Amsterdam is home to some of Holland’s better/best restaurants, like Librije’s Zusje and Vermeer. Next to this, there are many other good and excellent, but less well-known restaurants that really are worth a visit. For some time, we have wanted to visit one of these lesser-known restaurants; Wolf Atelier. Located a few minutes walk from Amsterdam Central station, this restaurant is within reach no matter where you come from.
It is based in an old bridge guard house of an abandoned railway bridge. A nice old brick staircase and metal ‘bridge’ leads to the main entrance with right behind the door the bar, where the staff is awaiting its guests. The staff is very friendly and make jokes if and where appropriate – they clearly enjoy working here. They know exactly what it on the menu and what ingredients are used. Turn left and you will pass the kitchen to seating with a nice view of the IJ (a body of water immediate north of the Central Station). When looking out of the window, you will notice a few things; the nice view, the enormous amount of traffic on the roads as well as canals and the fact that you do not hear any of this noise. The seating area has a design suitable to the building, with a concrete floor and on the ceiling many copper(-looking) lamps. Tables are nice and big enough with comfortable seats.
As usual, we go for the set menu, which in this case is 5 courses. It is kicked-off by an amuse bouche of potato with chives and a creme of sweet and sour cucumber. If this is an indicator of what is to come, we are in for a great lunch. Potato was cooked but still had a nice bite. Initially, we were not sure about the combination with the cucumber creme, but one bite was enough to prove me wrong.
Hamachi is a type of jack fish and the main ingredient for the first course. A tartar in this case, nicely presented in a circle with the dressing/vinaigrette inside. The vinaigrette is daidai with some soy/ketjap. To be honest, this is the first time we even heard of daidai, which turns out to be an Asian bitter version of orange. Combined with the ketjap the daidai is a delicious combination. Served on some biscuit of sesame is an ice cream of green curry. If anything, this is the one thing that we could have done without in terms of flavor, but the icy aspect was perfect for the dish. Where sesame can really overpower delicate fish, the quantity was just right. All together this dish summarized most of the evening: Subtle flavors combined really well.
Up next was a dish of lightly seared sea bass with corn, cucumber and Japanese radish. As was the case with the previous dish, these were really delicate flavors combined in an excellent way. Very finely chopped cucumber and thinly sliced radish added a nice bite to the dish and some seaweed crackers a nice crunch. Initially the dish looked a bit fatty, but when components are taken all on the fork it was excellent. Just enough acidity to cut through the fatness of the oil. The fish itself was lukewarm and prepared well with some nice caramelized marking on it. It was really tender an juicy and melted in your mouth. With three more dishes to go, we are now wondering how they are going to top these first two dishes.
Fish with dill is a quite classic combination. When we prepare this at home, we tend to put just a little too much dill in, almost killing the fish flavors. No such issues at this restaurant. The small hint of anise from the fennel is a nice addition that goes well with the fish and dill. A small bite was added in the form of diced Jerusalem artichoke. The fish looked a bit firm, but putting the fork into it showed that once again it was really tender and falling apart. The nice grill marks were still visible as the sauce was poured on the fish only half. With all this white ingredients, presentation on a dark plate ensures a nice contrast.
By now it was time for some meat, and rib-eye it was. Three pieces were presented on a plate. Two were pan-fried and one was prepared on the barbecue. On the plate also was some salsify, small onions and a foam of potato. The pan-fried pieces, we ate with the gravy of red port. Very nicely cooked and juicy meat combined with the flavorsome gravy is how we like it. Because of its richness, we do really like the addition of the pickled onions. When put on the plate together, you’ll notice what the barbecue does to meat. The slight smokiness that has was added to the third piece of meat was really nice. Combine this with the small blobs of piccalilli and you have yet another winner.
Up to this point, we could not pick a dish that we liked best or least. And then there is dessert in the form of canelé with crema catalana, pistacio and banana. The canelé really was that, with crunch from its thick crust which was still warm. Nice and moist on the inside with beautiful hint of vanilla. The crema catalana goes well with the canelé, delivering a nice addition of cinnamon. A nice cool bit was coming from the banana ice cream. Where this ice cream had the appearance of a somewhat unusual syrupy texture, it was actually really good. Ice cream made of fruit can sometimes taste like washing up fluid, but here it was like eating a frozen banana. The canelé, crema catalana and ice cream had one thing in common; they were not overly sweet. The only sweet element was the final one, the foam of white chocolate. Not a big fan of this, because of the lack of cacao, but in this case it really did balance out the dish.
Normally, we refrain from commenting on Michelin star status. We will not comment on this here either, but will say that this restaurant can compete with many Michelin star awarded restaurants. It amazes us that for lunch it was so quiet, where for dinner they are usually fully booked. Located in the city center of Amsterdam, this is a restaurant I would recommend to anyone, unless you intend bring (young) children. For a five course meal you will spend approx. EUR 50 (excl. drinks) and that is more than reasonable for the quality and quantity of the food. Where tipping isn’t as common as it may be in the US, we did give a nice tip as the service was really good.
Restaurant location: View on Google Maps
Restaurant website: http://www.wolfatelier.nl