Regarding the Saturday market, I omitted good quality, fresh, made on the spot bread and pastries is also available in addition to all of the fruit and vegetables and other items. We have a go to daily bakery on the Zeedjk which is very nearby on the left side as you walk toward Central Station. [over head sign = Brood].
I have to admit, Iām taking all this enthusiasm with a grain of salt. I havenāt been to Amsterdam in 10 years but last time I was there it was one of the worst food cities Iāve ever been to. Beyond the herring and cheese, the food was a poor imitation of continental cuisine and the native food was rustic at best. I stuck to coin operated fried food kiosks. Iām guessing thereās been a major revolution in the last 10 years (similar to whatās gone on in 3rd tier US cities) and thatās responsible for this hype. But forgive my skepticism.
Sarah, I trust your opinion on this, how does Amsterdam compare to other cities?
Thanks for the kind words, Paul. My feeling is that Amsterdam is a beautiful city, with fascinating architecture, museums, history and culture, where you can eat well if you do your research. But it is not a food destination, in my opinion, nor is it quite at the level of a Food City in the sense that you feel an important and enthusiastic upswelling of interest in all things culinary. You can get the beginnings of that, though, and I would expect it will continue to get better. Right now, itās a beer destination for sure, and the place to go for learning about Jenever, and walking around and connecting the dots of your European history lessons (in a good way), not for visiting special restaurants.
Our impression when we went there the first time (Jonathan had business and I went along since Iād never been) was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, but not at all blown away. We thought the meal we had at Daalder was very good indeed, and made interesting by the integration of traditional flavors like smoked eel that we donāt get elsewhere all that often. If it was in our neighborhood, weād go often, as we loved the friendly, easy going atmosphere, but it wouldnāt be causing buzz on the Lower East Side. Same with one or two other places, though Daalder was our favorite. We didnāt have any interest in trying the very high-end places right in Amsterdam, as we expected they would not be āall thatā and super fancy is not our preferred dinning experience anyway, with a few exceptions. The one star Michelin in a suburb, which we were taken to by a supplier, was trying very hard, and was making good food, but very much not there yet. We were glad we did the Indonesian thing one night, to have done it, but the food was fine, not great. The couple of meals we had just wandering in places were fine, with friendly and enthusiastic servers and chefs, but only Daalder and Wilde Zwijnen were really doing something of note. We visited with the chef and staff in the kitchen at WZ and their interest in serious ingredients was exciting - weāll be going back - and if more places like those grow up, thereās potential for sure.
So itās certainly not one of the worst food cities in Europe, but neither is it on the list with Paris, Barcelona, London, San Sebastian, Emilia-Romagna and so many others where thereās a plethora of places like Daalder, in addition to temples of gastronomy and excellent hole-in-wall joints.
If youāre looking for the Franco/Belgique experience you will be frustrated for sure. The Rijsttafel places are worth exploring. They range from cheap bar food menus to Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition. Tempo Doeloe is worth a visit. If you decide Rijsttafel taint your thing, then you may want to drop Indonesia from your travel bucket list too.
I made it a point to hit up both places when I was there in November. The folks at De Bierkoning like to trade, so bring good stuff with you. I brought them some Trillium that was about 4 days old. Minds blown.
As a resident I feel somewhat qualified to reply to this topicā¦
In general I do not eat out much since I feel many restaurants here are terribly overpriced, especially the wine, have bad service and provide food that I make better at home.
Also, the onslaught of tourists makes Amsterdam centre rather unpleasant at peak season. This is a good time to visit though.
Advice for all you tourists, stay off the bike lane!
There are exceptions. I you are into spirits, are willing to tolerate mediocre food and rude service but want a nice ambiance and the best Jenever in the world go to proeflokaal de Admiraal.
http://www.proeflokaaldeadmiraal.nl On occasion they have some interesting bottles from their cellar as well. Worth a visit for drinks anyway.
Wilde Zwijnen is mentioned above already.
The last time we had dinner at La Rive, there was a Kim Jung Un lookalike wearing a similar coat as the great North Korean leader during the whole meal. In addition, several older anorectic women trying to walk on ridiculously high heels. We had fun mocking the clientele but will not be back soon. For a Michelin starred restaurant prices are reasonable though.
Instead, sample some food from Surinam. Barra, bloedworst, (a spicy boudin), pom etc. You will find surinam restaurants everywhere. Personal favorite,http://www.lalla-rookh.nl.
Go to Zuid Oost with the subway, get out at Amsterdamse poort. Walk in the shopping centre for authentic Surinam food. Neighborhood is boring though.
Sample gerookte ossenworst, a raw smoked beef sausage. Jewish delicacy from Amsterdam.
