Grand Café now open in the Groot Handelsgebouw

Restaurant owner Tan Do has enjoyed years of success with Little V. He is now opening Grand Café do. in the Groot Handelsgebouw. A restaurant, bar and events venue where Vietnamese heritage, European café culture and Rotterdam’s creative talent come together.

On the site formerly occupied by Engels, Tan Do and the creative director have designed a grand café for contemporary Rotterdam. A place to meet up, eat, drink and linger all day long. Inspired by the grand cafés of Paris and the energy and social culture of cafés in Saigon.

"Tim and I wanted to create a place where people come for lunch or a drink and leave having discovered a new artist, a new perspective or simply something unexpected," says owner Tan Do.

Vietnam v France

In 2006, Tan Do opened Little V in The Hague, followed shortly afterwards by the Rotterdam restaurant on Grotekerkplein. The aim was to introduce Vietnamese cuisine to a Dutch audience. At Grand Café do., the approach is more evolved and contemporary. The menu features, amongst other things, Saigon pork belly with crushed garlic and tamarind, Vietnamese herb salad and pickled vegetables; a vegetarian Bánh mì with mushroom pâté, crispy annatto tofu, pickled vegetables and coriander mayonnaise; and a Saigon croissant with Vietnamese sausage, fried egg, whipped La Vache qui rit, watercress salad, fermented chilli sauce and Vietnamese pickles. There are also mussels in Vietnamese beer with ginger, lemongrass and rice wine, and a steak haché with crispy shallots, perlé gravy, garlic ketchup, chips, butter lettuce and sauce verte.

In the morning, there’s coffee and pastries from Harvest, and throughout the day there’s time for lunch, dinner and drinks.

Interior

At the heart of the original core team of architects Huig Maaskant and Willem van Tijen, a homely yet cosmopolitan interior has been created. MASA Architects laid the architectural foundations. Designers including Sabine Marcelis, Kim Mupangilaï, Moon Seop Seo and Casper Faassen created commissioned furniture and ornaments, whilst Fundamente collected distinctive vintage pieces and objects. In this way, the space has gradually taken shape and feels like a living room. Over time, the venue can evolve creatively through new vintage finds and cultural programming. In addition to the restaurant, there is a range of separate event spaces available. These spaces can be hired for meetings, presentations and other gatherings. For more information on hire, please follow this link.

An exciting addition to the Groot Handelsgebouw 

Thomas Sandlin of Jamestown (owner of the Groot Handelsgebouw) said: “Grand Café do. captures exactly what makes the Groot Handelsgebouw so special: its ability to honour Rotterdam’s architectural heritage whilst constantly embracing new ideas. Tan, Tim and their team have designed a cultural meeting place that will add a new and exciting dimension to this iconic building.”

Practical information

Address:
Stationsplein 45

Opening hours:
Monday – Thursday 8.30 am – 11.30
pm Friday 8.30 am – 1.00
am Saturday 9.30 am – 1.00
am Sunday 9.30 am – 11.30 pm