30s Magazine

Last weekend I had a celebratory birthday dinner of a friend in the newly opened Restaurant C in Amsterdam east. All I can say is “wow!” Restaurant C is really something else. I don’t think I have ever eaten food with this much flavour before. The ‘C’ stands for Celsius, because at Restaurant C you are taken on a culinary journey of temperatures. By preparing the dishes on different temperatures – -20°C, 80°C, 100°C and 200°C – the textures and flavours of the products change. But let’s talk interior design first.

The interior design

The restaurant is built around the open kitchen. If you like to watch the action in the kitchen, a seat at the bar gives you the best view. The interior is robust, a bit funky, but also chic. By use of different materials like warm woods, iron lamps, velvet and leather chairs, and a lot of plants, they created a warm and inviting atmosphere. They chose to keep the ceiling bare, showing the pipes and construction. The interior design is by Noun Amsterdam, who also created the interior of Walter Benedict in the Hague

The Bar and cocktails

In the front of the restaurant is the bar where you can sip on cocktails, gin-tonics, spirits and wine. I had the delicious ‘a shot a summer’ cocktail with infused strawberries, rum and pineapple syrup. The bar’s design is robust with a warm wooden counter. In contrast to the bar and stools the brass upper rack is sophisticated and chic.

Tom Dixon lava lamps

In the far right back there are intimate nooks for groups. Circular velvet benches are combined with Tom Dixon lava lamps. I loved the use of the lava lamps eluding to the restaurant’s temperature theme.

The food experience

The menu at Restaurant C evolves around different temperatures and is categorized in 4 different temperatures:

0-20°C – raw and cold dishes
40-80°C – low temperatures dishes
100°C – steamed and cooked dishes
200°C – grilled, plancha and tempura dishes

We opted for the 4-course surprise dinner. Chefs Michiel van der Eerde and Arnout van der Kolk take you on a 360°C journey through textures and flavours. The art of combining different flavours and textures makes this restaurant stand out, as does the quality of the products. They really know how to bring out the flavours in simple ingredients. Even their cucumbers were full of flavour!

The first course was in the raw and cold category. I had a white fish with zucchini, tomatoes and frozen gazpacho. My friend had the tartar with artichoke and barrata.

The second course was the 40-80°C low temperature dish. We had the most delicious 40°C salmon I have ever tasted with wakame chips and terriyaki and spring onions.

Next up was the 200°C grilled dish: steak BBQ with corn in different textures (mousse, popcorn and grilled), and tomatoes and black garlic.

Last but definitely not least was the dessert: mango ice cream with white chocolate, champagne and tropical fruit. Sublime! I can’t wait to go back to Restaurant C to try their other dishes!