The White Room*, By Jacob Jan Boerma
- decadentdammers
- Nov 3, 2020
- 2 min read
Modern taste delivered through imaginative dishes, in a historically elegant setting.
"Grand" as fitting as the hotel it is situated in...
Situated in the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, in Amsterdam's central and historic Dam Square.
TWR (The White Room) dining room dates all the way back to 1885.
It is stunningly beautiful and luxurious, with white and gold decor - like something of royalty... well, it is directly opposite the Royal Palace after all!
The name is derived from historical name "De Witte Zaal" given when it first opened. The room is listed as a monument and carries its original features such as large beams with gold detail.
However, the culinary skills are refreshingly juxtaposed against this historic backdrop, bringing an air of modernity to the Michelin star experience.
We started our 5-course tasting menu with a crisp glass of Perrier-Jouët champagne, and sat dazing at the aristocratic room we were about to dine in.
We were met by enthusiastic staff and our server for the evening, Josef, guided us through our courses with excitement, confidence and impressive knowledge of the ingredients and combinations.
The meal started with an intriguing amuse-bouche, and hors d'oeuvre fingerfood - certainly more plates than we were expecting, which was pleasantly surprising! Aside from the ridiculously tasty organic Italian olive oil Mò Mò No.2, served with a crusty loaf...we were presented with a combination of creamy blini's (on the rocks), variation on scallop and simplistically flavourful macaroon. What a delight!
We will simply let you bask in the following courses which were full of fresh flavours of the ocean, with medleys of organic vegetables and herbs. To name a few; Seabass with Spinach beet and Kafir, razor clams (which were a personal favourite) on a bed of couscous with sabayon and dashi. Ending the fish courses with a hazlenut Cod with celeriac.
You can definitely tell that the chef's speciality lies in fish! And it did not disappoint, as we are huge fans. However, it might not be suited to those who do not list fish dishes at the top of their culinary list.
Only one meat dish was served - but it was a stand-alone showstopper! The Roe buck deer was literally melt in your mouth standard! The beetroot was not overpowering, and served the richness of the meat well. We savoured every last mouthful!
To end, in a delightfully playful way, with nothing more than a Granny Smith, Yuzu citrus dessert! Although amusing, and a great end to a wonderful meal, we did find the acidity a little too sour on this one.
Thank you so much to The White Room Chef Randy Karman, Jacob Jan Boerma and team for the outstanding delivery of your courses. Maître Bram Hommes and wonderful servers (particularly Jozef), for an evening of etiquette and classical serving.
Dam square, Amsterdam.
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