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A Private Elegant Dinner Affair at Verbijsterend on Herengracht, Amsterdam

In January of this year Dutchman and I attended a private dinner affair at a fascinating French cooking studio cum private restaurant called Verbijsterend on Herengracht, one of the beautiful main canals that form the historical grachtengordel (canal belt) in the centre of Amsterdam.

We were received in the cooking studio with a glass of bubbly and some hors d’oeuvres, afterwhich, we were led upstairs to the beautiful period style room for the seated dinner. This is officially a 4-course meal dinner but I see this more like a 6-course meal, well including the little appetisers that jump started the evening and the coffee and sweets that later closed it.

Different kinds of wines were opened in between each dish. I am sorry but I cannot really pick a favourite. Because we were not driving, I indulged and had a few glasses to lift up my spirits, but not too much though that will make me woozy and wobbly in my knees. You see, I need strong knees to walk to the train station.

The cooking style was French and the food was really good. Everyone enjoyed the dinner and the drinks. The wait staff were very attentive to our needs but we aren’t a demanding lot anyway. I mean the Dutch are by nature not that customer service spoiled. Many in fact do not know it exists *smirk* haha. The only complaint we had was that we were too full at the end of the evening.

The cherry on top of the icing for me was the elegant period style room. High ceilings and the long windows facing the canal. It’s stunning. It made the dinner more delightful and grand.

The evening was quite a success! Thankfully.

This is the kitchen and the cooking studio where cooking workshops are held.

The hors d’oeuvres, and one of those 2 apart special plates is for the Dutchman because he does not eat fish.

Blinis with smoked salmon and caviar. Very nice.

This is another vegetarian hors d’oeuvres that the Dutchman had. Looks like a toast topped with grilled courgette, cheese and olives.

Toast topped with tuna and silver onions. I quite like this.

A crunchy thin butter cookie with tomato and basil.

Watermelon and avocado in some cheese herb sauce.

The dinner is on the way in the elegant period style room. 

Steak tartare with remoulade sauce, a calf crockette and a crunchy pancetta and topped with frisee lettuce. This was very delicious.

Of course, being a seafood lover, this is my favourite dish of the evening. Baked seabass on a bed of wild spinach and shellfish in saffron sauce and crowned with crushed tomatoes in herbs. 

This is not my plate though. This is the vegetarian dish of my seatmate, some phyllo pastry filled with cheese, some warm figs and green asparagus and berry sauce.

Magret de Canard with warm figs, green asparagus, cavolo nero (kale) and baked mini rosti in pimento sauce.

By this time, my stomach is full but I just have to try this. This was very good though but I did not finish it.

Madeleines and Turkish delights to go with our coffee.

Travel Period: January 2015
Destination: Amsterdam Centrum (Amsterdam – North Holland), The Netherlands

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