1926 Amsterdam Greenhouse De Kas

On one of the most beautiful summers of my life, I found myself taking in the gorgeous Amsterdam.

While I enjoyed touring its somewhat medieval neighborhoods, I was equally elated discovering another historical and lush part of Holland. A few minutes away from Amsterdam’s magnificent row of 17th century canals sits the similarly outstanding Frankendael Park. The park was one of the city’s wealthy estates back in the 16th century where its handsome old land house Frankendael is visible from the street and is one of the few antique estates remaining in Amsterdam.

Like many ancient highlights, Frankendael Park was, at one point, an industrial terrain. Thankfully, the Frankendael Estate and its celebrated ancient gardens have been restored and is now a striking city park showcasing wide spaces for relaxation.

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The park also hosts a unique age-old 1920’s greenhouse framing an opulent restaurant called De Kas. The restaurant offers multiple course meals that are based on the ingredients grown in the greenhouse. They also have a larger nursery outside of Amsterdam that grows produce comprehensively and exclusively for De Kas. I learned that the greenhouse concept became a possibility when the city of Amsterdam contacted Michelin-star chef Gert Jan Hageman that they had a greenhouse scheduled to be demolished. The city offered, back then, half a euro to issue ownership of the greenhouse. Of course, at that price, the greenhouse required extensive renovations. Currently, they actively practice self-sustainment where they grow their own ingredients and produce electricity through solar panels. They started renovating the greenhouse in the year 2000 and De Kas was born in 2001. Top chef and owner Gert Jan Hageman, accustomed to working at a Michelin star restaurant, was always fascinated in using more vegetables than meat in his dishes.

This being my first time eating inside a greenhouse, De Kas easily became a destination for me during our visit to the Netherlands. It’s only about a mile away from Tropenmuseum and worthy of being a must-see sight when visiting Amsterdam. It is easily accessible by the city’s tram no. 9 as the Hogeweg station on Middenweg is right next to Frankendael Park. I love the atmosphere in this restaurant as effervescent windows and vivacious plants surrounded me inside. I already felt healthy and vigorous as soon as I got in. Their pre fixe lunch menu thrilled me! I was certainly excited to experience what fresh and local grown produce will taste like at the hands of a renowned chef. Please note that they may have a different menu every week as it is dependent on what can be grown at the time and season of your visit.

For appetizers, I sampled an invigorating mix of mozzarella, vivid fruits and exceptionally juicy vegetables. The cheese was soft and savory and the dish highlighted a delicious blend of all garden-fresh ingredients that tasted so amazing.

I was also able to try the soup of celery that featured a tender and succulent fish. There were also some pleasant breadcrumbs, leek, arugula and peno. The soup and fish have truly distinct and delightful tastes. The soup is wonderfully creamy and flavorful. It was not at all salty and the savors blended well together. No particular segment of the soup jumped out at me and yet it’s symphony was well played on my palette.

For my main course I had a red perch fish from the voluminous northern waters with homegrown Dutch potato, zucchini and cabbage. The heavenly red perch looked mouthwatering as it was served. The fibers flaked nicely while the skin crunches softly when taking a slice. Its visual texture and sound makes me excited to eat it! The flavor is light and mild. It’s also a pretty rich fish. I can perceive the juices whenever I punctured it with my fork. The noticeable salty flavor came from the fried skin of the fish adding to its taste. I had to make sure to portion the skin evenly with the red perch so I can make the most out of its flavor. So scrumptiously fresh!

For dessert I had ginger cakes with yogurt and prunes. The dessert introduced a lot of flavor. Each ingredient accentuated it’s own diverse essence and it undeniably dazed me. With the ginger cake as a base, the yogurt and the bed of orange sauce exclaimed tart. The ginger cake has a distinct flavor and was further emphasized with the enjoyable yogurt. It was irrefutably a sweet surprise!

During my visit, I was lucky enough to have met the owner, Michelin starred top chef Gert Jan Hageman where he toured us in his awe-inspiring greenhouse. Truthfully, it was absolutely the most perfect day to be experiencing De Kas. His gardens were vibrant, marvelous and so full of life! Candidly, I could have spent the entire afternoon admiring all the beautiful blooms, fruits and vegetables they were growing.

Like I said, my experience at De Kas was nothing short of perfection. The place has it all, picture-perfect ambiance and fresh flavorsome food served by the most passionate people. When in Amsterdam, I invite you all to visit De Kas and have a taste of healthful cuisine made in pure excellence. It is surely a restaurant you wouldn’t want to miss!

A genuine thanks to our remarkable collaborator, Michelin starred top chef Gert Jan Hageman (photo 26), for a bona fide encounter of Restaurant De Kas!

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Restaurant & Nursery De Kas