Handcrafted tortilla at Colima
By Neil Roake
Utrechtsestraat 128, 1017 VT Amsterdam, Netherlands
BOOK NOWCurrent food trends in Amsterdam move like wildfire. Currently, the humble schnitzel is making its rounds, and vegetarians are still confronting cabbage (Spitskool) on almost every menu. A consistently good trend though is the ongoing wave of Mexican restaurants that have opened like Local Dealer, Coba, and Bacalar, each offering unique takes on Mexican vibes. When a new Mexican restaurant opens (and we’re not talking dime-a-dozen Tex-Mex joints here), it’s got to have an edge.
Colima steps up to this plate on one of my favourite streets in Amsterdam, Utrechtsestraat. The street, created during a major expansion in 1658, led up to the Utrecht Gate, a major entrance into the old city. (Historical cities often need context :-)).This newbie is situated a few doors down from my favourite brown bar, Café Slijterij Oosterling (dating back to 1735 when it was owned by the Dutch East India Company). Inside, the tiled floors, low-slung bar, and absence of music make you feel like you’re stepping back in time. Colima sits on this street in good company.
Scan the menu and the first thing you notice is the lack of the usual suspects: no barbacoa asada, no fajitas, and definitely no molten cheese nachos. The horror! The chef and co-owner, Miguel Martin-Gomez, who also co-owns the Spanish restaurant Picoteo, named Colima after his favourite street in Mexico City, building the menu on quality tortillas sourced from Nixtamaliz. The nixtamalization process harnesses the process where Mexican non-GMO corn is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution as done by the Mayans and Aztecs thousands of years ago. Their handcrafted tortillas are made for Colima in their artisanal tortilleria in Aalsmeer.
You can start your meal with a plate of these as Topos, accompanied by a trio of homemade salsas: rojo, verde, and habanero. Dive into something more adventurous Tostadas de Steak Tartare Ahumado; Dry aged bavette, bone marrow, jalapeno, and lime and arrive under a smoking cloche. A little drama to kick-start your meal. Another unique dish is the less-common Salsify, that tapered black root belonging to the dandelion family, cooked in white mole with coconut milk and huitlacoche, aka Mexican caviar. Huitlacoche, also known as corn smut, is a deliciously edible fungus that grows on corn. Don’t let this put you off. Its unique earthy and somewhat sweet flavour was a vegetarian revelation when I first tried it in London. If the weather has you down (meh!), lift your spirits and transplant yourself to a Mexican beach and try some seafood like fresh tuna tostadas with watermelon, salsa macha, and samphire or jumbo prawn croquettes with a smoked chilli emulsion, or their signature Baby Scallops, baked in their shells with smoked poblano chilli sauce. Nice!
Vegetarians can enjoy zucchini tostadas with tomato, cumin, and ricotta salata or the tempura avocado (a winner) with black garlic mole and ricotta. Speaking of Mole, one diner asked the waiter about it, assuming it was an animal concoction. Mexican mole (pronounced “MOH-leh” not “MOLE” ) is the rich, complex sauce that is a cornerstone of Mexican cuisine, featured in white and black garlic versions at Colima.
And what’s a Mexican restaurant without a good cocktail? Colima’s cocktail bar, managed by Florian Stalinga and Eric de Jong, stays open until 1 am on weekends. The bar boasts 50 distilled agave spirits and creative cocktails like the Café Colima, an Espresso Martini with mezcal. We ended our meal with a Mexican twist on a Scroppino: tequila, cava Reserva, and lime sorbet. ¡Una experiencia deliciosa!
Colima
The Place: Vintage building on delightful Utrechtstraat with a freshly painted facade, promising Mexican soul with Mediterranean ingredients.
The Space: Fun atmosphere with low and high table seating for 40, cosy and lively.
The Base: Tacos start at €11, the chef’s menu for 2 is €38.5 p.p, Dinner and a cocktail average €60-70.
The Face: Utrechtsestraat attracts the young and restless, with tourists and starry-eyed couples.
The Ace: Saturdays and Sundays 12:00-16:00, enjoy Chilaquiles Divorciados with heirloom corn, fried egg, black beans, and cheese. Add Iberico chorizo or pork belly for extra.
The Veg: Limited options with one tostada and one taco on the menu; salsify counts if you add tortillas for a full meal.
Opening Times: Mon 18:00-22:00, Wed-Thurs 18:00-23:00, Fri 18:00-00:00, Sat 13:30-00:00, Sun 13:30-22:00, Tues closed
Images from colima.nl, Colima
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