Lars Amsterdam is the restaurant of chef Lars Scharp, situated in identical constructing because the Residence Inn by Marriott Amsterdam Houthavens, with a sundown view of the Amsterdam harbor (Houthavens).
Lars opened in 2018 and has held a Michelin star since 2022. That is the place I took Anja to have a good time her birthday. Lars affords three degustation menus: Expertise (5 programs for 120 euros or 6 programs for 140 euros), Inexperienced (6 programs for 100 euros), and Unique (Lars’ favourite 8 dishes from 2018-2024 for 195 euros). We opted for the 6-course Expertise with wine pairing (65 euros).
We began with a pleasant glass of Further Brut Champagne (23% Pinot Meunier, 32% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir) from one of many oldest homes in Champagne.
It took fairly some time for the primary amuse bouche to reach (40 minutes after we have been seated), in order that they have been served with the primary wine of the pairing relatively than with the champagne. The primary wine was a 2024 Sauvignon Blanc from Cape City, South Africa. As a result of it’s from the Southern Hemisphere, 2024 is already the present classic. The wine was fruity, fragrant and full-bodied, with comparatively low acidity for a Sauvignon Blanc.
The primary amuse bouche with rhubarb, lovage, and asparagus.
The second amuse bouch was fairly good with langoustine kissed by hearth and flours from the restaurant’s backyard.
The ultimate amuse bouche with Swiss cheese (Belper Knolle). The waiter stated it contained balsamic vinegar, however we each thought it tasted extra like pink cabbage.
The primary dish was uncooked mackerel with dill, fennel, aniseed, and crispy samphire. A really mellow dish that would use a bit extra stress and was barely overpowered by the wine. The menu additionally listed lemon, and I believe only a contact extra lemon would have improved this dish. The mackerel was impeccably contemporary and a pleasant mixture with the dill/fennel/aniseed.
The following wine was a white Rhône mix (Grenache blanc 60%, Vermentino 20%, Roussanne 15%, Bourboulenc 5%) from Saint-Chinian within the Languedoc (France). Properly fragrant and structured however low acidity.
This was a superb pairing for the hamachi (yellowtail) tartare with a ‘sheet’ of Thom Kha Kai, finger lime, and cantaloupe. Among the finest dishes of the menu, elegant, balanced, and complicated. The Thom Kha Kai was properly spicy with out being too spicy and the hamachi impeccably contemporary, identical to the mackerel.
As a wine lover I’ve a rule of thumb that I’d prefer to spend about the identical on the wine as on the meals. The wines of the pairing weren’t unhealthy in any respect and paired effectively with the dishes, however of a decrease degree than what I’m used to consuming at dwelling. And so I enquired whether or not any upgrades could be doable. The wines within the pairing are the one ones accessible by the glass, however there’s a good choice of half bottles. The sommelier permits you to style every wine earlier than pouring a complete glass, and we didn’t like the subsequent wine. I appeared on the checklist of half bottles, noticed a Meursault, and requested the sommelier whether or not it could pair with the dish. He stated it could, and in order that was a simple selection for me as a lover of Côte d’Or whites. This 2022 Sous la Velle Meursault by Domaine Michelot was very elegant (i.e. not as wealthy as Meursault might be) with nice minerality and a pleasant stability, great. This was the primary time ever I’ve had a Meursault with a screwcap.
And it was certainly pairing with the ocean urchin with kiwi and milkbread. I had been wanting ahead to this dish after I noticed it on the menu as a result of I really like sea urchin (often known as uni). The dish was good, however the uni didn’t stand out as a lot as I had hoped.
The following wine was a Chardonnay from California, a heat local weather fashion with tropical fruit and a few oak. The Meursault was a tricky act to observe, however this easier wine was a greater pairing for the subsequent dish…
…which was a ‘paella’ of pearl barley with pink mullet…
…and socarrat (the crispy backside of paella) with mussel. My favourite a part of this dish was the very flavorful sauce.
The sommelier instructed a half bottle of 2016 Chateau Musar from the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, and Carignan that has been aged in oak for 12 months. Very good darkish fruit (blackberry) and chic acidity and tannins.
It was principally pairing for the roe deer venison with strawberry and pine cone, however had some bother with the sweeter parts of the dish (parsnip and apple syrup).
We completed the Chateau Musar with a choice of cheeses from the cheese cart. The Testun al Barolo was the perfect mixture.
The sommelier gave us a sip Pineau des Charentes, a mixture of grape should with cognac, that was a superb pairing with the aged cow milk cheese.
The pre-dessert with strawberry was very candy.
The dessert of cherry with almond, tarragon, and woodruff was good however not memorable. The restaurant had run out of the pink dessert wine that pairs with the dessert, and we declined the choice of an Austrian Spätlese that might have clashed terribly with the dessert for lack of sweetness and excessive acidity.
We concluded our meal with tea or espresso with a pleasant choice of friandises. The pastel de nata, canelé, and baclava that I attempted have been all very good.
The chef was principally current within the eating room relatively than within the kitchen, and it was nice to speak to him and get to know him a bit (very right down to earth man). The restaurant has a variety of tables for a restaurant at this degree and that could possibly be the explanation why the service wasn’t all the time at degree that I might anticipate from a one Michelin star. I already talked about the lengthy wait between our arrival and the primary amuse bouche. After that it was okay for a number of programs, however then once more the time between programs was 30-40 minutes. The dessert was already melting when it was served, and it was served earlier than the wine (which we skipped as a result of it didn’t match).
The meals was very tasty and fantastically offered, the Michelin star effectively deserved. I seen that a few of my least favourite dishes have been additionally on the Unique menu with the chef’s favourite dishes, so it appears our preferences usually are not totally aligned. I’m curious concerning the different dishes on the Unique menu although, just like the Foie Gras and the Lobster.
We talked to the chef concerning the wine pairing, and he defined that this ‘low cost’ wine pairing is what most of his company desire and subsequently it could not be possible to supply a premium pairing as effectively. The half bottles are resolution although, and naturally there may be the wine checklist in case your celebration is a bit bigger so you may order complete bottles. The flavour profile of the dishes varies significantly, so pairing one bottle with a number of dishes could possibly be difficult. (In fact not everybody cares as a lot about wine pairings as I do.) The wine checklist has a pleasant choice and the costs are very cheap for a restaurant (e.g. the Meursault was 95 euros for a half bottle, whereas a full bottle retails for 80 euros — that may be very respectable markup in comparison with most eating places within the Netherlands and permits you to order good bottles from the wine checklist with out spending excessively).
The costs are very cheap for the standard supplied. We had a really good night at Lars.
