Tres earns the Green Michelin Star for its sustainable approach to fine dining.
In the dimly lit cellar beneath Rotterdam’s Entrepotgebouw, where soft light glows against old brick, Tres continues to redefine what fine dining can be. This week, during the Michelin Guide Netherlands 2025 ceremony in Maastricht, the 16-seat restaurant led by chef Michael van der Kroft and front-of-house director Emy Koster was awarded the Green Michelin Star, a distinction that celebrates sustainability and good cuisine in equal measure.
For the duo behind this subterranean counter, the accolade recognises not just ecological commitment but a broader philosophy of consciousness. “At Tres, sustainability is woven into everything we do. We collaborate closely with local farmers, fishers and producers in order to ensure responsible, seasonal sourcing. Every ingredient is fully utilised – from root to leaf and from nose to tail – so nothing goes to waste. Caring for our craft also means caring for our community and the environment, and each dish reflects both creativity and responsibility”, said van der Kroft to the Michelin Guide.
A quiet revolution underground
At Tres, dining is a ritual of transformation. Ingredients from Dutch fields and coastlines are fermented, matured, and reborn and their flavours are deepened through processes that can last months or even years. In a bold move, salt has been eliminated entirely. Instead, flavour is coaxed from long-developed alternatives: seaweed crystals, caramel salt, and misos aged for nine months in the restaurant’s own culinary lab.
The result is a cuisine that is both deeply technical and profoundly personal. Each dish — whether it’s a turbot glazed with yeast, a garum infused with horseradish, or a fermented vegetable pairing, reflects the rhythm of the seasons and the philosophy of patience. Every element is used to its fullest, an exercise in precision and respect.
The theatre of intimacy
With just sixteen seats at a single curved counter, Tres feels less like a restaurant and more like a performance space. Guests descend into the cellar, greeted by low light, textured stone, and the scent of smoke and vinegar from ongoing fermentations. Every movement is deliberate and Emy Koster’s service is as choreographed as the plating itself.
Her pairings, whether low-intervention wines or complex non-alcoholic infusions, mirror the food’s purity and depth. “We wanted to create a place where every detail matters,” Koster says. “From what you taste to what you hear, see or feel everything is part of the same story.”
A philosophy rewarded
Michelin’s inspectors described Tres as “raw and pure, vintage and warm,” noting its devotion to local artisans and a commitment to sourcing most ingredients within kilometres of Rotterdam. The Green Star is therefore not a symbolic award but an affirmation of a method that values integrity over indulgence.
Tres
Vijf Werelddelen 75, 3071 PS Rotterdam, Netherlands
www.tresrotterdam.com
