restaurant Archives - Page 6 of 20

The Amsterdam Tap Water Ripoff

Most dutchgrub readers, like many Amsterdam visitors, are used to being welcomed by fresh and cool water on the table of a restaurant. Complimentary, of course, and a great gesture to make the guest feel welcome and given a chance to settle in and refresh. This was never the case in Amsterdam where you would have to ask the waiter for tap water.

While this seemed merely a nuisance and easily explained by cultural differences, things seem to have gotten out of hand recently. On numerous occasions restaurants have employed dubious tactics to make extra money by selling beautifully designed and ridiculously overpriced bottles of water.

The methods vary. Some restaurants outright refuse serving tap water, which often results in rather comical situations where the waiter tries to explain that the restaurant does not have tap water. Eh, excuse me?!? More often waiters directly ask the guests whether they would like some water. They obviously fail to mention that this will be charged and take advantage of the situation by overwhelming visitors the minute they sit down. While these kind of scare tactics are still rare, there are many cases of tap water being charged for, grossly overpriced bottled water, or tap water filled into what looks like a bottle of commercial water.

It’s time to do something about this! The Dutch consumer protection organization got the ball rolling by publishing research (Dutch) that shows that some restaurants charge up to € 3,75 for a glass of water. And the first Facebook group of 10.000 fans of tap water in Dutch restaurants has formed.

Blauw aan de Wal – Great Food, Amsterdam Style

The red light district is certainly one of the main attractions of Amsterdam. It would appear just as certain that it’s the neighborhood to avoid when looking for great food. And that’s the charm of Blauw aan de Wal – amazingly good food and friendly service in the least likely yet most characteristic part of Amsterdam.

Blauw aan de Wal is indeed located right in the heart of the most sinful part of the city. And you will be surprised just how pretty and quaint it is when you finally find Blauw, just across the canal from Casa Rosso and through a graffiti plastered alleyway. The building is centuries old, located behind a tranquil courtyard that makes a great terrace in the summer, and split into a more rugged lower part with bare brick walls and a more modern upstairs dominated by a modern, white chic.

blauw aan de wal amsterdam - red light district blauw aan de wal amsterdam - upstairs dining room

What we liked best of a great evening was the fantastic service: Highly attentive, extremely knowledgeable, with a good dose of humor and the attitude of a passionate foodie. The tone was set perfectly right from the start when we were asked whether “we had had a chance to inform them about our presence in advance” and were promptly offered an aperitif wine with the “freshness of a glass of Schweppes”. The staff, including owner Bert, magnificently anticipated our every need, be it taking orders, refilling our wine glasses or answering random questions of curious foodies. They knew everything about every dish and wine, took the time to explain all details, and were not afraid to make unusual suggestions. And best of all, the staff seemed to have as great time as the guests!

The formula at Blauw aan de Wal is a three-course choice menu for € 55,=. There’s usually a choice of three starters, two mains and two desserts. The cuisine is an interesting mix of Mediterranean and Asian with a touch of Dutch. The wine list is dominated by French and German wines, including some unusual grapes and smaller, organic vineyards.

blauw aan de wal amsterdam - vitello tonato

We absolutely loved our food, starting off with what Bert described as Blauw’s own interpretation of Vitello Tonnato – veal rolled up with sashimi grade tuna and just a bit of tarragon flavored mayonnaise. The mackerel tartar was great, too.

For mains we went with lamb in an herb crust with sweetbread that was very well executed. The lamb was tender and intense. The crust provided freshness and texture. And the sweetbread a prefect, succulent balance. The other main, halibut, was also very good. Blauw aan de Wal tries to provide options, but might not be an easy choice for vegetarians and pescetarians.

The dessert choices were flan with candied fruit and chocolate mousse with amarena cherries. The coffee was good and the free of charge sip of sweet red dessert wine was a nice touch.

blauw aan de wal amsterdam - lamb and sweetbread blauw aan de wal amsterdam - flan with candied fruit

Overall, dinner was excellent. The location is a unique blend of Amsterdam’s insidious and picturesque sides. The food is very well executed and interesting while maintaining a welcome simplicity. And most notably, the service is stellar, which unfortunately is still unusual in Amsterdam.

The only downside of Blauw aan de Wal is a web site that has been “under construction” for quite a while. It would be nice to know the menu in advance and be able to make reservations on line. But for, don’t be deterred, and just give them a call and they’ll certainly be happy to help.

Blauw aan de Wal
Oudezijds Achterburgwal 99
1012 DD Amsterdam
Tel: +31-20-3302257
Open Tuesday – Saturday 18:00 to 23:30
Trams 4, 9, 16, 24 and 25 to Dam. Or walk from Central Station.

11 Michelin Stars at Okura Amsterdam

The Okura hotel Amsterdam keeps innovating around its Michelin star restaurants Ciel Bleu and Yamazato. First there was the cool “Dine Around The Okura” concept where foodies could enjoy a dinner split between the two top restaurants. Then the Okura introduced an ambitious lineup of high quality cooking workshops in a newly opened kitchen.

The latest initiative is a unique six course dinner by three German guest chefs combining for a total of eight Michelin stars! The extravaganza will set you back € 249,= plus € 160,= for wine pairings and promises to be a once in a lifetime experience including free limo service. Reservations can be made online.

Restaurant Diga Amsterdam

I had cycled past restaurant Diga many times but never actually been there. Partially that’s due to its location in somewhat of a no man’s land half way between Amstelstation and Rijnstraat in what used to be an enormous Chinese restaurant. And partially it’s because Diga mostly marketed its cocktail bar when they opened about three years ago.

