In this fifth episode of the season, we travel to Texel to visit Restaurant RJ, where we sit down with owner Jordy Schuijl.
Currently operating from Den Burg while an ambitious new restaurant and hotel are being developed in De Koog, Restaurant RJ represents a distinctly personal approach to gastronomy. Together with chef Patrick van der Hoek, Jordy has created a restaurant where French culinary foundations meet international influences, ingredients from Texel and a remarkable passion for wine.
Join us as we explore the philosophy behind Restaurant RJ, from Jordy’s early experiences in hospitality and the lessons learned at Michelin level to building his own restaurant on Texel. We discuss his preference for working with a small and knowledgeable team, the relationship between kitchen and cellar, and his ambition to turn RJ into a true gastronomic destination on the island.
Restaurant RJ is built around the idea that food, wine and hospitality should form one experience. The restaurant works with a deliberately compact team, allowing Jordy and Patrick to remain closely involved in the development of each menu and the experience at the table.
The cuisine has its foundations in French gastronomy but is not restricted by them. Japanese and other international influences appear naturally throughout the menu, while ingredients from Texel are used whenever quality and timing make sense. Local fish, sheep’s milk and cheeses can therefore sit alongside products and techniques from much further afield.
Wine is equally central to the identity of RJ. Over the years, Jordy has built an extensive cellar covering established regions and producers alongside less obvious discoveries. Burgundy, and particularly white Burgundy, remains an important reference, but the collection extends far beyond it.
Rather than working exclusively with one fixed wine pairing, Jordy and his team can adapt their selections according to the dish, the guest and the bottles showing particularly well at that moment. Coravin allows the restaurant to explore mature vintages and more unusual bottles by the glass, turning the cellar into an active part of the dining experience rather than simply a collection.
That philosophy has also brought international recognition, with RJ’s wine programme receiving several distinctions from **Star Wine List**, including recognition for its extensive selection by the glass.
Hospitality has been part of Jordy’s life from an early age. Growing up on Texel in a family connected to tourism, he first entered the restaurant world washing dishes at the age of eleven. Curiosity soon took him further into the kitchen and eventually into service and wine.
An important stage in his development came when he left Texel and joined De Nederlanden, where he gained experience both in the kitchen and on the restaurant floor at Michelin level. Arriving without a traditional culinary education, Jordy describes this period as one of his most important schools, teaching him not only technique but also the mentality and consistency required at the highest level of hospitality.
In 2020, he returned to Texel to open Restaurant RJ.
During our conversation, Jordy reflects on those early years, the development of the restaurant and his close collaboration with Patrick van der Hoek. We also discuss his approach to ingredients, why availability does not always mean an ingredient is ready to be used, and how that philosophy closely resembles his approach to wine.
Naturally, we spend plenty of time talking about the cellar. Jordy explains how he selects wines, his fascination with Burgundy, the importance of mature bottles and why he enjoys introducing guests to regions and producers they may not yet know.
The conversation also looks towards the future. In De Koog, Restaurant RJ is developing a new home that will bring an intimate restaurant, 18 hotel suites and a dedicated wine cellar together within one destination. The idea is to create a place where guests can travel to Texel, stay, dine and explore wine without having to think about anything beyond the experience itself.
Dutch Wine Apprentice proudly presents the second season of Chefs & Cellars, a podcast that brings listeners inside the kitchens, cellars, and philosophies of the most compelling restaurants in the Netherlands.
In each episode, we explore the stories behind exceptional cuisine and the wines that elevate it—from the people who dedicate their lives to both crafts.
You can read more about ‘Chefs & Cellars’ here.
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For an in-depth exploration of Restaurant RJ, including our dining experience and the food and wine pairings that shaped our evening on Texel, read our accompanying Dining at Restaurant RJ feature on Dutch Wine Apprentice.
Discover Restaurant RJ on Texel, where owner Jordy Schuijl and chef Patrick van der Hoek bring ambitious cuisine together with an exceptional wine programme and distinctive food and wine pairings. In this Chefs & Cellars feature, we explore RJ’s culinary philosophy, remarkable cellar and the restaurant’s future in De Koog.
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