V and I decided to cheap out on the hotel so we could afford the 50 EUR 5-course prix fixe at De Kas. Housed in the former municipal greenhouse of Amsterdam, the restaurant prides itself on serving farm-fresh, seasonal ingredients harvested from their own growing spaces. The restaurant is a good hour's walk from the city center and is located in a beautiful park with many varieties of water fowl. I was particularly taken with the loons. We arrived early enough to walk around the park (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!) and took the tram (#9, 1.60 EUR) back to the center after dinner.
You will not find rich sauces here: the ingredients are the stars. Everything was perfectly seasoned to bring out simple essences. Beets came drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and dill. They were earthy, nutty and perfectly cooked (I obviously have a thing for beets). If you do not like vegetables, this is not the place for you. The perfectly cooked scholle (a flat whitefish) filet was served with tiny camomile flowers, shaved fennel, succulent tomatoes, and basil leaves. A side of couscous mixed with various lettuces and spiked with a buttermilk dressing was light and airy. In terms of drinks, we decided to drink by the glass. We started with their elegant house aperitif - a glass of champagne and two fragrant lemon balm leaves. Looking around, we realized almost every table ordered it and we understand why. For wine, we opted for glasses of the Primitivo. Dessert was a dream: creme fraiche ice cream and strawberry cheesecake. We wanted seconds.
Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3, 1097 DE, Amsterdam.
+31 (0)20 462 45 62.
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