Hollandse Nieuwe is The Netherlands national dish, coming in from the harsh North Sea fished by tough as nails seamen. Its typical season is at the end of spring and beginning of summer. It is eaten raw (though submitted to a cure process), with raw onions, in vertical bites, looking up and letting it go down into your mouth. Its effect in your mouth is explosive - you can either love it or hate, but you can't stay indifferent to it. In my case, I love it. And I dare you to discover your opinion.
Thursday, 25 February 2016
Saturday, 20 February 2016
Zeezout
Zeezout is one of my top-listed restaurants in Rotterdam. The reasons - well, see below, but the fact it has great fish contributes to it.
Vierhaven area is one of the most charming in Rotterdam. In the centre of the city, nested between an old dock filled with vintage boats (Vierhaven itself) and the beautiful Het Park, it is an area of classic private banking, big manors and great taste - in all senses. And that also applies to taste, on the palate sense. Zeezout is a great example of it, in its cozy corner of a beautiful 4-storeys building.
The dining-room is not very big, with 10 to 12 tables. As soon as you get into the dining room, you feel the warmth, the good reception, the good service (something that is not normal at only in The Netherlands, let me tell you...). Things will get even better once you have a look at the menu. Fish dishes abound, which, for me, Portuguese from heart and soul, means I am closer to paradise.
But then paradise materializes in your mouth, once you start tasting those dishes. A cocktail of prawn, chorizo and coucous or a sea bass and smoked eel sashimi are great starters, that fill your mouth with sea flavours. A seabream in salted crust is a perfect follow up - or a chateaubriand of tuna -, always with a fine white wine pair (if you prefer you can ask for the wine / dish pairing, according to your taste). Believe me, they are as amazing fish experiences as you can find in The Netherlands.
This restaurant reconciled me with Rotterdam. It warmed my mouth and my soul. And it is still my number one restaurant in Rotterdam - the very good, fresh fish, superbly cooked, the quality of service, the desserts (oops, I didn't tell you this before) and surprising coffee (I will not tell you about the surprise, though), ensures it.
Where: Rotterdam – The Netherlands
Address: Westerkad 11b, 3016CL Rotterdam,
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 10 436 5049
Website: http://restaurantzeezout.nl/
Expensive: As I said before, quality has a price. Prepare to pay around €70 per person, depending on the wine.
Last visit: September 2015
Sunday, 17 January 2016
Tempo Doeloe
Dutch cuisine is not exactly famous, and there is a good reason for that. A sausage with some mashed potatoes is not exactly what I would call tasty or fancy - but it is functional in keeping you well fed, and that is what the efficient-driven dutch expect of food. But, having said this, Indonesia was a a part of The Netherlands colonial empire until mid-1940's and, voilá, the cultural exchanges this prompted have saved this European country from having an absolutely blend taste. Long live the Indonesian cuisine in The Netherlands - and in Amsterdam!
Tempo Doeloe is exactly one of the most famous Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam - and I must say I discovered it in an Anthony Bourdain TV series. Bourdain went there to try "rijstafel" (literally, rice table) and I decided I would do exactly the same. Rijstafel is no more than a dish rice with a huge variety of small portions of main or side dishes that should be used as toppings for the rice. Those toppings range from neutral to extremely spicy (and watch out, as the Indonesian version of extremely spicy might not be very different of deadly spicy...) and include different assortments of vegetables, chicken, shrimp, beef, coconut, peanut butter,... - almost anything you could imagine that could exist in a South East Asian country and then more. And the cuisine at Tempo Doeloe makes it incredibly delicious - and the Bintang Indonesian beer makes it even better! Though this is quite a full meal by itself, I would still recommend you to try the cinnamon and chocolate icecream, with an amazing assortment of fruits - some of them quite tropical but all delicious.
The dining room is posh Indonesian style decorated and the service is quite nice and efficient - another big difference vs the majority of the Dutch restaurants... And this actually rounds it up for a very pleasant dinner (the restaurant is not open for lunches) in the centre of Amsterdam. Just make sure you book a table with enough time - this is mandatory if you want to have a good meal in Tempo Doeloe.
Where: Amsterdam – The Netherlands
Address: Utrechtsestraat 75, 1017VJ, Amsterdam
Expensive: Around €80 for a two persons meal, with no wine.
Last visit: January 2016
Last visit: January 2016
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