Restaurant Sinne in the Pijp neighborhood of Amsterdam has held a Michelin star since 2015. Since my last visit was ten years ago, a return was long overdue. The restaurant offers a compact menu of only eight dishes, including one … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Sinne* (2026)
Port is a challenging wine to pair with food because of its high sugar and alcohol content. Consequently, it is often enjoyed in small sipping quantities alongside strong cheeses, dark chocolate, dried figs, nuts, or caramel-based desserts. The idea for … Continue reading Pairing Port with Food: A Complete 5-Course Dinner Menu & Guide
If you haven’t yet decided what to make for Christmas dinner and are looking for an easy yet elegant fish dish that requires only about 30 minutes of prep and 10 minutes to finish, Branzino all’Acqua Pazza may be exactly … Continue reading Branzino all’Acqua Pazza (European Sea Bass with Cherry Tomatoes)
We have been visiting De Librije to celebrate our anniversary for 20 years, a period during which the restaurant has consistently held three Michelin stars. This was our first visit since Jonnie Boer’s sudden passing earlier this year. Jonnie and … Continue reading Dining in the Netherlands: Librije*** (2025)
Thailand is famous for its vibrant street food—colorful, full of flavor, and often less than THB 100 (about €2.75) per serving. But during our stay in Bangkok, we decided to explore the other end of the culinary spectrum. Together with … Continue reading Dining in Bangkok: R-Haan**
One of my favorite Thai dishes is eggplant salad, made with grilled long eggplant and a punchy dressing of lime juice, fish sauce, dried shrimp, chili, palm sugar, cilantro, and shallots. The Thai name of the dressing is nam yum. … Continue reading Scallop Ceviche in Thai Nam Yum
Pesto alla genovese is one of those ingredients that is much better when made at home, even if you use a blender instead of a mortar and pestle. There are two reasons for this. First, almost all store-bought pesto contains … Continue reading Lasagne alla Genovese (Lasagne with Green Beans and Basil Pesto)
To celebrate my friend Robert’s birthday, I took him to one of my favorite restaurants in Amsterdam: 212, led by chef Richard van Oostenbrugge. I’ve been a fan of his cooking ever since my first visit to Bord’Eau in 2013 … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: 212** (2025)
I often use the guides by the Italian magazine Gambero Rosso to choose wines and restaurants. Wines are awarded one, two, or three glasses (bicchieri), trattorias one, two, or three shrimp (gamberi), and restaurants one, two, or three forks (forchette). My sweet … Continue reading Dining in Italy: Pascucci al Porticciolo*
Wils is a Michelin-starred restaurant located just outside Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium. It takes its name from Jan Wils, the architect who designed the stadium for the 1928 Olympic Games. In the photo above, showing the restaurant’s exterior window with its … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Wils*
As part of our wine tour through Friuli, we had dinner at La Subida Trattoria al Cacciatore. The chef’s specialty is girini—his interpretation of a traditional local dish made by letting pasta batter drip into boiling water to form fresh pasta. What … Continue reading Girini (Crumbles of Dropped Pasta) with Rabbit, Samphire, and Cherry Tomatoes
This raspberry and almond cake is inspired by the kind of simple, flavorful baking you might get served for breakfast at an agriturismo or a cozy B&B in Italy. The tartness of fresh raspberries pairs beautifully with the soft, nutty … Continue reading Raspberry Almond Cake (Torta di Lamponi e Mandorle)
For the reunion of our wine trip to Friuli I’m preparing some dishes inspired by dished we had during the trip. At Michelin-starred Trattoria al Cacciatora we had rolled guinea fowl with “sclopit” and “urticions”. Both of the latter are … Continue reading Guinea Fowl Wrapped in Prosciutto
I needed a light dessert to conclude a tasting menu. Initially, I considered serving small bowls of strawberries macerated with honey and balsamic vinegar—an easy way to elevate even average berries. But that felt a bit too simple. Instead, I … Continue reading Almond Shells with Honey Balsamic Macerated Strawberries
Spectrum is the two Michelin star restaurant in the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Amsterdam by chef Sidney Schutte and restaurant manager Cas Kratz. This dinner was planned long in advance to celebrate my friend Martijn’s birthday, so it was a … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Spectrum** (2025)
