Easily one of the best "let us cook for you" menus in The Netherlands. There is nothing I love more…read morethan stumbling upon a hidden gem restaurant like Benjamin while wandering around the city centre. I'm not going to lie, since coming to The Netherlands, I have missed the bold, inventive and thoroughly delightful menus at restaurants in New York City and San Francisco. To be honest, I never expected to find this in Arnhem - a small city in the East of The Netherlands, but alas - here I am gushing about it.
Tucked away just off one of the main streets in the city centre, The Benjamin is the perfect location for a quiet, central dining experience in Arnhem. The decor is bright, modern and cozy. And the staff were so attentive and accommodating.
We went for the 4-course surprise menu. I am a huge fan of letting chefs really put their full creativity on display. And this one was exactly as described: surprising, delightful, delicious! I think in The Netherlands they would say "hartstikke lekker".
The 4-Course Surprise Menu
Course 1: Duck salad with five-spice mayonnaise
The dish had subtle Asian-influenced flavours in a light starter. I loved the play of the different textures with the shredded duck and the creamy mayonnaise, and how it was done in such a way that wasn't too heavy.
Course 2: Salmon Soup with Tarragon
I am baffled by how the chef at Benjamin was able to put so much flavour into this soup! It was amazing. How a salmon soup with no actual chunks of salmon could be packed with so much flavour.. it was incredible! And maybe I am just too much a fan of Tarragon - but wow! It was such a good pair with the salmon.
Course 3: Bavette Steak over sweet potato puree, a stilton butter, and fresh figs and turnips
I'm going to be honest, by this time we were a little confused at the thought of having steak after a salmon and a duck dish. And to add to the confusion - I was a little dubious when I heard fig, stilton, sweet potato and steak were in this dish. I don't know what kind of magic they are cooking up at Benjamin, but somehow it all made sense when I took a bite into this course. All the different flavours and textures married together perfectly in this dish. The crunch from the turnips and the freshness form the figs with the unbelievably smooth texture of the sweet potato puree, the sharpness of the stilton butter.. amazing! And to top it all off, a perfectly seared Bavette steak that cut like butter.
Course 4: Asparagus Ice Cream with basil oil, roasted quinoa and ginger caramel sauce.
Desserts like this are what I live for. I love dishes that completely challenge my understanding of what should be savoury and what should be sweet. I have never had an Asparagus dessert, and yet somehow Benjamin left me in awe of what I have been missing in my life. The ice cream was beautifully bright with this very-present flavour of asparagus; a perfect balance between being too shy and too overpowering. The ginger caramel was amazing, so vibrant, so sweet, and a beautiful texture when combined with the crunchy roasted quinoa. And what a surprise to have this delightful burst of fresh basil flavour radiating throughout this dessert! The menu was certainly full of surprises.
All in all, it has been a long time since I have dined at a restaurant that had such a strong grasp of flavour, texture and presentation. So much so that they are able to deftly challenge what should and should not be paired together or made into a soup/ dessert / starter, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed my time dining at Benjamin and strongly recommend it for those foodies looking to broaden their horizons with food.
Also, side note: I had one of the best Rose's of my life here. Amazing!
