De Kas

Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3, DE Amsterdam, Netherlands

Modern, fresh and reassuringly earthy – not many restaurants manage to combine all three qualities, but De Kas, located just outside the city centre of Amsterdam, can provide them all by the wheelbarrow. The restaurant, a converted greenhouse re-designed by Piet Boon, sits in an allotment and herb garden tended daily by owner and former Michelin-starred chef Gert Jan Hageman. Dinner is a rural Mediterranean affair combining the restaurant garden’s fruit and vegetables with local meat and fish. The evening meal is always a three-course set menu, opening with a trio of small starters, such as cassoulet of white beans with petit legumes, cavolo nero and poached slow-cooked salmon in olive oil and tarragon. Many of the plates are dressed with edible flowers from the garden (the chef, with notice, is also happy to prepare vegetarian specials). Wine pairing is an optional extra. In the summer, guests are welcome to tour the gardens and even attend ‘in the field’ workshops. As well as the restaurant, De Kas boasts a chef’s table, garden room and patio for different dining experiences, so it can host an intimate dinner for two as well as staging larger celebrations. CK. 00 31 20 462 45 62