Last week a girlfriend of mine from Amsterdam came to Utrecht for a drink, something to eat and a lot of catching up to do.
Than the big question popped in my head.... an important one! Where to go?
Utrecht is a city where the girls wear flat boots, jeans, a nice warm coat and wear their hair in a bun. A little make up and yes, we're ready to get our ass into the city centre. Same for the guys, why take the trouble of a little more hairstyling and a 15 min sunbed some times in wintertime?? Restaurants overall are down to earth, easy and mainly just if we don't feel like cooking and want to hang out with our friends with a good glass of wine.
than...
Amsterdam, the city where every girl tries to wear the latest fashion, wears the most gorgeous jewellery, leather pants, short jackets (brr!!) and looks like she just came from the hairdresser (maybe she did..). Also, there ain't a day without heals, not even when you have to walk the bumpy streets of the city centre. Also the guys... when there's one ray of sunlight somewhere in the day, or it might be predicted sometime next week, the sunglasses can be found in their shiny and super styled hair. No time for easy shoes, but only the best shoes from the best brands can be found on their feet. Eating out is daily business and it's the place where you can see and can be seen. (mainly also because their kitchens are the size of our Utrecht restrooms....). After the wines, the fancy cocktails are the first to be seen.
So.. there's my struggle, do I want to show a bit of my precious and down to earth Utrecht? Or do I want to go fancy and show off that Utrecht isn't all that simple??
I chose to go for a night in between, show a little bit of both. Where?
I took my friend to restaurant tot Straks (still confuses me whether it is with or without 'tot'). This restaurant is located between Central Station and the 'Oude gracht', in a street full of nice restaurants. The entrance looked welcoming and was quite fancy (Utrecht-speaking). We were welcomed by the friendly personnel, however also was pointed out that we had reservations at 18.30 and it was already 18.50. Well... if you make an appointment you better keep it, otherwise watch your back 'cause this guy will come n get you!
We had a charming high table besides the kitchen which gave us a good view over the restaurant and the kitchen.. That's how I like it!
Since during and after our first prosecco it turned out we really had some catching up to do and we couldn't stop talking the waiter already brought us some really tasty bread with olive oil and some sort of flavoured butter. After a while we could finally make our choice and were served with some good wines and a delicious starter. Also the main was really good and tasty and timing was perfect. The chef in the kitchen even took a moment (after seeing me staring into the kitchen all night... :) ) to ask us if we were happy.
For dessert they offer the guest to chose a selection of 3 out of 7 different offered desserts. I chose the chocolate brownie (never to be missed), cheesecake (another one to eat once in a while) and breadpudding. I started with the breadpudding which was nice, soft and tasty, exactly as it should be! However... the brownie and cheesecake, two of my favorites, were filled with too much butter, creamcheese and because of that were stone-hard and not half as tasty as all the other dishes that night. Definitely a shame...
But... when we take the whole evening into consideration I can't complain. The service was good, the food was even better and the ambiance in the restaurant was very pleasant.
Was it Amsterdam? no. Was it Utrecht? Maybe it was, but definitely one to visit again! Even with friends from Amsterdam ;-)
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
How I just love surprises...
How often does it still happen, being surprised in a restaurant?
Most restaurants think that if they meet your expectations, they're doing a great job. Well, I think at that time you're doing an OK job and who knows, you might see mee again!
However.. if you surprise me and raise above these expectations, that's when you're *shining*! You make me want to come back and I surely will.
In my opinion the choice wether to return to a certain restaurant or not, is based on a few key factors;
- The people ; the people that work at the restaurant are the ones that represent your idea's, your values, your concept! Nothing more anoying than an employee that has a huge hangover or is just grumpy for his soccer club lost the last match. The employees are the face of the company and they are the ones that can surprise you, make you feel welcome and part of the concept.
I personally think that at Starbucks I'm always surprised by the pleasure that employees seem to have helping me. I always walk out with a smile.
- The menu strategy ; the menu strategy is a key factor because they have to serve the food that you love. This could be a renewing, trendy menu strategy with dishes that consist of 'a cube of this, a mousse of that and a hint of that' but could also be French classics or Spanish tapas. The menu should be understandable and there should be a relation between the dishes, the prizes and sizes. Besides that, definitely important is that the kitchen crew should be able to prepare these dishes with great taste, and joy.
A menu that surprised me was the menu of Loetje (with 4 locations in the Netherlands, www.loetje.com). It is very simple and easy and actually what they say is; please just eat our steak, it's the best in Holland! It can surprise you because it sounds simple, it looks simple but the taste is overwhelming!
- A lasting impression ; the lasting impression of a restaurant can be made by several things. This could be the amazing interior design, the exciting experiences the restaurant gives, the historical building, the perfect location and the great taste of the food. For me lasting impressions mostly come from personnel that know their restaurant and menu and are passionate about it. Also romantic settings in historic buildings such as in Hotel Karel V in Utrecht will leave a lasting impression on me.
