One of the best meals I've had in my 15 years of traveling to this city.
If I were to sum this place up in a slogan, it's
"Refined without being pretentious"
5 Course "surprise"/ tasting menu with wine pairing. Was just amazing.
New and interesting approaches and presentations at classic Nederlands/ "Dutch" tastes. And an excellent value.
Every ingredient is purported to be of product of the Netherlands; other than the wines.
Amuse-bouche was interesting with a vegetable shooter, mini savory pastries and a madeleine type of cake in a sweet/ savoury puree.
Started with an ossenworst type of dish, but it was served more in a tartare format, traditionally dressed with the tastes of pickled cucumber & onion (appearing as purees) and mustard .. but the mustard was in the form of an ice cream.. which being colder than the tartare, made it such a great experience.
Nice Pinot Noir to go with it.
Second course was these beautifully textured cod fish cheeks that must have been delicately poached, along side of North Sea/ 'grey' shrimp and dressed with beet root and a bacon-fat foam. Amazing.
The wine was a Chardonnay from Edd's, a Dutch ex-pat's vineyard in the Algarve, and one which I was so impressed by that I've already ordered a case. Perfect pair.
Third/ Main was a nice sirloin cut of beef cooked to perfection, in terms of the inside, for a nice, even texture; though I wish it was a bit more scorched on the outside to add a bit of layering to the bite and char to the taste. This was served with spots of puree of vegetables and stalks of cut white hollands asparagus.
A Syrah blend from Edd's helped this one along as it was delicious.
The cheese course was incredible. Starting from left to right in terms of intensity, these Dutch cheeses could go head to head with any in Europe.. To get in to detail here I'd be lying because at that point the conversation at the huge round table, aided by the great wines, has left some holes in my memory.. but it was delicious.. and paired with a nice Porto that complemented the cheeses, particularly the Munster-ish(?) semi-soft cow with annatto rind, was out of this world. And a week later, I can still taste the blue cheese which the dish ended with.
The dessert was a nutty chocolate cake that resembled a brownie, served with a simple ice cream and strawberries. Paired with an ultra sweet dessert wine; details on which have escaped me but it was chocolatey and nutty just like the dish. Great.
The service was ultra-friendly and kind.. on the upscale-casual side, for better or worse at times. We felt welcome, accommodated and most importantly, comfortable throughout the excellent meal.
Atmosphere was likewise A+.
Love this place. Will be back for sure, and as I am doing now, will be recommending it.
P.S. They do accept American Express/ AMEX. read more