It’s a hearty proposition to expect visitors to Amsterdam to make the 20-minute journey Frankendael Park just to have a meal, but to miss a dining experience at De Kas would be to forgo one of the most revolutionary dining experiences in the region. Located within Amsterdam's former municipal greenhouse nursery, De Kas came to be in 2001 when the former Michelin-star chef of Vermeer Gert Jan Hageman rescued this property from demolition to turn its 30-foot glass building into a restaurant and edible nursery. <br /><br />Visitors arrive to a stylish open space with exposed ventilation ducts and white-clothed tables that bring the garden eatery to live by day with a more romantic ambiance by night. A large bar, greenhouse with seating during the summer and outdoor patio offer a stylish refuge for city dwellers in search of a bit of green at a gourmand where everything you eat is sustained from the on-site nursery.
The Food
A farm-based dining experience brings vegetables from land to tables with 24-hours of harvesting for a daily prix-fixe menu that neither warrants or allows deviation for special requests. While watching the landscape of meticulously arranged herbs, fruit trees, berry bushes, and vegetables guests dine of locally sourced meats and fish dished cooked up by the former chef of London’s River Café. Meals typically include a selection of three small starters, followed by a main course and a garden-theme dessert. For vegetarians, the chef usually whips up a special treat from a special vegetable-based menu.
Last Word
Those who like to be at the heart of the action may prefer the chef's table in the kitchen, where dinner is at the mercy of the kitchen brigade and offers more of a special treat best for four guests.