So I was glad to try it out when Annemieke from De Witte Uyl, one of my favorite Amsterdam restaurants, suggested it. She had left a comment on a post about truffles at De Witte Uyl, we started talking by email and eventually met for for a great lunch at Diga last week.

Diga’s name and slogan suggest an Italian menu although the menu was mostly French. Diga serves a weekly changing 2 or 3 course surprise menu. Last week’s menu was a very nice swordfish carpaccio, followed by thinly sliced beef loin with pea risotto and glazed onions. I especially liked the swordfish which was tender with great texture from having been salt dried. The home baked bread was a nice touch and the house wine, a chardonnay and sauvignon blanc blend, was pleasant, too.

Diga’s dining room is large and spacious and the interior design and decoration formal and elegant. Service is quite present and attentive.

I think Diga is a perfect place for a business lunch or dinner, much better than the ever so popular Dauphine further down the road.

restaurant diga amsterdam

www.restaurantdiga.nl
Amsteldijk 137
1079 LE Amsterdam
Tel: +31 (0)20 4044360
Lunch Monday to Friday 12:00 to 14:30
Dinner Monday to Saturday 18:00 to 1:00

Okura Cooking Workshop Open For Business

okura amsterdam The Okura hotel with its two Michelin star restaurants Ciel Bleu and Yamazato started offering culinary workshops back in November 2009. The sessions take place several times a month on topics covering French cuisine as well as sushi and have been very popular often selling out weeks in advance.

Okura has now added sessions that cater to businesses wanting to invite their business partners for a special culinary experience with the possibility to actively participate. Okura can accommodate groups from 20 to 100 people and charges between € 25 and € 50 per person depending on duration and selection.

Private Dining in Amsterdam’s De Pijp

Twice recently, we went out for a private dinner with a group of friends. And both times it was excellent! The food was good and there was plenty of it for everybody to pick and try out different things. The same goes for the drinks. And the whole atmosphere was just great with the entire location all to ourselves and the chefs and other personnel mingling with the group as the evening went on.

Best of all, both private dining experiences came at a very reasonable price of between € 45,= and € 60,= per person plus tip, including food, wine and all other drinks! Less than you would pay at many of the better restaurants in Amsterdam.

Carlo di Luca

carlo di luca amsterdam - private dining The first private dining option in De Pijp is Carlo di Luca on Gerard Doustraat 224. Carlo has lived in the Netherlands for many years, but you can feel an Italian heart beating inside him as soon as you enter his little shop. There is Italian food everywhere, an iPod playing Italian classics and a large dose of Italian hospitality.

Carlo served us a *lot* of food. We started with a nice glass of Prosecco and some snacks while everyone was arriving. And with the antipasti already out on the table making everybody hungry, we quickly sat down and started on bruschetta, polpo salad with chickpeas and a really good fried polenta with lardo. And that was just the start…

We had dinner downstairs in the kitchen, which was cozy and fun with lots of pots and pans and cans of food on the shelves and Carlo behind the stove. The downstairs area seats 6 to 8 people on one large table with high bistro chairs. Carlo also has a larger room upstairs for private dining of groups of up to 20 people. We had prearranged the menu with Carlo, opting for a mix of our own favorites and Carlo’s suggestions of specialties from Abbruzzo, his home region.

After the antipasti, we had oven cooked gnocchi with a spicy tomato sauce and lots of Parmesan cheese. After that we were starting to feel slightly full, although the main course hadn’t even arrived yet. There were different options, an eggplant Parmesan for the vegetarians, a salted baked dorado for fish eaters and leg of lamb Abruzzo style for the others. All were very good and washed down with plenty of white and red table wine.

It was getting late, but there was more merriment to be had. A great double dessert of tiramisu and espresso with ice cream, followed by several shots of limoncello and grappa. We left our private dining room very happy at almost 2am the next morning.

carlo di luca amsterdam - salt baked dorado carlo di luca amsterdam - oven baked gnocchi

Carlo also has a little coffee house where you can try his own home-made espresso and does catering.

Het Magazijn

het magazijn amsterdam - private dining Another option for private dining is Het Magazijn on Frans Hals Straat, not far from De Witte Uyl, one of dutchgrub’s best Amsterdam restaurants and Da Portare Via, one of dutchgrub’s preferred pizza places.

Much like Carlo’s, Het Magazijn is all about one man’s passion for good food in a relaxed ambiance. Owner Tony is Dutch and has traveled around the world, doing many different jobs, finally settling on his real passion, food, and returning to Amsterdam to set up a small take away shop with a large table.

The main business of Het Magazijn is take away and many of the locals living in de Pijp on or near Frans Hals Straat drop by after work to pick up a freshly prepared dish. The menu is Mediterranean, a mix of Spanish tapas, Italian pasta and other dishes.

Tony also has a large table where you can sit with other guests enjoying the dishes, a few good glasses of house wine and have some fun discussions or catch up on the latest scoop of De Pijp. We decided to rent out the entire shop for a week night and had a great time sitting around the large table.

The menu of the evening was tapas and pasta. For starters there were several nice cold cuts like serrano ham and chorizo, an incredibly flavorful truffle mayonnaise, Spanish tortilla and olives. The main course was a choice of pasta, either vegetarian or chicken alfredo. We washed it all down with nice wine and a limoncello at the end and had a great evening for € 45 each.

Private Dining Amsterdam

Here are the details of the suggested private dining locations:

Carlo di Luca
Gerard Doustraat 224, 1073 XC Amsterdam
Phone: +31-(0)20-421-0052
Web: www.carlodiluca.com

Het Magazijn
Frans Halsstraat 68, 1072 BV Amsterdam
Phone: +31-(0)20-675-3506
Web: www.hetmagazijn.nl

And also restaurant Momo, the hot spot for the cool kids now has a private dining room.