Bak; home

Prinseneiland, October 29, 2017—

DINNER AT HOME again tonight, after an elaborate midday dinner at an interesting, ambitious restaurant a few minutes' walk away — my, how this part of town has changed in the last few years.

The small table d'hôte menu ran to seven courses, of which we chose XXX: • celeriac: messeklever, a soft white rather creamy cow's-milk cheese, with a few pieces of blanched onion, wrapped in thin slices of blanched celeriac, and moistened with a subtly coffee-flavored dressing

• egg yolk: a pilaf of seeds, grains, and corn kernels, in dashi, with a raw egg yolk on top

• venison: a slice of roast leg of venison, with black salsify, a garnish of miner's lettuce and parsley, and a dusting of seaweed powder, in rich gravy

• hay: semifreddo delicately flavored with hay, with walnut and poached quince

     🍷Blanc, Andrea Calek (France), 2015: cool, soft, fruity
Nebbiolo, Rartolo Mascarello, 2013 (Langhe): perfect of its type
Ribolla Gravner, Anfora, Venezia Giulia, 2002 (!): oxidized but pleasant, austere
•Bak Restaurant, Van Diemenstraat 410, Amsterdam; 📞+31 20 737 25 53

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Dinner: Our hostess prepared a pumpkin soup, roasting the pumpkin, pureeing its meat, and combining with it scallions, shallots, and vinegar, thinning with chicken stock. A perfect close to the day.

☛RESTAURANTS VISITED, with information and rating: 2016      2015     2017