After two years it was time to return to Ciel Bleu, the two Michelin star restaurant at the 23rd floor of the Okura hotel by chef Arjan Speelman with a wonderful view of Amsterdam. My previous visit was in 2023 … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Ciel Bleu** (2025)
It’s been a while since I’ve prepared a recipe I discovered through another blog. But when I saw Frite de Cordero on Accounting for Taste, I immediately knew I wanted to prepare a sous vide version of it. Frite de … Continue reading Frite de Cordero (Spanish Lamb Stew)
Restaurant Vinkeles in the Dylan Hotel is located in a historic building in the historic canal district of Amsterdam and has held two Michelin stars since 2023, with Jurgen van der Zalm as chef. My previous dinner at Vinkeles was very nice … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Vinkeles** (2025)
For our last dinner in Australia went to De’sendent, one of the few fine dining restaurants in the Margaret River area that is open for dinner, as most of the fine dining is at winery restaurants and only open for … Continue reading Dining in Australia: De’sendent
Our third and last lunch at a winery in Margaret River is at Leeuwin Estate, to celebrate my birthday. To us as Dutchies it is peculiar to see a winery called “Leeuwin”, because it is a Dutch word (for female … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Leeuwin Estate
Our second fine dining lunch at a Margaret River winery was at Vasse Felix. This is the oldest winery in Margeret River, established in 1967 (so in fact not old for European standards). Like most wineries in Margaret River, it … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Vasse Felix Winery
We are now in the Margaret River area, in the south-west of Australia, south of Perth. This area is known for having a Mediterranean climate and its wines. Many wineries have a very good restaurant that offers a tasting menu … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Wills Domain Winery
Wildflower is regarded as Perth’s best modern fine dining restaurant. According to the website, every dish celebrates the local resources honoring the six seasons of the Noongar calendar. It is amusing to me that it is apparently necessary in Australia … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Wildflower
We are spending the Dutch winter in the Australian summer, and this is the first time I am not cooking at home for Christmas. I have very limited cooking equipment in the camper, and when I did the shopping for … Continue reading Tagliatelle with Rock Lobster (Tagliatelle all’Aragosta)
O.MY is the restaurant of brothers Blayne (chef, on the left) and Chayse (sommelier, on the right) Bertoncello in Beaconsfield, about 45 minutes from downtown Melbourne. They started the restaurant back in 2013, when they were only 19 and 23 … Continue reading Dining in Australia: O.MY
Hogget Kitchen is a ‘farm to table’ restaurant that is located in the Wild Dog winery, just outside of Warragul in Victoria, Australia. The restaurant has a great view of the vineyards. The blackboard in the restaurant doesn’t list the … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Hogget Kitchen
When I posted the recipe for Cod with Macadmia, Lemon, and Broccolini, I already mentioned it could also be prepared with sea bass. I like the version with (European) sea bass, sometimes also referred to by its Italian name branzino, … Continue reading Sea Bass with Macadamia, Lemon, and Broccolini
As we were strolling down the Esplanade in Lakes Entrance, Victoria, Australia, we saw a restaurant called Sodafish on a boat and had a look at the menu. We were surprised to see a degustation menu with wine pairing. The … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Sodafish
My friend Irene got me some organic pears from the tree in her garden. They were not the typical pears that are used to make poached pears in the Netherlands (stoofpeertjes), which turn red when you cook them. But they … Continue reading Poached Pears with Lemon Syrup
Librije is the restaurant of chef Jonnie and maitre/sommelier Thérèse Boer (despite the same last name we are not related) in the city of Zwolle, which has held three Michelin stars since 2004 and is the only restaurant in the … Continue reading Dining in the Netherlands: Librije*** (2024)
