Hotel de L'Europe

Lush interior and a classic Amsterdam view. 

An alternative étagère.

Finger sandwiches with gouda/tomato, smoked salmon/cucumber, and smoked ham/arugula.

Miniature pastries.

Warm scones, fig and abricot preserves, and whipped butter.

Seven Sons Congratulating.

Hotel de L'Europe
Nieuwe Doelenstraat 2-14
1012 CP Amsterdam

Notes:
Before my departure back to Copenhagen, JC and I managed to squeeze in an opulent afternoon tea in the newly renovated Hotel de L'Europe, placed right in central Amsterdam. We went for the basic option, priced at 32 euros, including a choice of tea from American Harney & Sons. I went with an herbal lavender infusion, while JC opted for the more beautifully presented Seven Sons Congratulating, where a red jasmin flowers unfolds once the hot water is poured over. Both lovely choices. Soon we were presented an alternative étagère in form a cage, presenting three layers of delicacies. We started out with classic finger sandwiches. The smoked salmon was very rich and obviously of very high quality but the other choices of smoked ham and gouda/tomato failed to impress - in fact we left the majority behind (probably because we already knew what was ahead of us). Next up (and not on the étagère) we had warm scones of the plain and raisin variety. They were served along with little jars of abricot and fig preserves as well as whipped butter. Honestly, the texture was too crumbly for me, and they were hard to cut and eat without falling apart, which also made us leave a large portion of these behind. The taste was fine though. On a brighter note, the little patisseries on the second layer were a much better experience with the fruit tartlets as the clear standouts. On the top floor we found a marzipan fruit cake of which we had a slice - we were getting rather stuffed at this point. All in all, we did not have an overwhelming experience at Hotel de L'Europe. The place lives up to its presumed image of delivering classic high tea fare in opulent surrounding, but in total I missed something that stood out, while I am sorry to say that the service in the lounge was not sufficiently trained. For this price I think there are much better ways to spend your hard-earned money in Amsterdam.

De Ysbreeker

Lunch menu.

Celeriac and pumpkin soup with pumpkin seed oil.

Bitterballen with mustard.

De Ysbreeker
Weesperzijde 23
1091 EC Amsterdam

Notes:
On a cold Saturday afternoon in Amsterdam we were a couple of people heading for De Ysbreeker for a long-due catch up, and we ended up staying in the café for an entire five hours. We started off with lunch, where I had a lovely soup of celeriac and pumpkin. We continued with fresh mint tea and then a few glasses of wine and bitterballen (a Dutch food item, a sort of croquette with pieces of meat to be dipped in mustard). The café is quite large but continues to be rather full throughout the day. Prices are fair and the menu rather extensive. Recommended.

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.

Worst

Cute sign outside the wine bar.

Chardonnay and Riesling.

Worst
Barentszstraat 171
1013 Amsterdam

Notes:
After our dinner at Moes we decided to have a glass of wine before hitting ours beds. The choice fell on Worst, which is located in a residential area just outside central Amsterdam, and not too far from my friend's flat. The atmosphere is casual, the wine menu limited to a handful by the glass, however offering the sympathetic option to have just half a glass. JC went with a glass of Languedoc Chardonnay and I a glass of Wehlenehrer Sonnenuhr Spätlese Riesling from Weingut Kerpen. The prices per glass range from 4,5 to 15euro, while the bar also offers an extensive list of bottles and a food menu of little things to nib on (including different sorts of sausages, as the name of the wine bar might imply). The bar closes early at midnight but is a great venue for a casual glass of wine. Recommended.

Moes

The table is set.

Deer pastrami, salad with pomegranate, chicken liver mousse with fried onions on crispy gingerbread.

Stamppot (a Dutch take on colcannon, here featuring cavolo nero and potatoes), topped with crisp bacon and a side of sausage.

Dornfelder Terrain Calcaire from Weingut Matthias Gaul in Pfalz.

Moes
Prins Henrikkade 142 sous
1011 Amsterdam

Notes:
After my late arrival in Amsterdam last Friday, my friend JC decided to take me out for a casual dinner. Moes was the chosen destination, a restaurant located beneath the De Appel art center, emphasizing seasonal and local products in its menu. While my friend started off with a mackerel brandade (which he was very pleased with) I went with a charcuterie plate with deer pastrami and chicken liver mousse. Unfortunately some of the deer pastrimi was quite irregular and full of tendons, though the taste of the meat did not fail. The chicken liver mousse was wonderfully creamy and lovely in accompaniment with the tart pomegranate kernels. We both went with Dutch specialty stamppot for the main course - in this case a delicious mélange of cavolo nero and mashed potatoes served with crisp bacon and a very delicious pork sausage. An incredibly tasty and hearty dish. We shared a bottle of dornfelder from Pfalz during the meal, and left comfortably full. Recommended.