Talking about how where to live in amsterdamI promised to draft a gastronomic guide to Amsterdam. This topic is familiar to me, so I am happy to fulfill my plan.
First of all, I will talk about restaurants marked with Michelin stars. Those I in Amsterdam I can think of at least four offhand. And each in its own way attraction. The most famous is, of course, La Rive. French restaurant at a pompous hotel Intercontinental Amstel Amsterdam.
At the next table, you can easily spot some Madonna or, say, Billy Clinton, or maybe even someone from the Dutch royal family. The interiors here, it should be noted, are somewhat exaggeratedly luxurious and out of date, and this sometimes creates a feeling of some unnaturalness and even farce. Despite the fact that here every now and then there are exhibitions of masterpieces of contemporary art. However, in the actual gastronomic plan, I did not notice this dissonance. Author’s cuisine performed by Roger Rassin is based on vegetables, herbs and berries. However, it is best to take a young pigeon baked with corn pancakes and goose liver. This dish is the most delicate and subtle, and in this version I have tried a pigeon only here, in La Rive. But the seafood dishes are amazing too.
Of the undoubted advantages of the restaurant, I can also note an extensive wine collection. Probably this the richest and most exclusive selection of wines in all of Amsterdam… And the sommelier is very good. Well, nota bene: if you book a table overlooking the Amstel River, you will be doubly pleased.
One more french restaurant in amsterdamawarded the attention of the Michelin Guide and, of course, deserving of my and your attention, this Ciel Bleuwhich is on the 23rd floor of the hotel Okura (by the way, he is a member of the association The Leading Hotels of the World). In principle, their slogan – “it is better to try once than to hear a hundred times” – fully justifies itself… The chefs of the establishment – Onno Kokmeyer and Aryan Speelman create a really good cuisine, for a strong four. I.e two Michelin stars they didn’t just get it. Why four? It seems to me that there is only one drawback: too small portions. Although, is it really such a disadvantage if you come to enjoy the taste, and not to eat corny … In fact, there is something to enjoy here, and the service is of a very high level. There is even one funny visual attraction: screens are installed on the walls, on which you can watch in real time what is happening in the kitchen and how, in fact, they cook for you. And one more thing: here a beautiful view opens up from a height, you can see almost the entire city, and this, I tell you, is very romantic. Again, you need to reserve a table next to the window.
And one more thing: Okura has acceptable Japanese restaurants – Sazanka (modern Japanese kitchen) and Yamazato (traditional Japanese kitchen).
The third restaurant in Amsterdam with the Michelin label Christophe. The establishment is a little less pretentious, and also has that very characteristic Amsterdam spirit, which I would call “light madness” … Here, perhaps, it will be much more comfortable for you to dine if you do not want excessive brilliance, but just want to relax nicely and eat deliciously …
Prices, by the way, are also very affordable compared to the previous two places. The kitchen is fusion.
And finally the restaurant Vermeer. This is what is called haute cuisinethat is, the author’s haute cuisine. I strongly advise you to visit here, especially since there is also a typical Amsterdam atmosphere, though a little more, let’s say, aristocratic … Now the restaurant is closed for the summer holidays, it will open from August 16, and On August 22, chef Christopher Naylor will present the public with a new seasonal menu. On this occasion, on this day, it will be possible to dine here for a ridiculous 140 euros (per person) in the all inclusive mode.
Farther. Restaurant De Silveren Spiegel, that is – “silver mirror”. A very pleasant place in the city center, in a 17th century mansion. The food is tasty and, what is important in this case, quite satisfying. A place rich in tradition and history. The cuisine is the most diverse. Both French and Italian dishes are presented, as well as Argentinean ones, for example…
And if you want to taste modern Dutch cuisine and in general something fresh and modern, then you need to go to a restaurant The Stijlthat at the cute design hotel Artemis. Creative, bright atmosphere, great design and good food.
Another artistically minded Amsterdam restaurant this De Kas. Its character is determined by the fact that it is located in … a greenhouse, the same one in which chef Gert Jan Hageman (one Michelin star in the category “Dutch cuisine”) grows vegetables …
This greenhouse is located in Frankendael Park, which in itself is a very pleasant place. Eating in a greenhouse is very entertaining: pipes on the ceiling, transparent walls, olive and lemon trees all around… And, of course, it is ecological and tasty.
Finally, I want to mention one more interesting restaurant. I’m definitely going to look there during this European tour of mine, because when I ate there once, I really liked it. He not in Amsterdambut in the suburbs, in the town Amstelfein. The restaurant is called Aan de Poeland recently it has become just the same cult (so even the Michelin-stars could not ignore it).
Very comfortable, on the shore of the lake, near the forest, clean air… The unbearable lightness of being. And in a completely Kunderian sense.
I’m still getting ready for my European holidays, so now let’s talk about the “culinary luxury of Rome.”
