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Restaurant De Kas

Address: Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3, 1097 DE Amsterdam
Tel: +31 20 462 45 62
Hours: [Lunch] 12:00pm ~2:00pm [Dinner] 6:30pm~10:00pm (Closed on Sunday)
Website: www.restaurantdekas.nl
Price: [Lunch] €37.50 for 2 courses [Dinner] €49.50 for 3 courses

“A kitchen surrounded by fertile soil where vegetables and herbs thrive, where daylight shines in from all sides and where the chefs are free to express their creativity daily using the best the season has to offer.” This, is Restaurant De Kas, a unique dining space serving beautiful dishes of fresh vegetables harvested each morning from their very own herb garden and farm. Love the concept? Read on.

Restaurant De Kas

Restaurant De Kas

It was quite a trek to get to Restaurant De Kas, as it’s located in the outskirts of Amsterdam (approximately 30 minutes by tram from Central Station). Once we arrived, however, I knew it was worth the travel. The 8-metre high glass conservatory provides spectacular views during the day with ample sunlight, and I can only dream about how enchanting it must appear when illuminated at night.

Interior

Interior

Interior

De Kas has its own greenhouses and garden near the restaurant, where they grow Mediterranean vegetables, herbs and edible flowers. They also have a large field about 10 kilometres from Amsterdam for seasonal vegetables, which are harvested at sunrise everyday so that guests can enjoy the freshest possible ingredients. Whatever they can’t produce themselves, they buy it from other environment-friendly farms around the city.

Indoor herb garden

Outdoor herb garden

As the weather was glorious on the day of our visit, lunch was served on the outdoor patio right by the herb garden. Long after the meal, a whiff of fresh mint or a hint of basil would still transport me back to this lovely, sun-dappled patio…

Garden patio

Crusty bread

Pickled cucumber and olives

Basil olive oil

The prie fixe lunch menu (€37.50) says “two courses”, but it really was a 4-course affair of three appetizers and one main course. All the appetizers came beautifully adorned with edible flowers, but unfortunately they were more a feast for the eyes than for the palate. While none of the dishes tasted atrociously bad, none of them really stood out as memorable either.

Oyster with basil and currant granite

Lemon cucumber with eggplant, feta, mint, and fried zucchini flowers

Runner beans in Iberico ham with confit onions, pickles, and flower pods

Then came a plate of simple green salad to accompany the main course. Nothing to sing about.

Salad

But I was absolutely charmed by the main course, hake with lobster, fennel, gnocchi peas and old Ijsselstein sauce. A cascade of flower petals flowing down the luxuriously tender hake, which was delicious on its own but even better when accompanied by the lobster, gnocchi peas, and a slightly stinky (it’s the cheese…) Ijsselstein sauce.

Hake with lobster, fennel, green pea gnocchi and old Ijsselstijn sauce

Hake with lobster, fennel, green tea gnocchi and old Ijsselstijn sauce

Hake, still pink on the inside and luxuriously tender

Desserts are not included in the prie fixe menu, but of course we ordered them on the side (€8.50). Dessert of the day was cherries with olive oil, chocolate nemesis, cherry sorbet and rose petals. With each mouthful, the layered sweet and sour flavors did enthusiastic somersaults on my tongue. Beautiful, delicious, bring me another bowl!

Cherries with olive oil, chocolate nemesis, cherry sorbet and rose petals

Cherries with olive oil, chocolate nemesis, cherry sorbet and rose petals

Cherries with olive oil, chocolate nemesis, cherry sorbet and rose petals

The kitchen sent us two pastries even though we were only supposed to get one to accompany the solo cup of coffee, which leads me to the service part – it was friendly and smooth throughout the meal. The waitress even volunteered to translate and print out the menu (originally in Dutch) for me to take home.

Coffee desserts

Coffee desserts

After the meal, we lounged in our chairs doing absolutely nothing other than admiring the well-manicured herb garden and taking in its perfumed air.

Herb garden

Herb garden

Herb garden

De Kas also has a separate room for private dinners, a “business table” for the business folks (?), and a chef’s table inside the kitchen for those willing to splurge a little and be right where the actions are. Check their website for details.

Garden Room

The Business Table

Gorgeous glass house, sunny patio, fragrant herb garden…it’s hard not to fall in love with Restaurant De Kas despite its somewhat disappointing appetizers.

Restaurant De Kas

Restaurant De Kas

To see the rest of my travel posts, click HERE.