The north of Amsterdam known as an industrial and partly residential area is nowadays slowly being transformed into a design, gourmet, hip and new place to be. Developments have been underway in the last few years, and with that comes interesting restaurants popping up showing to the outside world the character of the area.
One evening last October, Bru and I had dinner at the Hotel de Goudfazant (golden pheasant hotel restaurant). You’d think it is a hotel, but it is not. It is a French cuisine restaurant housed in an industrial building that is formerly a warehouse, some say a garage. The owners managed to retain the industrial structure and character of the building by doing nothing with the floor, walls and ceiling, and just sprucing up the place with furniture and accessories. I love raw industrial design.
Hotel de Goudfazant (Website: Hotel de Goudfazant)
A few reviews about this French cuisine restaurant but firstly, a few pictures as well…
This restaurant however is located in an off the beaten path on the banks of River Het IJ . It is in a somewhat secret or exclusive location because it can be a little difficult to find it if you are not familiar with the area, especially if you come by public transport.
Pricing point is very affordable which was a surprise since this place has grabbed the attention of the corporate-business pack and BN’ers (bekende nederlanders, i.e. famous Dutch people, celebrities and the rich). The crowd here is older and reminds me of the crowd at the Harbour Club Amsterdam.
Food was quite good as well, which was another surprise since for the price we paid we could easily dine somewhere poorly. My rating: 4.2 stars out fo 5.
Then our dinner arrived! We did not take the very affordable three-course meal for 30,50 euros only (that cheap! and yes that is cheap in Amsterdam especially in a restaurant like this) because we saw the relatively big servings from the neighbouring tables.
Bru and I are conscious eaters, which means, we eat anything and everything but in moderation =). It has been known that I love food (this blog is the evidence) but the three-course feast was really too much for me for an evening meal.
Bru had the vegetarian meal with spinach and compote on a bed of green leafy vegies and chicory and pureed squash and carrot I believe. She said this was surprisingly very good.
I wanted something different for the evening so I tried their lamb with lentils, mushrooms, green kidney beans and a whole poached white radish. Oh wow, this was so good. The lamb was soft and the taste was really very delightful. I am starting to like lamb if it is going to be prepared like this every time.
Then we had the coffee and a plate of mignardises each. My favourite is the advocaat alcohol drink with whipped cream.
The restaurant also caters to events, mostly corporate events and meetings.
This is definitely a restaurant to escape from the city and I would love to come back here during summer and warmer days. I heard that they open the doors and bring the tables outside along the waterfront. That would be lovely.
This restaurant can get busy so reserving a table in advance is highly recommended.
TIP to those coming by public transport: Take the 33 bus at CS Bus Oost going to the direction of Nieuwendam and get off at bus stop Johan van Hasseltweg, then walk to Aambeeldstraat 10 (about 6 minutes). It is at the end of the street and you will have to enter the gate and walk to the waterfront and you will see the restaurant. You have to check this on googlemaps so you will not get lost.
It is much better though if you come with a car or a bike. There is ample pay parking and rest assured they are not going at 5 euros an hour.
Visit Period: October 2013
Destination: Amsterdam North (Amsterdam – North Holland), The Netherlands
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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)