Have a kroket at eetsalon van Dobben, close to the Rembrandtplein. If you are there, take a peak in the Tuschinsky theater nearby. The pinnacle of Dutch Jugendstil interior design, Amsterdamse school.
Many options off the beaten pathā¦
Jurgens
However you do have a very fine Cheese shop on Runstraat (Kaaskamer). That plus the local dill and mustard sauce are always on our agenda when food shopping.
We tend to stay out beyond the Museum Quarter when we stay, as mass tourism (and Amsterdamās reputation as far as those tourists are concerned) does rather make the centre a bit āgrubbyā. Weāll go in for something specific, but on the whole we donāt spend more than a few hours in the centre when we visit. That does mean a bit more prep to work out whatās on the periphery, but itās far more enjoyable and relaxing out there.
Do you have any Ethiopian recommendations Jurgens (or anyone else)? We look forward to the food when we visit, but have tended to stick to one place off Overtoom.
regards
Ian
Hello Jurgens, Juan and I will be in the area this weekend. Here is a link to the agenda our distributor has scheduled, would love to meet you if you and any friends would like to taste our wines! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Ate at Wilde Zwijnen last night and had a delightful meal. The food was all very good, with high quality ingredients and a respect for each itemās integrity in the dish. The staff were very friendly, efficient, cool with BYO, and seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was a busy night, and the room was hopping with what I assume were mostly locals as it is no where near the tourist areas of town. If this place were in my neighborhood, Iād eat here weekly. Places like this becoming more common is what turns a town into a real Food City. Iād absolutely recommend it if youāre in Amsterdam and want a casual, delicious meal for not a lot of $ in a fun atmosphere.
Just arrived, Juan is off to his wine event, while Nolita is catching up on sleep. Iām going to venture out with her when she awakes!
Went to Restaurant-Cafe In de Waag and I had Red Perch with barley in squid ink & romesco sauce = exquisite!
Then crepes for dessert!
Anyone been to Guts & Gory, de Kas, or de Culinaire Werkplaats?
Great timing. I`m in Amsterdam now and just visited my favourite wine shop, Chabrol, after touring the neighbourhood for a look at some of the restaurants recommended in this thread including Daalder and Cafe de Klepel. The guys there told me the 2 chefs who made Daalder famous moved on and started up Guts & Glory and then opened a 2nd restaurant which is currently the hit of the town, Breda.
I`ll be checking both out and probably go to both as well as the 2 above and report back.
There`s also another rec from them, Choux, which is near Centraal Station.
I`d like to do Wilde Zwijnen, but it is a hoof and a half from where we stay and we have enough to explore within walking distance.
Iāll look forward to your report. We are in Amsterdam in June. Breda wonāt work for me since my daughter eats only vegan. Choux would work. Looks like Wilde Zwijen would work, as well. Guts & Glory is serving a vegetarian menu at the moment. Hopefully that wonāt change by the time we are there.
My wife and I visited one of my 4 choices on the bucket list last night, Cafe de Klepel [the others being Choux, Guts & Glory and Breda]. It`s a winner, and so much so for a wine geek like me, I regret not having gone there previously and I will most certainly return.
They offer a 3 or 4 course prix fixe with a request for dietary considerations when making the reservations on line which is what I did. Take care to be patient with the confirmation; it is done personally via email as opposed to an automatic computerised response and it took over a day before I heard back.
I asked for lacto-ovo vegetarian options and it was immediately brought up upon sitting that the chef had put together a specific menu to comply; no problem.
The wine list was extensive especially when one considers we are in beer country. It had some really good and varied choices for all major old world categories. Our server was Job Seuren who is wine passionate and knowledgeable and assists in the selection process for their list. After a brief chat, I knew I could trust his suggestions of wine pairings and went for it with by the glass choices for all 3 courses. Champagne, a white from Loire, a red Burg and a Cabernet Franc from Loire finishing up with a cheese course [detailed tasting notes are being prepared and will be posted on Wine Talk if not here also]. All were good to very good and great matches. Properly prepared Riedel Vinum stemware was used for all wines and I loved the larger bowl stem used for champagne which I prefer in lieu of a flute.
The food was outstanding. There was perfect balance in the seasoning with a multitude of flavours and no one dominating. Temperature control was in place with all heated dishes being accessible upon serving including the soup. All plates consisted of fresh, local, organic produce and care was taken in preparation in order to maintain nutritional value.
The service was coordinated beautifully for timing and our preference to first enjoy some champagne before moving on. We sat inside in the middle of the dining area which has only about 6 tables plus seats at the bar counter for which reservations can also be made. I believe they had a small bites menu available with wine.
The 3 course goes for 34.50 Euro, 4 is 39.50 Euro. Most wines by the glass were 7.50 Euro. That`s quite reasonable and well worth it IMHO.
