Last weekend we went out for dinner in Amsterdam, to Daalder; a great restaurant on the Lindengracht in neighbourhood ‘Jordaan’. We were pleasantly surprised and today I will show you why.
The exterior of the restaurant on a wet, cold winter’s day in Amsterdam.
Inside. It’s not very special.
It’s a bit Jugendstil-style, which is fun, but could have done better. It’s a bit boring to be honest. Why should you go there then? Because the food isn’t boring. Not boring at all! We went for the 6 course surprise menu.
Amuse bouche: macaron with mackerel, cucumber, apple, seaweed, sesam seeds and basil mayonaise. Delicious! Very nice! Not on the photo and also delicious: a glass of Legras & Haas Brut Champagne to start with. Or maybe half a glass. Because the guy in service was kind, but wasn’t very generous in pouring Champagne. A bit of a shame, for 12,50 euro a glass!
In the glass another amuse bouche: pear, Poire William (liquor), yoghurt and salt. Sweet and salt together in one bite. Strange, not exactly tasty but a nice and fun food experience.
Wine.
Bread & butter.
Italian olive oil.
Wine: the Feliciana, from Veneto (Italy) 2015 (grape: Trebbiano).
Foie gras terrine, bay leave foam, Jerusalem Artichoke, crispy brioche, very good!
Underneath this foam ball: Tartar of raw tuna, crispy wild rice, foam of sweet-and-sour fruit (papaya, mango), lemon zest, green tea powder, foam of olive oil from Mallorca. Very tasty, a favourite!
Carpaccio (raw) of scallops, with an orange-vodka gel, coriander, cream of corn and Bulgur, and mushrooms. Another favourite!
“Cake” of cod-fish, with celery, thinly sliced mushrooms. Then, a very tasty dish with Reblochon cheese I forgot to photograph: Gnocchi, hazelnut, walnut, caramelised onion, café de Paris butter and Reblochon cheese (the smelly French from the Alps)
Red wine: Barbera d’Asti ‘La Vigna Vecchia’, Piemonte, Italy, 2013 (grape: Barbera)
Pigeon, prepared to perfection (I think first sous vide and then pan fried/roasted), with apple compote, jus of pigeon with Tabasco and Worcester, potato mousseline, spinach with tarragon and different textures of beet root.
Cheese!!
Not on the photo but very tasty dessert: Chocolate coffee pearls, passionfruit gel and hazelnut ice cream. With espresso.

The Facts

Daalder restaurant is open daily for dinner, and on Fridays and Sunday also for lunch. One can choose 4, 5, 6 or 7 courses and tell the staff what you don’t like or eat. The rest is a surprise! Easy. Simple. Delicious!
Click here for more information.

*Note: I have not been asked, paid or invited to write about Daalder in Amsterdam. It was my own idea. All images (although a bit dark. The light wasn’t the best) are mine, made with a Canon EOS M3 camera.