Restaurant ZaZa

Continuing with my restaurant review vibe I thought I'd write about another excellent meal I had in de Pijp last night with my friend Stephan. At his suggestion we met in the Heinekenplein and made our way around the corner to Daniel Stalpertstraat where this cosy and well designed restaurant was positioned.

On entering I was immediately impressed by the hard wood finish, tasteful lighting and generally relaxed atmosphere about the place. We were seated by a very friendly american waitress at a cute table at the back which seats the guests next to each other. It's perfect if you want a little privacy (I am told the restaurant can get noisy during its busier times) although I'd recommend swapping places half way through the meal if you want to avoid neck pain! The place also has a strong 'Ab Fab' influence with some amusing artwork and books placed strategically around the establishment.

My company was engaging and we talked about many hilarious and amusing things throughout the course of the night, including how in Bulgaria pre the internet the local homosexuals used to call telephone information exchanges with pre-recorded annoucements on train times etc. in order to meet one another: because the infrastructure was so elderly it was possible to use the connection as a conference style pick up line! My point was that the food was sufficiently excellent to make a good counterpoint to the conversation.

The menu immediately aroused my curiosity, the chef was clearly capable with a diverse range of menu items displaying his skill. For starters I ended up choosing a garlic soup with melted Gruyere and grilled almonds, while Stephan chose the rabbit rilette served with melba crostini. Both courses were very well prepared, and excellently presented. My soup was the perfect temperature and tasted delightful with the deeply flavoured creamy garlic liquid accentuated with the melted moments of Gruyere on the spoon. The rilette, similar to a pate, was very tasty and originally prepared.

For the main course I opted for a second vegetarian dish of sage ravioli of wild mushroom and spinach with pumpkin carrot sauce and a crispy cheese wafter. Stephan went for the duck with cous cous, eggplant and yogurt and sweet and sour apricot sauce. My dish was a triumph and although large with many differing flavours they mixed well together, I ate the dish punctuating each mouthful with a small wafer of the melted cheese which was served alongside. I could see how rich the duck was the moment it was put on the table and Stephan luxuriated in the dish, taking him easily 20m to (almost!) finish. The flavours were excellent with the sweetness of the apricot in the cous cous helping to release the gamey undertones of the rare duck breast.

This is another must visit, the price was very reasonable (70 Euros for the two of us, although admittedly without a bottle of wine), the service outstanding for Holland, and the chef very talented: thanks to you Vincent.

You can reach ZaZa's on +31 (0) 20 673 6333.

Restaurant Rosario

So last night I took three friends of mine who were over from the UK to an Italian restaurant on the Peperstraat. It's not the first time I've been and the eponymous proprietor is also a friend of mine, it was however the best meal I've had there to date.

The restaurant itself is located across the water from the Nieuwmarkt on a slightly out of the way street called the Peperstraat. It's a simple, intimate dining space with tables just far enough away, plenty of large windows, interesting art and the kitchen installed as the centre-piece in plain view of all the customers.

The menu is changed daily, with the current seasonal specialities being exceptional. After a very pleasant bottle of Valdobbiadene prosecco we were presented with the menu which featured trucs such as serrano ham wrapped scallops with sage and lemon risotto made with bream and saffron for primi and starters.

After a suitably extended time to allow us to decide which of the tantalising morsels to select (read argue who was having), our order was taken and the two chefs visibly got down to work.

The starters were prepared and cooked perfectly: my scallops were large, succulently cooked and subtly enhanced by the complimentary flavours of the Serrano ham and sage. My friends ordered quail on a bed of mushrooms with a red wine jus, which was cooked just enough to retain its delicate flavour without allowing the bird to dry out.

The main courses were equally superb, my rare cooked lamb rolls coated in sesame with green pesto were heaven, and although they came with no accompaniment, none was needed. The tower of beef tornedoes had been artfully skewered with a baked stick of spaghetti and layered though a potato rosti and pesto sauce.

Silence reigned for the next 10m while every plate was scraped and its contents devoured.

Desert by this time was looking like a tall order, so we ordered some espressos and grappa (though no Sassacai or Ornellai unfortunately) and headed off to finish our night in the seedy underbelly of the red light district: hey I had to show the tourists something!

Price for the evening was fair for the quality of the food, with the bill coming to 200 Euros for the four of us including a fabulous bottle of merlot from Roasarios home village.

You can reach Rosario at: +31 (0)20 6270280