Highly recommended.
The wines from the dinner at Cafe de Klepel:
NV R.H.COUTIER CUVEE TRADITION BRUT-60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay; the first sip gives an amazingly accurate sense of what this bubbly is all about; it hits the palate running on all legs; this is definitely a sparkler to sip; it pretty big and complex with a mouthful of citrus, pear, apple and stone fruit notes along with significant acidity and a medium to full on body; it`s creamy rich and therefore long and as my palate got acclimated, it became more accessible and still demanded small tastes; we took our time and enjoyed it immensely.
2014 FANNY SABRE BOURGOGNE ROUGE POMMARD- from this producer who is committed to organic farming, using wild yeasts and rarely chaptalises, this was the perfect choice for me as I`m much more inclined to go for the lighter spicy red fruit and more elegant red Burg style than those with darker fruit profiles and bigger, in your face boldness; it had raspberry, red cherry and strawberry with enough spice to state it; it was medium bodied at the most, had a silky easy mouthfeel and enough to drive it full length through the finish.
2014 DOMAINE DUROCHE BOURGOGNE ROUGE GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN- my wife had this one and once tasted, I knew I had the right one in my glass with the Fanny Sabre although this had some fine attributes and was a good wine for sure; here the black cherry/ berry fruit dominates and is delivered in a full body, heavier texture and longer on the palate; the intensity was much like that of the Coutier in that a little bit at a time was enough to savor and hold ones attention that a serious taste was forthcoming with each approach. These 2 Bourgogne wines are incredible QPRs for Burgundy.
2014 DOMAINE MUSSET-ROULLIER ANJOU ROUGE ā les NEUF VINGTā LOIRE- 100% Cabernet Franc [although it may have a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon]; serious, focused and intense on the palate, this full on red has a lot going for it; first it had a rich, deep, dark purple color unlike many Cab Francs I`ve had from Loire; this is majorly extracted wine and gives a huge serving of spice, clove and fresh, bright red fruit with red raspberry most apparent; I found myself once again sipping and enjoying each small taste and just letting the wine go all the way to the back end and dance on and forever.
2004 CAVES ALBERT DUHR [CHATEAU PAUQUE] FOSSILES GREVENMACHER LUXEMBOURG- a first Luxemburg wine for me, this Pinot Blanc [it may have some other white blended in] had really nice acidity, tasty citrus, apple and pear fruit and a mineral streak that ran in between the seams.
I find it so interesting to discover new wines especially those that do not get sent to the US or if so, in limited quantities. In European restaurants and wine shops that are somewhat wine savvy, the number of outstanding and quite affordable wines is amazing. Tonight was one of those nights that featured 5 of such wines. The most expensive wine was the champagne which I seen for around $35. All were very good and food friendly.
Cheers,
Blake
There were six of us on our visit to Cafe de Klepel over the New Yearās holiday, so we ordered off this list. '07 Raveneau MdT was 160e. 93 Tempier La Tourtine was 85e. Also had some more recent burgs from producers I was unfamiliar with recommended by the waiter, who was very knowledgeable. They have a very nice wine program.
Once back in Amsterdam, I visited my favorite wines shop, Chabrol, and asked for recommendations for restaurants. Two were immediately suggested, Guts & Glory and Breda. Both are owned by 2 former chefs at the quality Restaurant Daalder and are very popular now with advance reservations required.
My first inclination was to do Breda first since it is the hottest ticket in town and should we want to do a dinner on the weekends, reservations are 5 weeks out so I needed to make a plan.
We opted for a mid week dinner. They do prix fixe dinners only and do not deviate when asked to do anything other than the prepared daily meat and fish menu meaning no vegetarian options; so, we shifter gears and went for Guts & Glory which does a monthly special, in this case, VEGETABLES.
Reservations were made by a coordinator at Breda so we were assured of getting a last minute table.
Again, there`s only a prix fixe menu with 5 courses @ 47.50 Euros, 6 @ 55 Euros and 7 course @ 62.50 Euros with a cheese platter for 11.50 Euros offered at the end.
We sat upstairs which is rather stark and linear with most of the dining space lined up with 2 tops in 2 rows with an easy conversion for 4, 6, 8 or more doable. On this night, we had a nice out of the way 2 top at the very end of the room next to a window overlooking the back area which was more of a garden setting with trees and shrubs.
About half way through dinner, the room was rearranged into 2 long tables on both sides to accommodate a party of 20 that evidently made last minute reservations. We were asked to move to an outside street table which was like a community table of which there are 2. On a rather warm evening, it was comfortable except the bench was hard, without back support and so narrow, I had to literally lift up my legs to squeeze out for a restroom visit. The street noise was not distracting, but auto fumes and cigarette smoke effected the sensory experience of the food as well as the intimacy for the two of us having a special dinner out.
