Fine dining with an Italian twist at Onze Zaak
By Seger Abels
Begijnensteeg 8A, 1012 PN Amsterdam, Netherlands
BOOK NOWWhen I was a young boy, four times a year, my mother and I would go to the Kalverstraat to buy clothes, school stuff or new sporting goods. Both my mom and I would ideally have the shopping part over as fast as possible, so the fun part could start: a visit to La Place. For those non-Dutchies, the La Place was the “restaurant” of warehouse concern V&D (R.I.P) and would contain a big buffet section with hot and cold dishes as well as gigantic smoothies (fgigantic to me as a kid, anyway). Why is this important? Well, until last week these were the only meals that I EVER consumed at/near the Kalverstraat. But last week we visited Onze Zaak, a charming fine dining restaurant with an Italian twist located in an oh-so picturesque alley just off this always busy shopping street. A few steps into this alley you will leave the busyness and sounds of the city behind you and enter a tranquil dining experience in the midst of the city centre.
The Italian twist on the menu comes from chef Mattia Pedroni, who has years of experience working in restaurants in big cities like London and New York. Mattia now calls Amsterdam, and more specifically Onze Zaak, his home and you can feel/taste that in the dishes. Our waiter explained that (one of) Mattia’s signature dishes is the homemade ravioli that he makes according to his grandmother’s recipe. We (and you!), of course, had to order and taste this dish for ourselves. Velvety soft ravioli filled with goat cheese accompanied by green asparagus and a cherry tomato consume-like bouillon. Amazing. Both specials of the day were also Italian favourites, homemade by the chef, and we noticed that ordering these specials is the way to go: the risotto ai frutti di mare truly brought us to a little coast town in Italy, and all that so close to the busiest shopping street of Amsterdam…
So, the location, the chef and the Italian twist are all big points of pride for the restaurant, but one thing remains… the wine list. On the day of our visit, it was warm outside, so we started with a cold beer, a refreshing start but once we switched to requested the wine list, we could see the joy in the team’s eyes. And what a wine list it is, with bottles spanning Italy (duh), France and Spain. Starting prices are friendly, definitely when considering their super central location. If you wish, you can also go a bit more over the top, with amazing premier crus, a nice Barolo riserva or a magnum or two.
Amsterdammers tend not to venture into Kalverstraat for its dining scene, so Visiting Onze Zaa as a local is a whole new experience on its own. I, myself, truly used to avoid the Kalverstraat, busy shopping and all that jazz, but that’s all in the past now, as I can definitely see myself returning to Onze Zaak for a nice glass of red and one more portion of that homemade ravioli.
Onze Zaak
The Place: Fine dining with an Italian twist.
The Space: As picturesque as Amsterdam can get.
The Base: €60-85 pp
The Face: Lucky tourists and neighbors in the know.
The Ace: That lovely terrace in that lovely Amsterdam alley.
The Veg: 100% welcome.
Opening Hours: 7 Days A Week 12:00-22:00
Images from onzezaakamsterdam.com, Onze Zaak
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