The voice of Luxury travel

February 1, 2012

A New City on Europe’s Culinary Scene

A trip to Amsterdam may conjure up several stereotypes of a wild weekend but the group press trip to The Dylan that I hosted in the middle of January certainly offered another view of the city. With seven Michelin-starred restaurants in Amsterdam including one at the hotel’s restaurant Vinkeles, a host of inspired local producers and suppliers, and a growing gastro scene, food was definitely the focus.

Knowing the itinerary for the weekend made me confident that the journalists and I were in for a treat but even the sandwich on the ever so quick and efficient flight with KLM to Amsterdam didn’t disappoint. After checking into our newly refurbished Loxura rooms at The Dylan, complete with one of the most stylish minibars I’ve ever seen, we headed for pre-dinner drinks in the hotel’s Long Gallery. Here we were treated to huge chunks of Reypenaer, a traditional Dutch cheese with an intense flavour, as well as Lobster Bitterballen, the chef’s take on a savoury Dutch snack.

Dinner on this first night had been billed as a ‘casual’ affair in the brasserie area of the Long Gallery. However, we soon realised when copious amounts of black truffles were being shaved over creamy linguine that this wasn’t our usual idea of casual, it was far superior. If only I made casual dinners like this!

Next morning we had the unique opportunity to visit two of the city’s local markets – Lindengracht Market and Noorder Market – with the hotel’s Executive Chef Dennis Kuipers, who explained unusual produce, gave an insight into his approach to food, introduced us to his dried fruit and nut supplier, which of course included some tasting, and answered masses of questions from us all.

After lunch at one of Chef’s favourite dim sum spots, we walked off some of the delicious food we had enjoyed around the chic Nine Streets area with a very knowledgeable guide. A walking tour is a must-do when in Amsterdam as it offers the perfect way to explore the city and discover the real character of the charming little streets and the typically Dutch buildings. Another must-do to appreciate the city is a boat trip on the canals.

From our experience at The Dylan so far we know that this wouldn’t be any ordinary boat trip. We boarded The Muze, a completely renovated 19th century wooden salon boat for a Vinkeles on the Water experience. Vinkeles on the Water is a completely unique dining concept that offers guests the opportunity to experience the exquisite dishes of the hotel’s Michelin star restaurant while seeing Amsterdam from its canals. With champagne in hand, the most exquisite take on Pommes Tsarine and the sound of Frank Sinatra accompanying our experience, it really was the most magical way to see Amsterdam.

But the pièce de la résistance was a seven course dinner at Vinkeles, which included a palate-cleansing silky sorbet eaten in the kitchen whilst watching in total awe of the expertise and great calm executed by Dennis Kuipers and his skilled team. Other gourmet highlights of the evening included decadent Black truffle prepared in its own jus and served with truffle butter and toasted bread, as well as one of the most artistic desserts I have ever seen, a mosaic of pineapple and Chioggia beetroot, structures of liquorice extract and curd and sorbet of beetroot.

It was a foodie weekend from heaven that I couldn’t recommend highly enough and hope to repeat again very soon!

By Caroline Peers, PR Account Manager