New in Town (July 2024)
This month, new spots for fresh pasta, Indonesian coffee, vegan and Middle-Eastern food prove that even when the summer hits, there are places to keep you fed, watered and coming back for more in the Dutch capital.
Vegan heights at Bonboon
Mention the phrase vegan food and it’s bound to draw a range of reactions. A cuisine that’s perhaps wrongly earned itself a reputation as clinical and devoid of warmth, vegan dining has had its share of critiques. But places like Bonboon look to change that – bringing character, flavour and ultimately world-class finessé to the cuisine, in an attempt to show why it’s the chosen diet of many. Formerly located in Amsterdam-Noord, Bonboon moved more recently into the Hotel Mercier in the Jordaan. And with a new luxurious space, complete with gorgeous corniced-high ceilings, a sculptural hotel bar and sculptural light fixtures, Bonboom entices even before you get to the menu.
“I wanted to show that you can have a great meal while eating vegan,” says Daphne Althoff, the restaurant manager and the brains behind Bonboon. “People are always initially sceptical when they hear that all our dishes are entirely vegan – but I’m always confident once they try our food they’ll love it." She’s not wrong. The menu – which changes every eight weeks and uses no meat substitutes – treads a delicate line between the image of comfort food but executed with the kind of high-end chef’s touch you’d expect from a hotel restaurant; think a starter that’s an aubergine and potato terrine, coated in a smoky red curry sauce, kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil.
Bonboon is a labour of love for Daphne, whose restaurant moved to the hotel after a chance dinner with the owner, who – won over by her take on vegan food –invited her team to turn the space into something special. Of course, finer dining can be found anywhere in Amsterdam but Bonboon does something different with its menu for vegans, pairing wines and most notably, tea with each dish. “Our tea is a bit of a show on the table,” explains Daphne, who works with a tea sommelier to handpick teas per dish. “Right now we have cinnamon oolong tea from Taiwan that pairs with our dessert; a rice pudding with coconut, pandon, lemongrass, pumpkin seed, grilled apricot, peach and coconut praline. It’s our star dish – the first time our chef tried it he almost started crying.” If ever there was a cue to visit, this might be the one.
Bonboon | All week, 18:00-23:00 | Rozenstraat 12, City Centre
Indonesian specialities at Hejo Coffee
As one of the largest coffee exporters in the world, Indonesia is still lesser-known than some of its neighbours – say Vietnam and Japan – for its speciality brews. That’s part of how Hejo Coffee (“Green Coffee” in English) came to be – that and to do something good in the world. “Growing coffee is connected to the forest,” explains Hejo Coffee’s general manager Aldi, who is originally from Indonesia but recently opened Hejo as a coffee kiosk inside Purnama Restaurant in Oost. “Arabica coffee can’t grow and survive without trees that provide shade for it to grow. So for every 10 cups bought per person, we plant a tree back in Indonesia, with the goal of creating pocket forests to restore [damaged] ecosystems.”
Coffee’s impact on the earth and communities that grow it has become increasingly well documented and Hejo Coffee’s goal is to help support everyone’s caffeine habits sustainably, while also supporting those who make their livelihood off it. “I work with the farmers back home to harvest the coffee,” says Aldi, who’s heading back to Indonesia over the summer to pick his prime spot and secure the best coffee he can. “It’s our way to build relationships within the community while ensuring we can provide the best coffee over here.”
But what about the coffee itself? Hejo Coffee draws from the entirety of Indonesia – with coffee from Bali as well as west and eastern Java, but the house blend is from the Flores and Kerinci regions; a fruity, chocolatey and deeply rich brew. Different from some of the smoother, more European-catered coffees, Indonesian coffee has a little more kick – expect floral notes and tartness here for a more complex profile. You’ll find all the classics, like cappuccinos, lattes, cortados, espressos and flat whites, but for something a little different try "Kopi Susu Gula Aren", known as the Arenga Sugar Latte, a popular Indonesian drink. Like an iced coffee crossed with coconut, it’s one for when the temperatures rise and so far, this coffee and the rest of the menu have been a hit with customers. "I’ve loved seeing people try Indonesian coffee for the first time. Hearing them compliment it has been overwhelming – it’s priceless.”
