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Centrum · Utrecht · Netherlands

Restaurant Blauw Utrecht

Indonesian rijsttafel house in central Utrecht serving meat, fish, and vegetarian rice tables of around seventeen dishes, with a vegan version on request.

The essentials, at a glance

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Impact score
1 - Starting
→
Documented practices
Social impact
Plant-forward menu

Style
Casual
Cosy
Cuisine
Asian
Recognised by
We're Smart Green Guide·2 radishes

The delicious details

Restaurant Blauw cooks traditional Indonesian rather than the Dutch-influenced Indische style, with chefs drawing on flavours from West Sumatra, Java, North Sulawesi, and Bali. The kitchen takes its time, with many dishes stewed for hours and built around whole spices and fresh ingredients.

The Utrecht site sits on Springweg in the city centre and is run by chef Hendra, with owner Henk van Hees overseeing both the Utrecht and Amsterdam locations since 2013. The room is modern in style rather than traditional Indonesian decor, and the rijsttafel format is built around long, shared dining.

Michelin lists the restaurant in its Bib Gourmand selection for good cooking at good value, and Gault&Millau has scored it 13 points.

Menu
What's on the table, and what's left off

The menu centres on three rijsttafels of around seventeen dishes each: Selera Blauw with meat, Ikan Rasa with fish, and Vega Rasa for vegetarians, plus a vegan version of Vega Rasa. Vegetable components run through every rijsttafel — gado-gado, sayur lodeh, nasi kuning. The kitchen sources meat halal, marks allergens on the menu, and adapts dishes at booking.

Cuisine
Asian
Dietary options
Vegetarian options
Vegan-friendly
Halal
Allergies handling
Notice At booking

Notify the restaurant at booking. The menu marks allergens on each dish and the kitchen accommodates dietary requirements. The kitchen uses shared pans and fryers, so gluten-free safety is not guaranteed.

Coeliac diet: Gluten-free dishes are not guaranteed safe for coeliac diners due to shared pans and fryers in the small kitchen.
Impact score
How this restaurant rates
1 - Starting

Restaurant Blauw is listed on the We're Smart Green Guide with two radishes, recognising the plant-forward character of its cooking. The rijsttafel format includes a fully vegetarian option, Vega Rasa, with around seventeen dishes, a vegan version available on request, and vegetable-led components running through every format — including gado-gado, sayur lodeh, and urap.

In its employment approach, owner Henk van Hees runs the restaurant on an open-book management model, sharing revenue and productivity figures with staff and tying bonuses to performance targets. Kitchen and floor teams across both the Utrecht and Amsterdam locations have remained largely stable over the years, an approach described in interviews with De Restaurantkrant and Utrecht Business.

The impact dimensions
Local & direct sourcing
Social impact✓
Plant-forward menu✓

Owner Henk van Hees sources traditional Indonesian ingredients through long-standing relationships with suppliers.

Owner Henk van Hees has stated in interviews that the kitchen uses 'only fresh, pure ingredients, spices' and that traditional suppliers help secure proper Indonesian ingredients (Granny Smith apples have been used as a substitute when a specific Indonesian melon was unavailable).

The sourcing positioning emphasises fresh, pure ingredients and traditional suppliers rather than named Dutch local producers.

Strongest sourceutrechtbusiness.nl ↗

Owner Henk van Hees runs the restaurant on an open-book management model, sharing revenue and productivity metrics with staff and tying bonuses to performance targets.

Owner Henk van Hees runs Restaurant Blauw on an open-book management model, sharing revenue and productivity metrics with staff and tying bonuses to performance targets.

The practice is corroborated in independent press: De Restaurantkrant interview and Utrecht Business article. Kitchen and floor teams across both Utrecht and Amsterdam locations have remained largely stable over the years, an approach described as investing in personnel to drive quality improvements.

Strongest sourcederestaurantkrant.nl ↗

One of three rijsttafels is fully vegetarian (Vega Rasa) with around seventeen dishes, and a vegan version is available on request.

One of three rijsttafels is fully vegetarian (Vega Rasa) with around seventeen dishes, and a vegan version of Vega Rasa is available on request. Vegetable components run through every rijsttafel format.

A published vegetarian and vegan output: Blauw's Veggie Kitchen (2024) presents 70 vegetarian and vegan recipes drawn from the restaurant's repertoire. Owner notes approximately 75% of guests choose the meat or fish rijsttafels, so plant-led dishes are extensively present but not structurally dominant.

Strongest sourcesimonandschuster.com ↗
Visit & practical info
Address, price, and more
Address
Springweg 64, 3511 VT Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
Open in Google Maps ↗
Price
€€€
Format
Shared rijsttafel dining; reserve online
Hours
Monday17:00–22:00
Tuesday17:00–22:00
Wednesday17:00–22:00
Thursday17:00–22:00
Friday17:00–22:30
Saturday17:00–22:30
Sunday17:00–22:00
Style
Casual
Cosy
Web
restaurantblauw.nl
Social
@restaurantblauw
Reserve a table
Reviewed by My Treats
Last reviewed 04 May 2026
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How we score
The My Treats impact scale

Every restaurant is assessed against SEERO, our six-dimension sustainability framework — covering sourcing, seasonality, waste, animal products, social impact, and plant-forward cooking. Each finding is weighted by how strongly it is corroborated. The combined result is translated into a planet rating from 1 to 5.

The five levels

SEERO is an acronym for Starting, Engaged, Endorsed, Recognised, Outstanding:

Starting First verified signals of sustainable practice.
This place
Engaged Credible practice across two dimensions.
Endorsed Meaningful practice across three or more dimensions.
Recognised Strong practice across four or more dimensions, with independent corroboration.
Outstanding Top-tier practice, confirmed by recognised third-party audit.

How a level is reached. Each level needs two things together: a minimum number of dimensions covered, and a minimum overall strength of evidence across them. A dimension only counts once its evidence is specific and substantiated — a passing mention doesn't qualify. Meeting only one of the two keeps a restaurant a level lower.

Ratings of four or five planets require human validation and, at the top tier, an external audit. Scores are based on publicly available evidence and restaurant submissions at the time of assessment.

Full methodology→
Impact dimension
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How this dimension works
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How evidence is weighted
Self-declared Stated by the restaurant on its website, menu or in a submission. Plausible, but not yet independently corroborated.
Researched Found through independent research; one credible third-party source backs the claim.
Vouched Corroborated across more than one independent source. Some gaps may remain.
Audited Fully corroborated across independent sources or by a recognised third-party certification.
What the sourcing checkmarks mean
✓ Full check — independently verified: corroborated across more than one source, or audited / third-party certified (vouched or audited).
✓ Light check — self-declared or from a single source. Not yet independently verified.
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