I love a restaurant where the interior design is just as interesting as the menu. Last month I finally made it to Restaurant Persijn in the upcoming Amstelkwartier in Amsterdam East. It is located on the ground level of the QO design hotel. The interior design is the work of designbureau TANK and is totally up my league. The food is Dutch cuisine made with local ingredients and produce from their own rooftop garden. [continue reading after photos]
The menu: what to expect
I went to Restaurant Persijn to have lunch and was pleasantly surprised. Although the Dutch dishes don’t seem groundbreaking at first sight, the way they are prepared and presented are. Locally produced ingredients enhance the flavour due to its freshness. They mostly use produce and herbs from their rooftop greenhouse garden, which they call ‘urban farming’. Think typical Dutch vegetables like parsnip, cauliflower, kale and carrots. They even have their own fish farm. Start your lunch or dinner with the home made artisan bread and garlic butter, it won’t disappoint. Lots of the dishes are also vegan, so right on trend.
I also had a peek at the dinner menu that seemed delicious. Dutch dishes made hip and edgy: andive potato mash with crispy bacon and slow cooked beef, smoked salmon with a crumble of rye bread and sea fennel with wasabi cottage cheese.
The desserts are definitely worth a try. The carrot cake with hemp seeds and the brownie are both little pieces of art.
Sustainable design with a luxurious look
The design of the building is all about sustainability and circularity but doesn’t derogates any luxury. The concrete used is recycled as are other materials used. The building has a moving façade for energy saving, intelligent lifts and as stated already a private greenhouse on the roof. Restaurant Persijn is on the ground floor, the QO Hotel above and on the top floor is cocktailbar Juniper & Kin.
The interior design is a delight to look at with velvet Gubi chairs, concrete tables, soft leather couches and a beautiful tiled floor. The clash of concrete tables and soft velvet and leather make it all the more interesting. It’s sleek and contemporary yet also industrial and robust at the same time. It’s an open airy space with three sections and an open kitchen to observe the activity.
The restrooms
Don’t you just love to check out the restrooms in a design restaurant or hotel? Often they are just as inspiring and interesting as the rest. The restroom at Restaurant Persijn definitely is! The floor to ceiling round mirror is so cool!
A peek upstairs in the QO hotel lounge
After lunch I slipped upstairs to get a peek at the QO Hotel lounge. Again, a design delight and a great spot for a meet up or business meeting.
For my fellow Dutchies: Mirjam van het blog Een Goed Verhaal deelt op haar blog nog 3 instagrammable hotels in Amsterdam, waaronder meer foto’s van het prachtige Persijn.
Restaurant Persijn
Amstelvlietstraat 41
1096 GG Amsterdam
The Netherlands
https://persijn.nl
