On our way to a Norway Fjords Cruise out of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, we enjoyed a 3 night stay in Amsterdam. Amsterdam has been christened “Venice of the North” with its 1800 bridges spanning the many canals. Of course Amsterdam receives about 10 million tourists annually thus it has scads of restaurants including 23 of the Michelin Star variety.
We were fortunate to secure a reservation at LARS. Chef Lars Scharp has been learning at the feet of the masters since 1982 and his restaurant was awarded a single Michelin Star in 2022. As soon as you walk through the door, you can see why. The decor is inviting and classy. The chairs are very comfortable – good thing too, since you’ll be here for a while!
The evening starts with an offering of fresh oysters to accompany your aperitif. Then the chef comes out to welcome you. Nice touch!
Over the next almost 4 hours, we worked our way through the 8-course, Chef Exclusive tasting menu (not including a bread course and an amuse bouche). Wine pairings are available, though we didn’t partake this time. The individual glasses of Chardonnay and Merlot that we had were excellent.
The food was exquisite! A lot of heart and soul went into this menu and it shows. All the little details are here – superb plating, edible flowers, mouth-watering garnishes and sauces, perfect fusions of old classics with new flourishes. We started with seafood and moved on to steak tartare with Imperial Caviar.
Then there were sweetbreads, foie gras and Roe (deer, not fish eggs). The bread course alone was a show-stopper with different savoury butters and oils to dip in.
A dessert and cheese plate finished off the evening perfectly.
The service was over-the-top attentive and friendly until the last couple of courses. Not sure what happened but management was aware of the shortcoming and offered us some delectable chocolates as a consolation prize.
Price for the Chef Exclusive tasting menu is 195 euros per person. Lars also offers a menu called the Lars Experience (120 euros pp) and the Green menu (100 euros pp) for vegetarians. They cannot accommodate vegans guests, unfortunately.
Of our Michelin Star dining experiences, Lars Amsterdam ranks as one of the best. In fact, it is tied with Published on Main and Kissa Tanto (both located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.)
Our ranking of Lars Amsterdam is 9/10
When in Amsterdam, you should definitely check out this gem!
LARS AMSTERDAM
Open for lunch Thursday to Saturday and diner Tuesday to Saturday.
Danzigerkade 179
1013 AP Amsterdam
+31 (0) 20 214 97 29
info@larsamsterdam.nl
Other restaurants we have visited in our Michelin Star Journey:
Okeya Kyujiro (Vancouver, BC)
Wild Honey (London, England)
St Lawrence (Vancouver, BC)
Cranes (Washington, DC)
AnnaLena (Vancouver, BC)
Masayoshi (Vancouver, BC)
Published on Main (Vancouver, BC)
And THESE restaurants don’t have a Michelin Star – but definitely should! (In our opinion.)
Pluvio (Ucluelet, BC)
The Palm Court (London, England)
Read about our 3 days in Amsterdam here.
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