Alex M.
Yelp
I can't imagine a more perfect evening! I love fine dining- French Laundry and Chez Panisse have been some of my top dining experiences, but this place ranks right up there. First, I got to eat in a boat, on a canal!!!! How many times in your life do you get to eat a fabulous world class meal in a boat? I've never had that option- until now. We opted for the 5 course tasting menu- would have liked to do 7, but I just didn't think I could eat that much (turned out I could not have). We started with an interesting amuse bouche- kohlrabi and miso paste. Really good! Then we moved on to a mackerel arranged salad with pickled cucumber. mmmmmm.... delicious. And the bread! Served with Normandy butter! It was wonderful. Second, was a stracciatella buffalo mozzarella with sea lavender, broad beans, nasturtiums, and toasted bread. Next- my favorite- grilled octopus on potato salad. I SWEAR, it tasted like lobster- really good lobster. Finally, the main course- pork neck. Oh my goodness- so tasty! Like pork belly- but better. I've never had this before, but I hope I get the chance to have it again. I think this was grilled as well. It was so juicy and tender. And the sauce- so good. It was served with tiny potatoes from the North of Holland. Finally our dessert was peach melba- delicious- and thank God it was small, because by this time I was not sure I could eat another bite (we did go through 3 baskets of bread, though- ah, the bread! I could not get enough. I did the same thing at the French laundry- I'm sure they thought I was insane, but that bread and butter was just so darn good! It's like that here!) We ordered sparkling water and pinot grigio (25 Euro a bottle) to drink-and the pinot was lovely with the seafood. It was apply, and fresh- and since it was warm on the water, it was a perfect wine for the evening. Go here. Eat in the boat if you can. I have a slight disability (though can manage stairs if I am careful)- and this IS downstairs- but if you eat in the boat you're on the same level as the bathrooms!- which are lovely. If you have difficulty with stairs, you could eat at street level- but you'll have trouble using the bathrooms. Also loved the real towels in the bathroom- quite a nice touch. Is the meal expensive? It was 55 euro each for the 5 course, and then with the wine (we had 2 bottles) as well as 2 bottles of sparkling water (there were 4 of us) our half of the bill was 140 euro. A very fair price, I thought, for a remarkable evening. The upstairs dining room can get smokey, I noted- because of the grill, but there is outside dining on the sidewalk- which looked very nice. If you don't eat in the boat, you might eat there- if it is not raining. Our server was kind and helpful, and utterly charming. I wish I could eat here all the time- but, alas, I live half a world away. Please enjoy it for me.