The food was superb. The amuse-bouche was as special as any of the 5 courses we had. Each course was unique having its own taste profile which included being pleasantly and righteously seasoned. They have figured out how to accentuate foods, in this case various types of vegetables, and maintain a delicate balance using an assortment of spices and herbs that made each dish separately enjoyably distinct. They use cream sauces in some cases making many dishes rich and filling and supporting our selection to do only 5 courses even though the additional 2 courses sounded quite appealing.
We enjoyed glasses of wines with each course starting with a fine NV Brut from Billecart-Salmon [13.50 Euro] poured in our preference of the taller, wider mouth Schott Zwiesel stem. Nice white, red and dessert wines were available and decent pours at an average of 7.50 Euro was the fare. Wine notes will be added in.
The service was very friendly, cordial, casual and accommodating. We did not mind the relocation half way through our meal, but it seemed strange and out of place for a newly opened, āesteemedā restaurant to do so. There is also a dichotomy here with the food being so well prepared and presented at a high price point, but a very casual, informal dining set up with the outside seating even more so. I would think the quality of the cuisine merits tablecloths, candles and more āformalā elegance, but that may be just my own bias and not what is expected or preferred by the locals. We did notice most of the customers were more than casually dressed. I do get that most restaurants now are attempting to be more things to more people and presenting a more casual, relaxed ambience.
With wines included, our tab for 2 came to 166 Euros and after I bumped it up for an additional gratuity, it came to about $210 USD.
The wines:
NV BILLECART-SALMON BRUT RESERVE- bright, refreshing, good acidity, lots of lemon-lime with a hit of spice and brioche; served too warm and initially about to be poured into a small, tulip shaped glass until I caught it and asked for the taller, wider bowl Schott Zwiesel generic stem that was part of the initial table set up and removed once we ordered champagne.
2013 CHIBET CHARDONNAY LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON- tropical fruit dominates this nice and easy Chard; there`s also a bit of citrus and mild mineralality; it has good mouthfeel, noticeable mild acidity and has enough stuff to please and work well for the dishes paired up.
2013 JEAN LUC GAUTHIER āUNE TRANCHE FINE llā GAMAY BEAUJOLAIS- light see through red color, mild red cherry/ berry fruit; playful and refreshing and so easy on the palate; it paired well with the course it was served with as well.
2014 ENREST LOOSEN āVILLA WOLFā PFALZ PINOT NOIR- rose petals in the nose, red and black cherry fruit lead the way through this easy and delightful light weight Pinot; mild acidity, light to medium body and an overall pleasant quaffer.
NV DOMAINE du ROUVRE RIVSALTES HORS D`AGE LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON- Grenache blend; this was clearly flawed with a strong hit of Brett in the nose and thereafter plus a spritziness that suggest incomplete secondary fermentation prior to bottling; we moved on.
2011 PONTEMAGNO ORI di VERDICCHIO dei CASTELLI di JESI- at least 85% is Verdicchio as required and this may have some of the allowed Trebbiano and Malvasia; the creamy rich mouthfeel is the hallmark of this fine wine along with a real pleasant taste profile which included lightly honeyed pear, apple, lemon and mild honeysuckle notes; it also had bright acidity, was medium to full bodied and had a long finish which embellished the entire experience; this was so good, we had another pour.
If we were to return, Id confirm there were no large parties on the same night and if possible, get one of the 2 very end of the row tables in the back as we did on this occasion. Id probably also order a bottle of fine wine in lieu of those by the glass where it is risky not knowing how long a bottle has been opened among other unknowns.
Proost,
Blake
Had an unmemorable meal at De Belhamel this night. OK food, slow service, nice view looking down a canal.
Staying at the Andaz (Hyatt), which is a nice, but hipster-esque, hotel in city center. Bar is pretty good and i got a custom genever tasting. Pics below.
Had a good meal at Bordāeau. Thought it was overpriced. Amazing butter and bread. Wouldnāt go back. Nothing that special for the price. Somewhat stuffy for Amsterdam IMO. Good jazz band in the bar though.
Ronās Gastrobar was unimpressive at best. One of the few Michelin 1* restaurants that I have been to in Europe that does not deserve a star.
Really, really enjoyed this placeā¦ Meo by the glass too. http://www.bistrotneuf.nl/?lang=en
North of Amsterdam. Posthoorn was very, very good, Would definitely go backā¦
Had one of the best quail dishes I have ever had at a hotel restaurant in Edamā¦ I think it was 15euro. http://www.damhotel.nl small but amazingly inexpensive wine list too. Would go out of my way to revisit.
George