It is no secret that eating a nice meal is more my kind of thing that preparing one. Don’t get me wrong, I love to cook but my cooking skills are limited. As a result, I have a growing respect or even admiration for people preparing good food in fine dining restaurants. Not only because the are able to get the flavors right, but also because of the picture-perfect presentation. All this is done by the chefs under great pressure in an often small and hot environment.
You do not get many chances to prepare a meal of a Michelin star standard. Restaurant Soigné in Bussum (The Netherlands) does offer this possibility, where you will prepare a meal under supervision of an experienced chef. Adjacent to the restaurant, there is a separate kitchen and dining area, where chefs Alberto and Yuri provide the cooking workshops. Soigné is a restaurant that I have wanted to visit for some time now, so I was delighted to be invited for this cooking workshop as part of their 10 year anniversary.
Like the restaurant, the room is not too big and this gives it a really warm and almost homely feeling, even though the large professionally equipped kitchen is right next to it. A coat rack and coffee machine is right next to a long and nicely set table. On this evening, a total of 18 people attended the workshop. It is a big group, which is a challenge especially for the chefs. The evening starts with a short explanation of what is to come. Already we get a feeling of what the chef is like; A nice, calm and well-organized man. Even though at this moment he is taking the stage, the rest of the evening he was next to invisible, yet always available for questions.
The kitchen was divided into four imaginary sections, one for each course. On the menu today was:
- Salmon tartar with scorched salmon and a soy marshmallow
- Onion soup with cod
- Risotto with chicken
- Clafoutis with raspberry mousse
Groups were formed on a voluntary basis and each group prepared one dish. Where teams consisted of people from different groups, it felt like everyone got along really well from the start. Everyone was focused on cooking the dish, yet enjoying themselves. This was a the case in each of the teams. Guided by a written recipe of each 
dish and supervised by the chefs, each team prepared the mise-en-place (components of the dish). Since the ingredients were already weighed out, we did not lose any time on these tasks, but we could immediately start the fun bit which is the actual cooking.
When the cooking was done the components, where needed, were refrigerated or kept warm. In order of the menu, dishes were completed. By now, I realized what I had been doing wrong for 
all those years cooking Christmas dinner: Most things can be prepared in advance, so when guests arrive it is only a matter of finishing the dish and plating up. A lesson I will never forget.
First dish to be completed and plated up was a tartar of salmon with some torched salmon, gel of seaweed and carrot-wasabi puree. As the rest of the group was (supposed to start) preparing to sit down to eat, the first team was assembling the starter. A total of 18 plates were lined up on a big table. Chef Yuri 
explained the steps to follow when plating up the dish. This looked easy, but appearance can be deceptive. As was the case with the other teams later in the evening, everyone pitched in to make the dishes look and taste great. When the starter was brought to the table, it really looked like something that came out of a fine dining kitchen.
What followed were a soup, the risotto and the dessert. Like the starter, dishes were prepared by the team when it was to be served, considering dietary requirements where needed. One thing that really impressed me was the way the chefs were continuously keeping an eye on everything. When one dish was going into the oven, another was taken out while we (the ‘students’) were enjoying the dish. Just before our plate on the table was empty, the chef took 18 new plates out of the cupboard for the next team to plate up. Usually nice contrasting colors to really make the dish pop out. This goes to show that not only flavors have really been thought through, but presentation has also been carefully considered.
By the end of the evening, I have had a great meal and a wonderful evening. Seeing the chefs work made me realize that being a chef is hard. I now have a much greater respect for chefs, especially in the fine dining restaurants like Soigné. A workshop like this is something for everyone who likes cooking. Whether on team building or family evening, I am sure you will enjoy an evening in the kitchen of Soigné. I know that the restaurant isn’t in Amsterdam, but it is only a 30 minute train ride from Amsterdam Central Station. Individual bookings cost only EUR 89 (incl. drinks and snacks) and for a private event prices start at EUR 59 per person. So on an evening like this, you really get value for money, a great evening of cooking plus a nice meal. What more can you ask for?
Restaurant location: View on Google Maps
Restaurant website: http://www.restaurantsoigne.nl/