Perhaps you noticed on my facebook feed, we ventured to Amsterdam last Saturday to try another restaurant. In particular, this recommendation, Restaurant de Kas, came from a book we picked up on a trip to Amsterdam last summer. The book is a compilation of restaurant recommendations from other chefs stratified by region (in Europe), cost, type of food, and etc. For this particular outing, I was looking for an establishment serving French food, but when I saw that this restaurant had its own greenhouse on site and a farm nearby, my curiosity got the best of me and I had to check it out. Online, the website mentioned the food was influenced by Mediterranean cooking... I can't say I saw that reflected in the food I the evening we were there. In my mind the food was neutral, not influenced by any particular country or region... just tasty! I'm happy with that!
While we intended to go to Amsterdam to see the Hermitage museum, due to the train station construction and what not, we didn't get into town in time (darn museumkaart is gonna go to waste, I can tell already!). So, we walked around a little, went into the Oude Kerk (translates to Old Church... I know, super creative... most Dutch towns are like this by the way) and then found a small weekend neighborhood area to do some antiquing. We found a great oyster plate, but then realized if we move back to MN we might not have much use for the plate. So while our day to Amsterdam wasn't as educational as we initially planned, we sure did enjoy a nice sunny day in the big city!
Below are some food pics that I'll share for your drooling pleasure (iPhone pics). There is only a fixed menu available, but the experience can be completely your own. You begin with three appetizers (which all come out at the same time), one main course, and one dessert. You may replace the dessert with a cheese plate if you like (in true French form... hmmmmm.....), or you can supplement the cheese plate for an extra charge. There is a massive wine selection, or there is a wine pairing you may choose to have instead. For us, the evening started off with the waiter asking us if we wanted to be surprised by the menu or if we wanted to know the full details. We told him we wanted to be surprised. Then he asked us if there was anything we didn't eat and I said no, but my husband very cleverly said he gets a little squeamish around offal. The waiter assured us that this was not the case except for sweetbreads and we both said, no problem-o! We also chose the wine pairing, but asked for half pours as there was a lot of wine to accompany the meal, which they happily were able to accommodate.
One last thing, I read on an informational booklet that you can tour the green house and participate in cooking events from May through October. We definitely plan to go back and partake in these activities. I also noticed there is a parking garage directly across from the entry way, so if you don't have time to explore the city, but want to check out the restaurant, don't worry about parking!
On to the photos....
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| Outside shot of the restaurant, I can only imagine what it looks like when everything is in bloom! To the right of this photo was a part along a canal/stream with a place to walk dogs and places to sit and read a book or admire the scenery. I imagine this is can be a great getaway from the city life of Amsterdam when in need of something green and fresh. |
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| Apertif, olives from Puglia, Romaensco and cauliflower marinated in something with a bit of parsely, olive oil from Spain and warm bread. |
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| My hubby with a glass of organic, Dutch sparkling Riesling. What's fun about the glass is that it's a view of the skyline from the restaurant's farm etched in. |
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| Appetizer #1: Pork Belly with shaved truffle and brussel sprout. |
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| Appetizer #2: White fish (I think trout) with mushrooms and greens |
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| Appetizer #3, Grilled fennel with a paprika/pepper sauce and a sesame seed twirl |
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| Main Course: Veal with sweetbreads, bok choy, turnip (super small!), roasted purple carrot |
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| Dessert: Blood orange tart with chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate shavings on top. You can see the flower petals which were edible, but didn't add flavor to the dish - nice plate presentation touch though! |
Restaurant Details:
Address:
Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3
1097 DE Amsterdam
website: http://www.restaurantdekas.nl/
service: everyone speaks English
reservations: you can call (of course), but you can also make them online and they will send a confirmation email the day before
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