Dinner at Hoofdstad Brasserie, Amsterdam
My dad was in town and we decided to meet his friend and his wife for dinner. They live in Amsterdam, so we decided to go to Amsterdam and have dinner there. Since it was pretty last minute, we ended up in the Hoofdstad Brasserie in the Hotel L'Europe. The restaurant overlooks the Amstel River in the center of Amsterdam, and luckily enough we had a nice table at the window with direct view of the river and the city.
As an appetizer, my dad, his friend and I all opted for the Lobster Bisque. The bisque was rich and full of lobster flavor. It was very comforting and everything you'd expect from a lobster bisque. The way in which it was presented was also quite cute, as the bowls were attached to the wooden board with a magnet.
Our friend's wife decided to go for the Joselito - Jamon Iberico with Tomato Bruschetta. She was very kind and gave me some of it to try. I thought the Jamon was very good and the tomato bruschetta was a nice touch. The tomatoes were nicely dressed, so it was a good combination.
I ordered Half a Grilled Lobster with Green Salad and Fries. Before ordering it, I asked the server what he would recommend, the lobster or the Sole a la Meuniere (a classic), he said I should go for the lobster. I asked him if half would be enough, and he answered yes. So when this showed up on our table, we were all shocked. We've never seen such a small lobster before, it resembles more a crayfish. We expected a big lobster to come, not this tiny little thing and then him suggesting that it'd be enough. Immediately my dad's friend asked me if I wanted to order anything else, I said it was fine, I guess I'd have enough space for dessert, and luckily I had the fries and salad. I had hoped the lobster would at least be perfectly cooked, but it was overcooked and slightly chewy. Very disappointing.
For mains the other 3 all went the Grilled Tenderloin (180g) with Herb Butter, Baby Potatoes and a Green Salad. This also looked tiny and we all actually were wondering if it actually was 180g, also the one that was presented to our friend's wife was smaller than the other two. The steaks also weren't cooked to the right temperature. My dad requested medium rare and his was medium, whilst our friends asked for medium and theirs was more like well done. The mains were just laughable, so my dad and I hoped that the desserts would at least make up for it. Our friends went for the cheese plate.
My dad didn't have to think long and immediately went for the Grapefruit Meringue Tart. He said it was alright, but it wasn't sour enough, and I was surprised that the meringue wasn't fluffy.
I couldn't decide what to get, but the waitress recommended the Chocolate Ganache Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream. I also requested some additional strawberries to go with it, but she told me they didn't have any. This was quite surprising since their other dessert on the menu (and which I saw people eating) was the Coupe Romanoff of which the main element are strawberries. Nevertheless the chocolate tart came, and I thought it was just passable. The filling, was very rich and there weren't enough raspberries to add a different flavor dimension. Also the tart dough was the same as the one on my dad's tart, and was somewhat stale, dry and seemed to be one of the frozen tart doughs you can buy in the supermarket. It even tasted like the freezer. The ice cream was nice and homemade though. I guess the desserts didn't make the grade either.
Overall it was just a major disappointment. Considering it's housed in one of the best hotels in the Netherlands and located within the same hotel the two Michelin starred Bord'Eau. We expected at least better food, especially since the same executive chef runs both restaurants.