Bold brush strokes at Restaurant Ambassade
By Neil Roake
Herengracht 339, 1016 AZ Amsterdam
BOOK NOWAs Brasserie Ambassade sheds its French alter-ego and steps into its new name, Restaurant Ambassade, it brings the new vision of Chef Derek Reali to life.
Grab a comfortable window seat in the elegant dining room of Restaurant Ambassade and take in the sights. First up, a window view of passing floating sights. (Look, there goes a boat full of hen partyers.) Scan the room and take in its walls, hung with bold brushstrokes of the Cobra artworks from the late 40s artists’ collective. (The COBRA movement rejected the prevailing academic style of art and instead focused on spontaneous, expressive, and primitive art forms and Ambassade houses over 800 of these works.) Over a relaxed two hours (no rushing you out at this spot), further expressive art unfolds on your plates and what’s zipping across the kitchen pass is serious stuff. All too often, the plates look good, but the chef forgets to taste the food. Luckily Chef Reali keeps his taste palette sharp. A circle of earthy roasted beetroot topped with mustard ice cream, bolstered by a surprising liquorice broth is a personal favourite, perfect alongside the bread course of whipped brown butter and three home-baked breads. I almost don’t want to reveal the next courses as they arrive to surprise and delight, but a few heads up, the Jerusalem artichokes with pear, hazelnut and fresh truffle is more-ish. Keen to try a 62-degree jammy egg yolk nestled in a fragrant mushroom tart? It’s a winner. The Dutch Reypenaer cheese shines in a heady melding of carrot, smoked almond and apricots. (Other options of eel with Gnocchi or Venison with celeriac & miso would satisfy the non-vegetarians in the room.)
The thing I like most about the changing face of Restaurant Ambassade is it’s clearly not aiming to be Amsterdam’s coolest restaurant. Yet, as the room filled up, the mood started to feel more like we’d been invited to dinner at a best friend’s place with chatty guests and staff who knew the brand-new menu off-pat. (Thanks, Tim). It started to feel a little ‘holiday’ which is always pretty cool.
Oh, the wine list is extensive, the bottles are thoughtfully curated and a few wines by the glass are mercifully affordable. The 5 courses will set you back 65 euros. Considering they throw in a complimentary glass of cava, a considered bread course, an amuse and a startling good palette cleanser of two icecreams, it’s well worth it. If Restaurant Ambassade continues on this trajectory, then good luck in getting a table. (Luckily, there’s Unbookables for that ;))
Restaurant Ambassade
The Space: Elegant. Combination of maximalist art and minimalist design.
The Base: €50 – 60 pp
The Face: Money does not buy taste. We know that. The people at these tables seem to have both.
The Ace: The art and the book collection, alone, are worth a visit but even popping in for a cocktail is a good shout. Sipping a whisky and gazing out onto Herengracht is the stuff of movie-set-dreams.
The Veg: The veg dishes have been considered and conceptualised with obvious attention. A fine display of innovative vegetable-forward innovation.
Opening Hours: 7 days a week, 7:00-11:00, 12:00-15:30, 17:30-22:00
Images from restaurantambassade.nl, Restaurant Ambassade
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