Hejo Coffee | Wednesday-Sunday, 09:00-16:00 | Javastraat 55, Oost
Pasta hideout at BRIO
Some people might argue Amsterdam doesn’t need another pasta restaurant, let alone another Italian-inspired one, but those people aren’t us. In fact, there’s always room for a low-lit, snug eatery home to heaping plates of pasta. Thankfully, BRIO is just that. The brainchild of the team behind Little Collins and Collins restaurant, BRIO is the Mediterranean sibling, where you’ll find a little more dinner and a lot more wine.
“We started making quite a bit of Italian-style food at our restaurants,” explains Australian-Italian Laura Grusovin, one of the founders alongside business partners Georgina and Stan. "We were making things like gnocchi and we always spoke about how if we did something else, it would be Italian.” BRIO is much more than gnocchi though (“We make all our pasta fresh daily”), think dishes like pappardelle with rabbit and fennel ragu, and fettuccine with salsa piccante, fermented honey and burrata. And while Laura’s quick to explain it’s all Italian-inspired, the pasta itself is rooted firmly in tradition.
You’ll find BRIO towards the northwest corner of Sarphatipark, another addition to the burgeoning restaurant scene this side of De Pijp, and it’s open Wednesday-Sunday, but on the weekends there’s more of a focus on brunch. Decked out in teak, lacquered tables, orb lighting and a curvy wooden bar, there’s something innately retro and comforting about BRIO. And that’s the feeling Laura wants to leave anyone who eats here with; a sense of the buzz and community. The best spot is arguably the communal table at the back, complete with a skylight and plenty of ambience that makes it great for groups. As for the best dish, Laura says there’s really only one answer. “Our tiramisu! We’ve honed in on the recipe. It’s very boozy, very luxurious. You should just come here for that.”
Mezze with a message at A Beautiful Mess
Creating a restaurant that does good as well as good food can be tricky. But A Beautiful Mess has managed. Devised by former activist turned restaurant-owner Fleur Bakker, the concept works with anyone who’s been forced to flee their home country and provides them training to cook, learn and grow within the hospitality industry. Part eatery, part social enterprise, A Beautiful Mess has four locations – with a new one recently opened this spring in Oosterdok near Amsterdam Centraal – each of which is a melting pot of cuisines, broadly inspired by the sumptuous foods of the Middle East.
“Our menu is inspired by the region’s traditional kitchens – from Eritrea to Syria, Iran to Iraq – but it’s even extended to Ukraine now”, explains Fleur, who founded the concept back in 2017. “One of our most popular dishes is our “A Beautiful Mess”; where our chef makes a selection of some of our best shareable dishes.” Many of these are vegetarian but include things like abneh, hummus or moutabal (spicy eggplant dip) with freshly baked flatbread from the saj, a hearty soup, one meat or vegetable dish and homemade falafel, plus a pot of homemade lemonade and tea.
You can order a la carte all day long, with stuffed flatbreads and desserts (baklava is always a good option) and some excellent daytime options. And while the food is the reason to come, it’s not the only reason people tend to come back here. With a range of impact programmes – like mental well-being and health of people who have just arrived in the Netherlands – funded by the revenue from the food, A Beautiful Mess has also become a community hub of sorts as well as an events space, that’s helping people find a footing and integrate. “What’s been really nice is seeing how connected the neighbourhood is to what we do,” says Fleur. “We’re doing something for Pride, for the Euros. Ultimately we’re a bridge between worlds that don’t often work together.”
A Beautiful Mess | all week, 08:00-23:00 weekdays, 09:00-23:00 weekends | Oosterdokskade 227, City Centre
