It may surprise some of you (although probably not my fellow food bloggers) that I’m not exactly inundated with offers of free meals in restaurants. In fact, most restaurants don’t actually know who I am. So anonymity isn’t the problem for me that it is for – say – Johannes van Dam. And I’m fine with that. I mean, these reviews wouldn’t be very objective if it was, right?
But every now and again, I get an invitation to a restaurant launch or an opening night, and I think – well, why not? It’s not like anyone pays me to write this stuff, and there have to be some perks to the job… Last Wednesday was one such evening. I’d been invited by a very nice PR lady to the newly renovated and re-launched Herengracht Restaurant & Bar. So I said yes.
And that’s why this review isn’t as objective as it could be: not because of the way I’m going to write about my experience, but because for once someone actually knew they were serving a diner who was likely to go home and write about it afterwards. Having said that, I looked around at the other dinner guests; the service they were getting – just like the service I was getting – was impeccable.
The food was also good enough that, were it a man, you wouldn’t kick it out of bed. I started with just-seared scallops on silky celeriac puree with bacon crisps; a classic combination that’s nonetheless a good one. The Honey Badger’s carpaccio was simple but accomplished, too.
Things were off to a flying start, until something went wrong in the kitchen and our mains took about an hour to arrive. (Which slightly makes me dread what would have happened if they hadn’t known who I was.) But the kitchen’s mistake was saved by the service – our waitress was honest, polite and took responsibility, which is all I could ask for. My main when it came was some kind of piggy trio: a chunk of belly, a ball of something pulled and offally (in a good way, in case you were wondering) and a lean, white cut of pork. I was so hungry by this time that I forgot to take notes, but I polished off the lot with a contented pork-lover’s grin.
The dessert was the only disappointment. Crème brûlée tasted like pumpkin pie filling with brown sugar on top. It hadn’t seen a blow torch. The ice cream it came with was the only part I finished.
However, for a prime location on the canals right next to the Leidsestraat, prices are good and service even better. If the kitchen can iron out a few mistakes, I’ll be going back – but next time under a false name.
