Café Modern



Amuses bouches - olives, white anchovies in vinegar and smoky almonds.



Cod tartare with buttermilk dressing, fried oyster, baby zucchini, and cucumber with black lumpfish roe.

Poultry broth with celeriac and buttery profiteroles.

Fried polenta seasoned with lemon peel topped with grilled cuttlefish, mussels, braised leek and mussel foam.

Pork loin topped with anchovy butter and sides of braised chanterelles and endive, potato purée, and pea shoots.

Churros with chocolate sauce on top of white chocolate mousse and apple dice.

Café Modern
Meidoornweg 2
1031 GG Amsterdam

Notes:
Going to Café Modern includes a bit of an excursion if coming from central Amsterdam. The restaurant is situated in quiet residential area in Northern Amsterdam, a ten minute walk from the ferry that will take you over the river from Amsterdam's central station. The atmosphere in the restaurant is also quite relaxed, even unpretentious. The large room is well-lit, tables are standing close, and the noise level is also rather high. Nonetheless, the restaurant proposes an excellent value proposition, serving five elaborated courses for just 40 euro.

We started off with a glass of rosé sekt and plate of appetizers including some very rich, white anchovies, tender and bitter black olives, and smoky almonds. Great start. First course was a cod tartare with buttermilk dressing. Atop the tartare there was a deep-fried oyster, and the dish was further garnished with baby squash, radish as well as cucumber topped with black lumpfish roe. The fried oyster and crunchy vegetables provided a great contrast to the cod tartare but I found the roe to be a bit unnecessary. In any case, this was a very tasty and refreshing dish.

Next up was a clear broth made from poultry, to which celeriac and breast meat had been added. Finally, the soup was garnished with little profiteroles, which quickly soaked up the hearty liquids. Nothing too exciting but a fine, little intermezzo. 
Thereafter, we were served a dish of perfectly grilled cuttlefish and mussels in addition to a slice of fried polenta, which had been fed a good amount of lemon zest. The dish was tied together by a foam of mussel and left us with an impression of just having eaten a slice of the sea.

The last savory course was perfectly red and juicy loin of veal, paired with braised endive (not a favorite of mine, but this provided just the right amount of bitterness to complement the other components) and chanterelles as well as potato purée and an intense veal jus. Not too much fuss, just utterly tasty.

The dessert was also quite pleasing to the palate (I am a huge fan of richer desserts, I should mention!). Mini churros topped with bitter chocolate sauce, set atop a good layer of sweet, white chocolate mousse and little dice of tart apple. A perfect end to a lovely meal.

Highly recommended.