean, modern feel and the staff were very welcoming upon arrival. I was planning on doing the wine pairing and my friend asked them to match roughly every second course with a beer. Aperitif orders were taken and the drinks arrived. Lovely. This was probably as good as the meal got for the next 90 minutes though. As others have noted, in what feels a slightly mean decision, no "surprise" amuse-bouche(s!) were brought before starting the menu and no bread / butter accompaniment was brought at any time during the meal. This isn't necessarily a big deal, but it smacks of parsimony and thoughtlessness that would recur over many courses. The first plate was a halfway house between an amuse-bouche and a full course - a rather forgettable "tropical" King Crab taco that promised much but had almost no discernible flavours at all. Next up was the highlight of the savoury courses - an excellent Chinese style beef tartar - the acidity of the vinegar and pickles perfectly balanced the hoisin sauce - I could have eaten this all night. Unfortunately, the next course brought us back down to earth...again a rather bland scallop dish. The scallops were well cooked, that is as complimentary as I can be, the rest of the flavours (Pumpkin, Yuzu, Sourdough, Ginger Beer) really didn't mix on the plate as they might have in the mind. Another fish course followed, Octopus with green asparagus, Jenever bacon, burrata and green olive. It was great, apart from the octopus, which completely ruined it. The next two courses were completely non-descript, a strange pork belly and shrimp combination followed by roast beef and Szechuan pepper. Both fine, nothing more, nothing less. This leads us on to the penultimate course. It may be the worst course I have ever eaten in any restaurant, never mind a Michelin starred, fine dining one. It was a small (thankfully!) ramekin of Epoisse cheese covering grape and duck liver. It was so pungent that i struggled to eat it without gagging. My friend and I enjoy pretty much any cheese going from the mildest to the bluest, but this was something else - there was no taste of grape or fois gras, just the cloying foulness of the overpowering cheese. This is a taste I will never forget. In order to add some balance to this - there was a charming Dutch couple at the table next to us who were enjoying an anniversary dinner at a Michelin restaurant for the first time - they both enjoyed the Epoisse, so if I am being generous, I will say it was perhaps catered to local tastes. Still sitting in a state of shock, we awaited the dessert course with a sense of disbelief and an urge to get out of Noble as quickly as possible. Much to our surprise, the dessert course was actually the best of the night by far; we finally had a taste of something Michelin Star-worthy - a delicious combination of Speculoos, Mandarin and Vanilla. I have not mentioned the dish presentation until now, mostly because it was poor to average, but again this was plated well and the first bite with the eyes was nearly as good as that with the mouth! I will pay tribute to the sommelier before I sum up - his wine choice was consistently better than the plate of food he had to pair it with - I think he must be the hardest working member of staff in the restaurant, as trying to liven up the bland fare served during most courses is no mean feat, and on the whole he succeeded and surpassed expectations. So, what can I say in summary? If you can go a la carte and just order the Tartar and Dessert, you'll have a wonderful meal. If you can't and have to sit through the rest of it, you'll probably feel you wasted time and money. I think my advice to the couple next to us pretty much sums the evening up..."Please don't be put off fine dining by this meal, there are plenty of better restaurants out there".

Every single served course is prepared with care and perfectionism. Perfect tastes and amazing environment. You can enjoy a starting drink at the open terrace and then dine inside with a beautiful vibe. Strongly recommended

With no flavor overpowering the others, every dish is an perfectly balanced melody of tastes. Exceptional wine selection, as well as a very friendly staff, makes this a great place for either lunch or diner, if you don't mind paying a bit more for excellence.

Friendly staff. The home made ice cream is great but unfortunately the food is a bit bland.

Food is very unique , creative, and delicious. The view and atmosphere is excellent. I love the idea that you can just choose whatever you want. It doesn't come as a appertizer or main dish so you can try many things.

Nice atmosphere and outdoor terrace is great. Convenient location with visitors coming by car (A2) and/or train station. Food and wine is very good.

Very disappointing considering they are supposed to have a good reputation, high rating on The Fork and have 1 Michelin star. Did not feel welcome as we were seated but then waited for some time before water/ bread/ warm hand-cloths. Starter1: Pani-puri = very disappointing and shouldn’t carry that name. Starter2: Peking duck - fried spring rolls. Main: Chicken was great but came with potato instead of polenta. Side: Asian stir fry was too rich and salty. Main: Coquilles were great. (?No amuses?) Dessert: deconstructed dessert - deconstructed food (to me) is a lazy chefs way of easily making things look cool…but to lose flavor combinations for the customer. Not worth repeating dessert. Lactose intolerant partner was given a lactose snack with coffee and told it wasn’t lactose - only realized after tasting it and then asking again. Apparently Noble has a patron cuisinier …but we experienced quite a bit of disorder. Restaurant decor= great. Restaurant experience overall= definitely not worth repeating

Epic cuisine which everyone should have tasted at least once in their lives served brilliantly with delightful staff.