And when the people, the menu and the lasting impression are checked..... consistency is key!
So surprises can be in unexpected places and it differs for every guest. I'd like to see it as that guests are like lemons..... They all look the same at first, however when you take a closer look they have a different form, a different background, different looks and a different taste. Anticipate on that!
My advise: Don't promise to much, but surprise your guests!
Let me know the restaurants that suprised you! Curious for your experiences.
Most restaurants think that if they meet your expectations, they're doing a great job. Well, I think at that time you're doing an OK job and who knows, you might see mee again!
However.. if you surprise me and raise above these expectations, that's when you're *shining*! You make me want to come back and I surely will.
In my opinion the choice wether to return to a certain restaurant or not, is based on a few key factors;
- The people ; the people that work at the restaurant are the ones that represent your idea's, your values, your concept! Nothing more anoying than an employee that has a huge hangover or is just grumpy for his soccer club lost the last match. The employees are the face of the company and they are the ones that can surprise you, make you feel welcome and part of the concept.
I personally think that at Starbucks I'm always surprised by the pleasure that employees seem to have helping me. I always walk out with a smile.
- The menu strategy ; the menu strategy is a key factor because they have to serve the food that you love. This could be a renewing, trendy menu strategy with dishes that consist of 'a cube of this, a mousse of that and a hint of that' but could also be French classics or Spanish tapas. The menu should be understandable and there should be a relation between the dishes, the prizes and sizes. Besides that, definitely important is that the kitchen crew should be able to prepare these dishes with great taste, and joy.
A menu that surprised me was the menu of Loetje (with 4 locations in the Netherlands, www.loetje.com). It is very simple and easy and actually what they say is; please just eat our steak, it's the best in Holland! It can surprise you because it sounds simple, it looks simple but the taste is overwhelming!
- A lasting impression ; the lasting impression of a restaurant can be made by several things. This could be the amazing interior design, the exciting experiences the restaurant gives, the historical building, the perfect location and the great taste of the food. For me lasting impressions mostly come from personnel that know their restaurant and menu and are passionate about it. Also romantic settings in historic buildings such as in Hotel Karel V in Utrecht will leave a lasting impression on me.
And when the people, the menu and the lasting impression are checked..... consistency is key!
So surprises can be in unexpected places and it differs for every guest. I'd like to see it as that guests are like lemons..... They all look the same at first, however when you take a closer look they have a different form, a different background, different looks and a different taste. Anticipate on that!
My advise: Don't promise to much, but surprise your guests!
Let me know the restaurants that suprised you! Curious for your experiences.
The best.. and I say ABSOLUTE BEST Flourless chocolate cake ever :)
It is easy to make, looks like a party and is a perfect end of a great dinner. As it has no flour in it, it is also perfect for people who can't eat flour etc.
Here's the recipe
You need:
300g broken chocolate (I prefer dark chocolate!)
225 caster sugar
180ml boiling water
225 salted butter, cut into cubes
Some butter for greasing
6 organic eggs, separated
1 tbsp vanilla extract (you may also use vanilla sugar)
For the topping:
200 ml of mascarpone
All sorts of berries, pick the ones you love!
1. Great and line the base of a solid bottomed 23cm round cake tin (springform)
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
3. Pulse the chocolate and sugar in a food processor until fine. After that add the boiling water, butter, egg yolks and vanilla.
4. Whisk the egg whites until still and slowly fold them into the chocolate mixture
5. Pour the mixture into the springform and bake for about 45/50 minutes. The top will be cracked !
6. Take out the cake, it will collapes into itself. Don't worry, it is supposed to. ;-)
7. Let the cake cool and put it in the fridge for a few hours
8. When you serve it, top it with the mascarpone and your favorite berries.
9. ENJOY!!
This is my version on a recipe by Sophie Dahl.. love her!
Relatively New Winecafé at Neude, Utrecht: Lefebvre
In these first few months of 2012 I've visited Lefebvre a few times. This winecafé located at Neude in Utrecht is an absolute new favorite of mine. The trendy though relaxed atmosphere makes me feel welcome to visit with either good friends or my parents.
Their way of making me drink a good wine on a budget or spend a little more on an even better wine is perfect to me. Also the origin of the wines differs greatly, from Germany to Libanon, New Zealand, Italy and more!
A nice selection of tapas made my evening with the girls a perfect night out!
(check out http://www.wijncafelefebvre.nl/ )
Their way of making me drink a good wine on a budget or spend a little more on an even better wine is perfect to me. Also the origin of the wines differs greatly, from Germany to Libanon, New Zealand, Italy and more!
A nice selection of tapas made my evening with the girls a perfect night out!
(check out http://www.wijncafelefebvre.nl/ )
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