I stood there, fascinated by the guy smashing a clay-coated beet by my table at the sleek, minimalist Michelin-starred Bolenius restaurant in Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district. It is their star dish, a complement to the multi-tasting menus of dishes with or without animal products.
The beetroot was grown in clay soil and is served with morels, over which a juice is poured. As I enjoy this moment of drama at the table, I wonder if I deserve to have paid more for the beets and mushrooms, but my worries are temporarily eased once I take a bite. The juice has an intensity of flavor that belies the dish’s undeniable presentation, while the beets are earthy yet delicate, and the morels provide that chewy, meaty texture and necessary umami kick that makes the dish total. absolutely more forgiving.
Bolenius, opened in 2010, has a Michelin star, but it’s also one of only three restaurants in the city with a green Michelin star. Chef Luc Kusters, ambassador of Dutch cuisine, makes the most of his power in the 100 square meters. Around the corner is a lawn of vegetables and herbs almost a meter long, with a transparent concentrate on the plants. While the beet dish will no doubt be etched in my memory, perhaps my favorite treat of the night is a revealing pickled onion sorbet served over a homemade plant-stuffed sausage. in a small ice cream cone and presented as an appetizer. Another dish, containing a rainbow of 20 other vegetables, is also strangely fantastic, with each piece of the dish cooked with another technique, perfectly seasoned and with a variety of flavor combinations. that combine harmoniously. The total gastronomic delight costs us $430 (with drinks), but at least I can say it’s worth it.
Bothenius
On the other side of town, in Amsterdam-Oost, is De Kas, another notable Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant that is fully booked for maximum nights. The restaurant, located in an elegant setting with a terrace with a view. From all angles, it serves Mediterranean-style dishes made with organic ingredients grown on site, with special attention to plants and only a small amount of meat and fish in one of the dishes.
The 80/20 model, in which 80% of the menu is vegan and 20% includes animal products, is nothing unusual in the Dutch capital, Gustavo Bottino, owner and head chef of the Soil Vegan Café, tells me. This technique makes it less difficult for other people to create healthier, more sustainable food choices without feeling restricted,” he says. “It’s exciting to see how much creativity and hobby is implemented in the vegan offerings here. “
At Soil, Southeast Asian cuisine meets American fish frying: the slogan is “we don’t care. “Bottino, who grew up in beef-producing Brazil, made a name for himself in the fish and meat frying industry globally before moving to Amsterdam. , first opened his restaurant in 2018, when there were only a few vegan places to eat in the city. Since then, he says that “the vegan food scene has exploded. “
Both branches of Bottino are 100% plant-based, but he deliberately steers clear of the “vegan” concentrate and instead talks to “anyone for a wonderful meal and a smart time. “Consumers come in all the time. No wonder when the food is so fancy. Think sweet, gooey seitan ribs, “cod” croquettes crispy on the outside but fluffy on the inside, hearty and spicy Reuben kimchi, and colorful laksa ramen. with a rich red curry and coconut broth.
He says the growing appetite for vegan food in Amsterdam reflects a broader awareness of the city’s environmental, ethical and health issues. It’s also helping the Dutch “really take care of the concept of work-life balance, and that it extends to everything, adding eating habits,” he adds. And while interest in veganism peaked a few years ago, he says there is now a professional and competitive food landscape that caters to discerning customers, who demand better service and better food. .
Veganees, a brightly decorated eating place serving Asian street food in West Amsterdam since 2021, is among those raising standards. Set against a backdrop of old-fashioned tunes, from Madonna to Abba, I deserve the “favorites menu” at $43 for each child. It includes Korean appetizers of fried cauliflower, a variety of gyoza, wonton, and watermelon tataki, followed by a plate of tempeh katsu, steamed bok choy, Sichuan potatoes, and cucumber salad. I can’t fault a single dish. (Even the steamed bok choy and cucumber salad are oddly tasty), while my non-vegan husband and I greedily polished each and every dish, only to end up with enough room for a sweet mango sticky rice cake.
A 30-minute walk past the well-known Rijksmuseum is Kitchen Impossible. The small vegan ramen shop on Van der Helstplein has a small menu, with only six courses, and the place is incredibly simple, although the chefs do what they do wonderfully. Well, in fact, they also have two other restaurants in the city (Men Impossible and Ramen Impossible), and they plan to open a branch in the coming years at teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi. I opt for the TanTan. Impossible soup flavor: homemade noodles served in a sesame-based broth, with pickled tomatoes, crispy noodles, peanuts and cashews, all sprinkled with spring onions. It’s no exaggeration to say that I would literally return to Amsterdam to savor the taste of this broth. .
But there’s another dish that would drive me to book those flights, and that’s the Turkish spinach and potato börek phyllo at Factory Girl, a popular breakfast and lunch spot on Saenredamstraat, just steps from the city’s iconic Museumplein, where the Van Gogh Museum and the Contemporary Art Paradise, the Stedelijk, are located. It’s not a vegan place, as there are plenty of eggs and sucuk on the menu, but the plant-based features are divine. This result is a flat-leavened pastry with a heavy but delicately flavored filling that my husband and I agree on and that is the highlight of the entire five-day trip. I also wouldn’t say no to this homemade vegan cinnamon and cardamom muffin that’s soft, fluffy, and aromatic.
You’re spoilt for choice as a vegan in Amsterdam (I haven’t even told you about the vegan ping-pong café we stumble upon giant kebabs that we enjoy while watching a rather surreal open-mic comedy evening hosted by expats). There’s still one thing missing from this thriving culinary scene, Bottino says, and that’s greater representation. “I think it would be wonderful to see more variety. Especially in spaces like street food and classic Dutch food. . . There is room for more diversity and inclusion in culinary experiences.
Thanks to Amsterdam’s inherent openness to new concepts and cultures, it knows it’s only a matter of time. ” The city’s diverse population and its sustainability and fitness make it the ideal place for a strong vegan food scene. “
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