Utrechtse Dwarstafel — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Tucked away in a side street off the Utrechtsestraat, among the canal houses of central Amsterdam, is one of the most remarkable restaurant experiences in the city. For almost twenty years Hans Verbeek and chef Esther van Meerten have run this small restaurant of at most 22 seats. Barts Boekje called it one of the best restaurants in Amsterdam. The concept is simple but rare: no menu, no stress over choices. You choose the number of courses, Esther decides what comes to the table, always seasonal, always with passion. Esther works with fresh seasonal produce and combines the traditions of French, Italian and Dutch cooking: wild Norwegian salmon on potato salad, cod with rocket pesto and pearl barley, fallow deer from the Waterleidingduinen with sauerkraut quiche and parsnip mousseline. Hans accompanies each dish with Old World wines; his extensive collection lines the walls of the intimate room. They call it a "ballet of wine and food" themselves. Recognised by Gault&Millau. Each course has its own wine pairing: no standard package but a hand-picked selection Hans puts together each evening based on that day's ingredients.