Michelin-Starred Bridges Restaurant Gets A Starring Role In Amsterdam
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It is easy for one to get completely lost in the captivating streets of Amsterdam while strolling alongside its charming and elegant canal lined streets. With all my heart, I feel that there is something genuinely romantic about this city. Perhaps it is the picture perfect medieval architecture or the spectacular bridges that is manifested all throughout in whatever place you look. No matter what, I feel that this place is truly a city that never sleeps with its zesty and vivacious legendary nightlife notable and eminent to locals and travelers alike. Inspired by its scenic labyrinth of bridges each having its own tale to tell, a restaurant called Bridges was born at the heart of it all.
Decked out in modern interior decoration, Bridges located at the prestigious Sofitel’s The Grand Hotel in Amsterdam creates a wonderful first impression. Bridges offers a French Mediterranean cuisine that specializes in seafood. Vincent, Bridges’ superb restaurant manager, greeted us very well. We were also excellently introduced to the restaurant’s exceptional sommelier, Jasper van den Hoogen, where he expressed to us his passion on South African wine – being a participant in Young Sommeliers Competitions where he was crowned a champion twice. He won the 2005 competition as well as last year’s event. Jasper willingly shared his experiences on the events which included a theory based question and answer as well as a series of blind tasting wine while on stage. Bridges truly lives up to its fame, being the one of the Michelin-starred restaurants in Holland. Later we met Joris Bijdendijk, renowned chef of the restaurant and an Amsterdam native. He has been the executive chef in Bridges for two years after his time in Provence, France. He is certainly quite talented as Bridges received their Michelin star last November. We were very excited about experiencing the restaurant fully knowing who is involved in creating a wonderful culinary experience.
We were welcomed by an outstanding vintage Moët & Chandon as we were seated. I love it when restaurants start our meal off with champagne. We were also served some splendidly unique small bites. The first to arrive is deep fried brioche bread with small fillet of anchovies. It was very soft with a crunchy texture, enjoying a splash of anchovy flavor. This combination created a wonderful party in my palette and left me craving for more. We also sampled brioche bread and chips made of Jerusalem artichoke with brown beans, lettuce and smoked tomatoes. They were all sumptuously quite delicious creating a great first impression and prelude to the next dishes. Of course, they also served some bread and olive oil that came from the region near Rome in Italy.
Our first main dish is a fine-looking roasted langoustine, which was served with the luxurious 2013 Newton Johnson Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa. With it came impeccable bread soufflés, trout eggs, curry cream, and wild quinoa. The roasted langoustine, at first glance, looked like perfection. It was so soft and sure enough delicious. The combination of ingredients blended wonderfully together. The quinoa was crunchy complementing the explosive trout eggs, which splashes a delicate trout flavor. The fabulous red stems are the bread soufflé, which can easily be mistaken as an authentic lobster whisker. It added a very crunchy texture to the entire dish that is just so beautifully presented.
Next came the delightful Violetta artichokes, which had enticing béchamel bell pepper, vinaigrette of miso and parsley. This dish was paired with an exceptional 2012 Morgenster Stellenbosch from the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. This is a vegetarian dish that features artichoke prepared in a multitude of ways. It was creamed, grazed as well as formed as chips. It also highlighted sweet peppers and béchamel cream sauce. This enjoyable plate reminds me of a traditional American artichoke dip. The crispy artichoke chips with the cream was so marvelously flavorful. Regardless of how much of the dish you take in, the flavors remain consistent. The wine pairing matches its mild and calm identity.
Following was an enchanting wild turbot with a delectable mustard crust accentuated with savory smoked eel, cumin, and jus de viands au citron. The mustard crust provided a special flavor that was exclusively unique compared to the preceding dishes. The smoked eel was a brilliant taste to have. The presentation was sensational as the mustard crust was classified on top of the eel as if it was its skin.
For our dessert, we had the Bundt of passion fruit and coconut with wild watercress and buttermilk basil ice cream. The dessert was masterfully paired with Delaire Graff Reserve Noble Late Harvest. The cream on top of the doughnut is quite tarty and the ice cream has an evident exquisite basil flavor as well. The wine paired perfectly balances the overall tarty effect that makes this a spectacular summation of the meal. There were also some small yet satisfyingly sweet crunchy cookies garnishing the perimeter of the doughnut which made the dish pop with excitement.
Bridges at The Grand certainly tells a tale of not only affluence, but also a modern take on tradition that is so abundant and profound here in Amsterdam. With guests coming from all over the world, Bridges Restaurant is a destination not to be missed when visiting the Netherlands.
My most sincerest thanks to our fantastic collaborator Michelin-Starred Restaurant Bridges!
Oudezijds Voorburgwal 197, 1012 EX Amsterdam, Netherlands