The City of Canals That Has Become a Gastronomical Heaven
Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but it might soon be adding another feather to its cap – namely, that of becoming a gastronomical getaway. It’s all thanks to double taxation agreements that have prompted many umbrella companies to set up shop here.
If you’re paying taxes in the Netherlands, you’re not obliged to pay taxes in your home country as per the terms of the double taxation agreements. Nevertheless, companies engaged in such a practice can still get caught in their own country if the latter says you’re running an inactive company to avoid taxes. To prevent this, many companies hold executive board meetings in Amsterdam once a year. Ergo, I have been going to Amsterdam for four years to attend the executive board meeting of an international company.
The meetings usually last two days, but if you add the travel time, I end up getting a four-day trip to Amsterdam. All senior executives have to attend the meetings, which bring together around 40-50 people – all of whom have to be reimbursed for accommodation and dining. And with some companies organizing two executive board meetings a year, there are plenty of high-powered and hungry business leaders in the city of canals all the time. Cue a new trend, in which many beautiful restaurants have started to open up over the past decade to satisfy businesspeople coming for meetings.
It all means that Amsterdam’s restaurant scene – as well as the prices – has become richer. It’s a similar story in London, New York, and Dubai, where executives appointed from other countries lose the habit of eating at home and start dining out over the three to five years they spend away from home, sometimes on their dime, and sometime on their company’s. Moreover, these companies host many guests as well. In any case, Amsterdam is now mentioned in the same breath as this trio – although there are sure to be more additions to the list due to Brexit, as many banks and finance companies relocate from London to elsewhere in Europe.
And it wasn’t just business people from around the world that were descending on Amsterdam, but restaurateurs as well. To cater to the increased demand, many came to open new restaurants, while Dutch chefs also made their way back home to open new places. In short, Amsterdam has become a city of attraction. Beyond that, good hotels have started to rent out their own restaurants, which is the reason why Amsterdam’s hotel restaurants don’t have that cold and negative atmosphere shared by most such eateries. Each one is owned by a chef, meaning ambitious and hardworking chefs are in abundance in the city. Over the past couple of years, I’ve had the chance to visit about 40 restaurants in Amsterdam. Of these, seven are really worth the mention. Some of these eateries are expensive, and some are not. Naturally, the prices rise as the number of Michelin stars rises.
So let me run the rule over them, always proceeding in alphabetical order. Amsterdam is great for a wide variety of fresh seafood. When you’re in town, I suggest you try the clams as well. This delicious shellfish isn’t particularly popular in Turkey, where it’s imported as frozen food in fairly small quantities. In Amsterdam, however, the clams are huge! Besides, they’re fresh every day, cooked in an oven in its shell, and served with sauce on the side.
BRIDGES
As its name suggests, Bridges is a restaurant in a neighborhood with many bridges. It’s a nice place by the canal that gives you the opportunity to watch Amsterdam’s little boats pass by as you take it all in from the window. They also have a standard tasting menu, which is both economical and appealing, given that you never get a chance to try more than three different things when you order from the main menu. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t recommend the tasting menu at Bridges. After all, the dishes on the main menu are beautifully designed, like paintings. If you’re not eating alone, you can order a number of different dishes with friends and feel as if you’re eating in an art gallery. Bridges also has a good wine menu. If possible, make a reservation for a table by the window.
Who can pass up fresh, warm bread? It’s easy to lose oneself in a little bit of butter, olive oil, and fresh, warm bread, but if you dig into that before the actual meal arrives, you’ll hardly have any appetite for when the actual meal arrives. So give a pass on the bread and go for a salad instead.
CIEL BLUE
Ciel Bleu is an authentic French restaurant located on the rooftop of a Japanese hotel somewhat outside the city center. The French chef, who sports two Michelin stars, has prepared a fantastic menu – particularly the tasting menu – for the place. The sea bass, for one, is presented wonderfully here. The restaurant doesn’t have a canal view like the previous restaurants, but you can see the beautiful lights of the city in the distance. The Chinese and Japanese restaurants located in the same hotel also have a Michelin star each – giving the hotel four Michelin stars! The Chinese and Japanese restaurants, however, have no view and no light.
RIJKS
Rijks is located inside the peerless Rijksmuseum. If you’re planning to make a reservation, keep in mind that there are two restaurants inside the museum. One is the Rijks café, which serves good food during the museum’s visiting hours, and the other is the Rijks Restaurant, which has a Michelin star and is the place I want to recommend. You can access the restaurant, which has separate working hours, from the outside. You might not consider doing it elsewhere, but go and order five dishes at the Rijks since the portions are very small.
Their cheese plates are delicious as well, so if you’re a person who loves cheese as much as I do, you can order three dishes, a cheese plate and a cheese soufflé prepared with slightly sweet cheese. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner, and the non- too-expensive prices for both are the same.
AMSTEL
Located inside the Amstel Hotel, Amstel is a wonderful French restaurant with two Michelin stars. It has its entrance outside the hotel, as well as one inside the hotel. Amstel Hotel is built on top of a canal, which gives Amstel a beautiful view of the wooden boats that pass by every now and then – in fact, your feet are almost below sea level since the restaurant is downstairs. Its watery address even allows you to arrive in style by boat if you so desire. The chef appears to change over time, but the menu largely stays the same. The place isn’t particularly crowded at lunchtime, and they even have a separate – and cheaper lunch menu..
VERMEER
Like Amstel, Vermeer is inside a hotel in central Amsterdam, although it also has an entrance of its own. This place has one Michelin star, but I imagine the time is coming when they will get a second star and a place in the top 100 list. Vermeer is my favorite restaurant in Amsterdam, but I think it is inevitable second star will probably hurt the pocketbook a bit, as the place is already becoming more expensive by the day.
Sometimes, restaurants increase their prices so much that I stop going, and I’m afraid that Vermeer’s is on this path too. So what’s the moral of the story? Go before the prices skyrocket. Nonetheless, if I were to go to Amsterdam for a day, I’d still opt for Vermeer – after all, its scallop dish is delicious