Sunday December 6th we celebrated our 3-month wedding anniversary (wait what, 3 months already?!). And a celebration calls for a nice meal and some nice wines, amiright? Since I read some stellar reviews of the newest hotspot in Amsterdam Oost, we decided to head east and go to Restaurant C for their delicious 4-course lunch. Here’s why should you too.
What’s in a name?
The restaurant is aptly named C, for Celsius, because the entire menu is based around the idea that what makes a great dish is not only the product itself, it’s all about the way you prepare it. If you cook the same ingredient at 20°C, the taste and texture will be totally different than when you cook it at 120°C, or 220°C. There are four categories on the menu that each correspond with a different cooking temperature: raw and cold (0-20°C), low temperatures (40-80°C), steam and cook (100°C), and grill, plancha and tempura (200°C).
Since we had something to celebrate (and my eyes are always bigger than my belly) we went for the 360° lunch menu. It’s a 4-course menu (€42,50) that will take you on a journey through those different temperatures. Although chefs Michiel van der Eerde (former chef BAUT) en Arnout van der Kolk (former sous-chef Ciel Blue) don’t necessarily cook according to a specific type of cuisine in their new restaurant, we noticed a hint to Asian flavors in some dishes. Me likey!
360° Lunch Menu
We started with a slow cured salmon (40°C) with wakame, spring onions and enoki mushrooms. The structure of the salmon was very interesting (in a good way!) since it was both soft and firm. And how pretty is that dish! Next we had the pork belly (can I get an amen?!) that was cooked at 75°C and then dressed with hoisin sauce (amen!), bok choy and crushed peanuts. Finger looking good (and yes, that’s exactly what I did).
The main course was another real treat since we had the steak BBQ (hallelujah!) that was grilled at 200°C and accompanied with grilled asparagus, polenta and gremolata. I’m from a real BBQ-lovin’ family so I’m not easily impressed with grilled meat, but this was seriously super delicious.
For my man I guess the highlight was the dessert. He’s a real dessert guy and I’m the girl that usually forgets dessert (I know, bad bad wifey) and this dish was right up his alley. It was the absolute best French toast ever (“wentelteefje” in Dutch – try Google translate), spicy thanks to the use of 5 spice, crunchy on the outside, soft in the inside, ánd with homemade fennel ice cream. YUM!
So if you’re looking for a place to take your hot date, your sister from another (or the same) mister, or your momma, I can highly recommend Restaurant C. Oh, and of course you can always call me, because I’ll be happy to accompany you!
If you’re not planning on slaving in the kitchen this Christmas: Restaurant C is also open for Christmas. And so is another one of my new favorite hotspots, Restaurant Choux. Just be sure to make reservations asap!
Happy eating, happy weekend!
